{"id":162922,"date":"2026-09-09T10:44:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/162922\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:44:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:44:28","slug":"the-worlds-best-cities-for-cycling-in-2026-according-to-a-huge-survey-of-locals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/162922\/","title":{"rendered":"The World\u2019s Best Cities For Cycling In 2026, According To a Huge Survey of Locals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exploring a city can be done in a multitude of ways: public transport offers us efficiency, while going for a stroll gets you the full boots-on-the-ground experience of soaking up the atmosphere of a place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cycling, however, grants you the best of both worlds. And thanks to policies\u00a0that often go hand-in-hand with improving green spaces<\/a> and making our urban areas more pedestrian-friendly<\/a>, plenty of the world\u2019s best cities are primed for zipping around on two wheels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED: The world\u2019s best cities in 2026, according to Time Out<\/a><\/p>\n

As part of our mega annual city survey, we asked over 24,000 urbanites about the ease of cycling in their city.\u00a0The 20 hubs below had the highest number of respondents describing getting around by bike as \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018amazing\u2019. To reflect the best cycling cities globally, we included only the highest-scoring city for each country.<\/p>\n

Keen to see which city in the world is best for exploring by bike? Pedal on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s best cities for cycling, according to locals
\n1. Cambridge, UK
\n\"Two
\nPhotograph: Alena Vishina \/ ShutterstockTwo of many bikes in Cambridge, UK <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 83.2 percent<\/p>\n

A handful of factors are needed to make a city truly bike-friendly, and Cambridge<\/a>, the impossibly quaint university city in England, ticks all the right boxes. Firstly, its flat geography and relatively dry weather mean you won\u2019t be tackling too many dreaded hills or frequently arriving at your destination completely sodden, which is always a perk. But thanks to the compact nature of the city and innovative urban planning<\/a> (which includes a massive, multi-story bike park at the station and \u2018cycle streets\u2019) one third<\/a> of journeys here are taken by bike. No wonder more than 83 percent of the locals we spoke to agree.<\/p>\n

2. Montreal, Canada
\n\"Montreal
\nPhotograph: Marc Bruxelle \/ ShutterstockCyclists cross the intersection of Laurier and Saint-Denis streets <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 82.5 percent<\/p>\n

Okay, so Montreal<\/a> is famously chilly \u2013 and hilly \u2013 but with an impressive 82.5 percent approval rating from locals when it comes to cycling, it easily ranks as the most bike-friendly city in North America. Why? Well, a whopping 25 percent<\/a> of Montrealers used the city\u2019s primary bikeshare system, BIXI, in 2023, and thanks to an ambitious infrastructure project \u2013 the Express Bike Network<\/a> or \u2018EBN\u2019 \u2013 the network of protected bike lanes (which are cleared of snow in the winter months) will span 171 km. That\u2019s on top of the existing 1,083 km<\/a> of cycleways in the city.<\/p>\n

3. Copenhagen, Denmark
\n\"People
\nPhotograph: fotopanorama360 \/ ShutterstockPeople commute by bike in Copenhagen city centre <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 79.2 percent<\/p>\n

According to Visit Copenhagen<\/a>, city dwellers in the Danish capital<\/a> cycle a staggering 1.44 million kilometres on the daily, and that jaw-dropping stat is thanks to decades of smart urban planning. While that obviously includes the vast network of dedicated cycle lanes and off-street paths, it\u2019s also thanks to ingenious traffic slowing measures. Sure, there are signs limiting speeds to 20 kilometres per hour, but the use of textured roads and narrow lanes effectively encourages caution when it comes to speed, making the city a much more pleasant place to hop around by bike.<\/p>\n

4. Shanghai, China
\n\"Cyclist
\nPhotograph: Lushengyi \/ ShutterstockCyclist in Shanghai <\/p>\n

\u00a0\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 78 percent<\/p>\n

Not all cities are slow traffic havens like Copenhagen, and the number of cars and electric scooters which screech along Shanghai<\/a>\u2019s roads is definitely something to be aware of before hopping on your bike. However, 78 percent of locals we spoke to rated the ease with which you can cycle in China\u2019s most populous city, and we reckon it\u2019s got something to do with the river. Traversing the banks of the Hunagpu is the Pudong Riverside Greenway<\/a>, a 24km-long car-free path which winds all the way from the Yangpu Bridge to the Xupu Bridge, with glorious city views towering above you the whole way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. Vienna, Austria
\n\"Vienna,
\nPhotograph: NastyaHryva \/ ShutterstockVienna, Austria <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 77.7 percent<\/p>\n

The Austrian capital is a pleasant place to enjoy the outdoors, with\u00a0Vienna<\/a> also claiming a top-20 spot in our list of the best cities for green space<\/a>. The central European city brags an expansive 1,800km of cycle lanes, and you can browse them all, as well as spots to fix a puncture or find a pump, on this interactive map<\/a>. If you\u2019re just in town for a few days, make the most of WienMobil Rad, which is the city\u2019s bike-share system, operated by city transport authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Warsaw, Poland
\n\"Warsaw,
\nPhotograph: Margy Crane \/ ShutterstockWarsaw, Poland <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 76.6 percent<\/p>\n

Another city blessed with mostly flat streets and, therefore, pleasant cycling conditions, Warsaw scored well among local people with an approval rating of 76.6 percent. There\u2019s an impressive network of cycling paths, which stretch to around 500km, but the best thing about cycling in Warsaw is how many of the city\u2019s landmarks you can tick off en route. Follow the path\u00a0along the left bank of the Vistula<\/a> and you\u2019ll pass sights such as the Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw University Library (and its roof garden)\u00a0and the Multimedia Fountain Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

7. Marrakech, Morocco
\n\"Marrakech,
\nPhotograph: KarenJudith \/ ShutterstockMarrakech, Morocco <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 75 percent<\/p>\n

While the higgledy-piggledy streets of\u00a0Marrakech<\/a>\u2019s treasure-trove medina don\u2019t exactly make for a great setting for hopping on your bike, we can\u2019t argue with 75 percent of locals. After all, while you probably won\u2019t get very far very fast on two wheels in the Old Town\u2019s walls, outside is a different story. Gueliz has wider roads and dedicated bike lanes, and the Marrakech region is an excellent base for bike-packing trips in the Atlas Mountains. Away from the SUV and moped-filled streets of the Moroccan capital are stonking mountain views and peaceful roads, described by one cyclist as \u2018disconcertingly quiet\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

8. Taipei, Taiwan
\n\"Cyclists
\nPhotograph: twabian \/ ShutterstockCyclists enjoying sunrise at Wugu Wetland, New Taipei City <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 74.5 percent<\/p>\n

While Taipei<\/a> is another city on this list notorious for busy traffic, clever design has helped it earn a solid 74.5 percent approval rating from locals. Many of the city\u2019s cycle lanes are zones shared with pedestrians, who have the right of way, but Taipei\u2019s parks and rivers are lined by\u00a0designated bike paths (which come with gorgeous views thrown in). The five main lanes are Keelung, Tamsui, Jingmei, Xindian and Shuangxi Riverside Bikeways. Head to\u00a0Taipei\u2019s official tourism site\u00a0for a map<\/a>\u00a0of the bikeways and the routes\u00a0they follow.<\/p>\n

9. Stockholm, Sweden
\n\"Cyclists
\nPhotograph: Nicholas Ahonen \/ ShutterstockCyclists in Stockholm <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 73.7 percent<\/p>\n

Stockholm<\/a> is one of those cities\u00a0that feels like it was made for cycling. Across the hub\u2019s fourteen main islands are several\u00a0cycle lanes<\/a>, waterfront paths and plenty of green spaces. The S\u00f6dermalm Island Loop, the Norra Djurg\u00e5rden Loop and the Vaxholm Loop are just some of the most established, which enable you whizz past landmarks, enjoy lovely views of the water, and (the latter specifically) properly venture into the archipelago. There are also handy details\u00a0that make cycling less of a headache, such as the free air pumps<\/a>\u00a0dotted all over Stockholm if you happen to puncture your tires.\u00a0<\/p>\n

10. Seville, Spain
\n\"Cyclists
\nPhotograph: Alena Veasey \/ ShutterstockCyclists in Seville <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeb2 Cycling score: 72.3 percent<\/p>\n

Thanks to its flat terrain and estimated 180km of bike lanes, the Andalusian capital is one of Spain\u2019s most cycling-friendly cities. Some of Seville<\/a>\u2019s must-see landmarks, like the Plaza de Espa\u00f1a and the Real Alc\u00e1zar, are connected by an\u00a0expansive bike lane network<\/a>, making hopping on a bike\u00a0one of the best ways to go sightseeing. But that 72.3 percent approval rating from locals is also likely thanks to how well-integrated cycling is into the city\u2019s infrastructure: there are urban greenways, a vast bike-share rental system called SEVici with lots of docking stations, and traffic lights at junctions that are specifically for cyclists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

11. Seoul \u2013 72.2 percent\u00a0
12. Medellin \u2013 71 percent\u00a0
13. Rotterdam \u2013 69.3 percent\u00a0
14. Helsinki \u2013 69.3 percent
15. Abu Dhabi \u2013 69.2 percent\u00a0
16. Orlando \u2013 68.7 percent\u00a0
17. Frankfurt \u2013 65.3 percent\u00a0
18. Luxembourg \u2013 64.7 percent\u00a0
19. Ljubljana \u2013 64.4 percent\u00a0
20. Brasilia \u2013 64.4 percent<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0e Read Time Out\u2019s ranking of the world\u2019s best cities<\/a> for 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter<\/a> for all the latest travel news across the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exploring a city can be done in a multitude of ways: public transport offers us efficiency, while going…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[83],"tags":[2776,459,460,131,132,458],"class_list":["post-162922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-stockholm","tag-audience-location-audience-worldwide","tag-categories-things-to-do","tag-news-city-life","tag-stockholm","tag-sweden","tag-things-to-do"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/117240677642823389","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}