{"id":55189,"date":"2026-07-21T09:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55189\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:35:16","slug":"best-commutes-melbourne-trams-utrecht-bikes-and-seoul-metro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55189\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Commutes: Melbourne Trams, Utrecht Bikes and Seoul Metro"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c-article-hero__description\">For most people commuting is boring, expensive and uncomfortable. But does it need to be that way? We just want the basics done right: solid infrastructure, a low-carbon footprint and an experience that doesn\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1.<br \/>Melbourne<br \/>Cross the city by tram<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With more than 250km of two-way tracks and about 500 trams, Melbourne\u2019s network is the largest of its kind in the world. An AU$2.3bn (\u20ac1.4bn) investment project is well under way to deliver, among other things, 40 more electric trams by 2020. With 24 lines lacing through the coastal city\u2019s neighbourhoods, commuters are spoiled for choice \u2013 but some routes are particular favourites. \u201cThe 96 is an iconic route,\u201d says Neil Pharaoh, a marketing consultant who has ridden the tram to work for the past three years. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the fastest lines from St Kilda and it\u2019s an enjoyable mix of the Luna amusement park, the beach and the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1095\" data-id=\"67203\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mncl_commute_083_-1.jpg\" alt=\"A green and yellow Melbourne tram passes Luna Park's Ferris wheel with palm trees and coastal landscape.\" class=\"wp-image-67203\"  \/>Start at Luna Park <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1095\" data-id=\"67204\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mncl_commute_360_.jpg\" alt=\"Green and yellow electric tram passes colonial-era buildings in Melbourne's urban streetscape.\" class=\"wp-image-67204\"  \/>Zoom past a colonial treasure<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1095\" data-id=\"67205\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mncl_commute_636_.jpg\" alt=\"A green and white Melbourne tram crosses the Yarra River with the city skyline in the background.\" class=\"wp-image-67205\"  \/>Cross the Yarra River<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1094\" data-id=\"67206\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/_dsc2715.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclists riding along a tree-lined street in Utrecht with historic buildings visible on the right side.\" class=\"wp-image-67206\"  \/>Hit the road <\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1094\" data-id=\"67207\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/_dsc2729.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclist riding along a canal path lined with trees in Utrecht, Netherlands.\" class=\"wp-image-67207\"  \/>Pass by the canals<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1094\" data-id=\"67208\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/_dsc2413.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a modern multi-level bicycle parking garage with organized bike racks and two cyclists using the facility.\" class=\"wp-image-67208\"  \/>Park at the biggest bike garage in the world <\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1096\" data-id=\"67209\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jmp-2019-04-monocle-seoul-metro-006.jpg\" alt=\"Seoul subway train crossing the bright blue Hannam Bridge over the river with city skyline in background.\" class=\"wp-image-67209\"  \/>Spot Hannam Bridge<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"730\" width=\"1094\" data-id=\"67210\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jmp-2019-04-monocle-seoul-metro-001.jpg\" alt=\"Two passengers inside a clean, modern Seoul subway car with blue and white interior design.\" class=\"wp-image-67210\"  \/>Head to Gangnam<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jmp-2019-04-monocle-seoul-metro-010.jpg\" alt=\"Passengers board and wait at a Seoul Metro subway station platform with modern train doors and signage.\" class=\"wp-image-67211\"  \/>Mind your step!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2.<br \/>Utrecht<br \/>Cycle along the canals<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Netherlands \u2013 a country with more bicycles than people \u2013 Utrecht is a clear contender for best cycling spot. Mark Winden, who manages a gift shop, heads down the canals from the university quarter and through the centre for his daily commute. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful in the morning when it\u2019s quiet and the mist sits above the water,\u201d he says. Every day some 125,000 cyclists wend their way through Utrecht, using more than 350km of bike lanes. Handily the city has the largest bicycle garage in the world. \u201cThe council invests in the infrastructure,\u201d says Winden. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to get around by bike; I would never use anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3.<br \/>Seoul<br \/>Take a seat on the subway<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve been taking the subway since I was six years old,\u201d says Jane Lee, art director at gallery Punto Blu. \u201cIt\u2019s the cleanest, safest and fastest underground rail system in the world.\u201d For more than a decade Lee travelled to university from Gyeongbokgung Station to Apgujeong, near Gangnam\u2019s luxury fashion shops and restaurants. As the subway is relatively new, the cost of upkeep is low and South Korea\u2019s typical transport budget of \u20ac31bn goes much further toward developing a modern, efficient system. The subway has seamless wi-fi, cheap fares and a fair-minded discount system. \u201cIt gives you a sense that the city really cares about its people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For most people commuting is boring, expensive and uncomfortable. But does it need to be that way? We&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55190,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19403,17146,260,1093,52085,39785,5002,52086,52087],"class_list":["post-55189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-melbourne","tag-commuting","tag-cycling-infrastructure","tag-melbourne","tag-public-transport","tag-seoul","tag-subway","tag-tram","tag-urban-mobility","tag-utrecht"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}