There are seemingly endless pros to traveling by bike and cons are few and far between. It’s good for your health, and good for the environment. You can see more details than from a car, bus or train and can choose to stop and look closer. You can also cover more ground than by walking around. Bikes are easy to store and usually reasonable to afford (especially in comparison with cars or public transport), whether you’re renting, touring or buying for long stay travelers.
The only real concerns travelers might have when considering seeing a city by bike are safety and weather. Okay, so the weather is sort of beyond our control, even if you plan your trip at the right time of year, but there are a number of cities that you can choose where general bike safety is becoming a non issue. Many cities are taking steps to encourage locals and visitors alike to travel primarily by bike in order to ease traffic and pollution. They’re putting in on and off road bike lanes, they’re setting up racks and rental stands, and they’re maintaining road repairs in order to help convince people that their city is a bike-friendly one.
Here are some favorite examples of bike-friendly cities where travelers, whether for a weekend visit or a six month stay, might prefer to travel by bike.
1. Hamburg, Germany
Photo via Flickr/jacme31
2. Seville, Spain
Photo via Flickr/Steven Vance
3. Ljubljana, Slovenia
Photo via Flickr/rhobinn
4. Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo via Flickr/Jae C.
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Photo via Flickr/Mike Juvrud
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photo via Flickr/Andrés Nieto Porras
7. Bordeaux, France
Photo via Flickr/Álvaro
8. Antwerp, Belgium
Photo via Flickr/sunbeer
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Photo via Flickr/Rajesh_India
10. Strasbourg, France
Photo via Flickr/Claudia Brauer