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Europe
Amsterdam
The “bicycling capital of Europe” tops many lists—including this one, it seems—as the most bike friendly city anywhere. Safe and extensive route networks, serious governmental promotion, and a bike culture that transcends class boundaries are all reasons why 40% of the city’s traffic moves on two wheels.
Barcelona
Barcelona’s Bicing program, one of many mass bike rental systems that have popped up recently in Europe and beyond, debuted in 2007 in the Catalonian capital. An annual Bike Week is held in late May to spread the word.
Berlin
Photo: tandemracer
Commuting Berliners are never lonely—400,000 of them pedal to work each day. City leaders still aren’t satisfied with this figure, and millions of euros have been allocated to encourage more cyclists to get on the streets. One result is a mapping website that helps you plot bike-specific routes.
Copenhagen
In the Danish capital, around a third of the workforce gets to the office by bike. By some estimates, that’s more than a million kilometers pedaled every day.
For an alternative and truly bike-friendly urban experience, check out Christiania, a neighborhood of 850 that, in addition to setting up a semi-independent government and decriminalizing trade in cannabis, has banned cars.
Paris
Paris gets a nod here for its creation of Vélib’, one of the world’s largest public bicycle rental programs. Twenty thousand stylish three-speeds are distributed among 1,450 rental stations throughout the city, available to subscribers at variable rates (rides under 30 minutes are free).
North America
Boulder
Denver’s little hippy neighbor to the north dedicates 15% of its transportation budget to improving and promoting bicycle travel. Nearly every major roadway has a designated cycling area, and they’ve even instituted a pilot program to get kids biking to school. This guy has created a very cool color-coded route map, complete with local attractions.
Chicago
Photo: mugley
Late during his 22-year tenure, Mayor Richard Daley became set on turning Chicago into “the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States.” It doesn’t appear to be all talk, either, as more bike lanes pop up all the time, and more laws that protect cyclists’ safety are passed.
The City of Chicago website has all you could ever want to know about the city’s bicycle initiatives.
Davis
It’s said there are more bikes than cars in this small, northern California city of 65,000. Not only that, but its official motto is “Most bicycle friendly town in the world.” The entire month of May is dedicated to Cyclebration…and the list goes on.
Ottawa
Canada’s capital claims the highest percentage of bike commuters in the country, if not the continent. Its 170km of paths make it easy to get from point A to B, though two-wheeled traffic is sure to drop between December and March. Visit the City of Ottawa website for more.
Photo: MaximeF
Portland
You were worried there for a second, weren’t you? No, I haven’t forgotten what most people consider the bike capital of the U.S. The only thing as impressive as Portland’s bicycle infrastructure (including a 260-mile network) and commuter stats (almost 10%, the highest in the country) is the camaraderie of its cyclist community.
San Francisco
The founding city of Critical Mass can’t be overlooked. Over the past decade, bicycle collisions have declined while the number of bike commuters has nearly doubled.
Photo: Charles Haynes
Add city initiatives like removing car parking to make room for bike parking, distributing “Watch for Bikes” stickers (to be placed on driver’s side rearview mirrors), and its fledgling bike share program, and you get one of the world’s bike-friendliest cities.
Elsewhere
Photo: Dan Zen
Beijing
Debatable? Sure. But I wouldn’t call the city with probably the most bicycles of any in the world to be bike unfriendly.
The sheer number of cyclists necessitates some pretty sophisticated infrastructure for the travel, storage, and repair of two-wheeled vehicles.
Cape Town
African cities aren’t the first I think of for bike friendliness, but Cape Town is doing its best to change that.
The South African hub is dedicated to creating cycling lanes, dedicated bike parking, and public commuter showers.
Bogotá
Bogotá’s transportation initiatives have been a model for change throughout Latin America, and its treatment of bicycles is no exception. Miles of safe, segregated bike paths and Sunday Ciclovía events (where main thoroughfares are closed to cars) make Colombian cyclists very happy.
Perth
With more than 700km of bike routes and plenty to see along them, Australia’s fourth largest city takes it for Down Under. Find maps, recommended rides, and other cycling resources on the Perth Bike Maps webpage.
Community Connection
In the interest of geographical diversity, this list includes picks from across the globe. Did we get some wrong? Leave any out? Let us know in the comments!
Hal Amen
Hal Amen is managing editor at Matador. His personal travel blog is WayWorded.
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indian people are not using cycle nowaday only low poor people only using cycle foringer you want to give support for indian to use the best cycle in the world that to use to give interest
I well understood Davis is really bicycle friendly city. I also agree with Beijing because I saw many bicycles there recently.
I wonder why no Japanese cities are listed here. Please tell me.
Appropriate quote: “When I’m a pedestrian, I hate drivers. When I’m driving, I hate pedestrians. No matter when, I hate cyclists.”
Berlin is definitly not a bike friendly city. What about Groningen, Utrecht and Münster
What about Tokyo? This list needs a re-do.
Copenhagen and Amsterdam/Haarlem are amongst the top international bike cities, and of course Lillestrøm in Norway.
Tokyo may not have many bicycle lanes but there are 30 million registered bicycle lanes in the metropolitan area. Bicycle riding is also popular in many other Japanese cities.
There is a bike revolution in South Korea now…but only as a hobby, not as a means of transport. In the next 5-10 years, you will be able to ride your bike on bike paths and trails between most major South Korean cities.
Washington, D.C. and surrounding municipalities are also undergoing a bike revolution. The Capital Bike Share program is a hit, bike lanes are increasing, there are loads of trails that traverse the region (and are quite crowded on weekends) and many visitors to DC are renting bikes and riding around the city to the see the sites.