Free Wheeling: Europe's Most Cycle Friendly Cities

Serious about cycling? Check out our round-up of these bike-friendly cities around Europe.

Malmö, Sweden

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With more bicycle pathways than any other city in Sweden, Malmö is an underrated paradise for cycling enthusiasts.

 

The Swedish government has committed millions of krona towards building excellent cycling infrastructure in recent years, on top of launching campaigns encouraging people to ditch their car and hop on their bikes instead.

 

Thanks to these efforts, biking it to work is becoming more and more popular in Malmö and tourists can easily get in on the action by renting one of the city’s cheap bikes and taking a trip down to the seaside.

 

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Barcelona, Spain

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The sun-drenched Catalonian capital is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most popular tourist hotspots.

 

Barcelona is a big, busy, bustling city full of life and over the last decade it’s introduced a highly successful bike scheme to get tourists and locals alike from A to B.

 

There are tons of handy new bike stations dotted throughout the city beside metro and tram stations and Barcelona boasts one of Europe’s best (and most affordable) bike-sharing schemes.

 

The city’s efforts to get tourists using bikes is still growing steadily thanks to a range of new bike-only paths that link Barcelona’s major tourist attractions together into easy routes.

 

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Copenhagen, Denmark

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The beautiful Danish capital has been nicknamed the bicycling capital of Europe… and for good reason.

 

Copenhagen bikes an incredible 1.2 million km per year and has a massive reputation when it comes to being the most bike-friendly city on the continent.

 

There are more bikes than people in Copenhagen and the city has consistently invested in its cycling infrastructure for decades.

 

You’ll find cheap bike rentals all over, making it easy to zip along its flat roads and through its picturesque city centre from one tourist spot to the next.

 

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

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If Copenhagen is considered Europe’s premier cycling city, then Amsterdam is a close second. An incredible 48% of all journeys in the Dutch capital are taken by bike.

 

Amsterdam has a wonderfully flat terrain and an excess of brilliant cycle lanes, making it simple and easy to glide through this compact, colourful capital.

 

Cycling is the most natural and popular mode of transport here, whether it’s tourists, locals or even high-ranking politicians. Everybody bikes here.

 

With beautiful canals and incredible architecture all around, the city provides the perfect backdrop to your two-wheel adventure through Amsterdam.

 

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Seville, Spain

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The capital of Andalusia is famous for its gloriously sunny weather and delicious wine.

 

Tourists descend on Seville in their droves every year to see its famous Cathedral, explore Barrio Santa Cruz and experience authentic flamenco shows. But Seville is also building a reputation as one of Europe’s most bike-friendly cities.

 

Thanks to an excellent new bike-rental scheme and a ton of local investment, Seville is now incredibly accessible by bike. Pedalling through the city’s easy-to-follow network of connected cycle lanes truly is a special experience.

 

Incredibly, cycling has increased ten-fold in Seville in recent years and it has quickly become a shining example of how to become a modern, bikeable city. They don’t call it the cycling capital of southern Europe for nothing.

 

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