Cycling allows you to see places close up and at a slower pace. It keeps you aware of your surroundings and you get to experience a place more intimately than you would as a bus or taxi passenger. You'll see more of street life and meet people going about their daily business. It is also a great way to return from your holidays fitter and healthier than when you left.
Cycling is becoming easier in many western countries for both getting around town or for long distance touring. In Europe, Canada and America, money is being invested in converting old railways, building dedicated cycleways and putting in cycle lanes on busy roads. In Asia and Africa, the pattern is very different. In China, Vietnam and India, the bicycle was often the dominant mode of transport. Here, cycling is in decline, and has been thought of as a sign of past poverty. There is some signs of a return to bike transport in these countries, because of congestion and health benefits, particularly in China. Even in India, cycling is beginning to benefit as it is taken up by parts of the middle classes.
In Africa, the bike has been marginalised for a long time, despite being a cheap way to provide local mobility.
For tourists and adventurers, there are definitely better and worse places to cycle, but there's not many places you can't reach by bike.
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You can tour by yourself, or you can go with a commercial guided tour. These have the advantage of making all the logistical and accommodation arrangements, and usually bringing your luggage along in a van, but can be very pricey.
Touring is quite a popular kind of adventure holiday, and you can find many blogs detailing people's experiences, cycling independently in places you really wouldn't expect.
Mountain biking deserves an article to itself. Hilly, less accessible places make exhilarating riding, but you will want a bike built for it.
Printed cycle maps can be hard to find, or expensive. For some countries, such as Germany, however, detailed cycle maps are widely available at reasonable prices. Conventional maps tend to say less than is useful about cycle lanes, cycle routes, locking stands and bike shops. However, Open Street Map has this information for many countries, presented very well by sites like Open Cycle Map.
The most common GPS units for bikes are manufactured by Garmin and they charge for their proprietary cycle route maps; however, cyclists and Open Street Map volunteers have brought their maps to Garmin. The only snag is that you have to spend a little time choosing, downloading and installing the maps yourself.
There's a host of tips and advice available which is helpful especially if you're planning a longer journey. Bikes can be taken on most trains, ferries and planes, and even sometimes on buses.
You can bike anywhere, but there are places where cycling is particularly good or easy. These are some of the more popular destinations and cycle routes, to give you a flavour of what's possible.
Cycling in Africa has declined, and is below western levels in most countries. This seems to be in part because of poor infrastructure design in most cities and a perception of cycling as dangerous or as associated with poverty. Cape Town has a few cycle paths and lanes, but it is an exception even in South Africa.
Cycling the length of the African continent is one of the great touring challenges. Heat, disease, wild animals, poor roads, bike maintenance and logistical challenges stack up against experiencing the extraordinary landscapes and peoples.
China still has a high proportion of cyclists, although traffic can be dangerous. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Suzhou continue to have very good cycle infrastructure, even if car traffic is much more dominant than it once was. There is a 70 km segregated cycle lane between Shanghai and Suzhou. Hong Kong has less cycling than the mainland, but is beginning to become more bike-friendly, with a network of dedicated cycle paths around the New Territories.
The Yunnan-Tibet Highway has become a particularly popular challenge for touring cyclists. The end part of route isn't easily navigable for foreigners, however, because of restrictions on entry to Tibet.
Japan can be a good place for cycling. Drivers are generally polite and cycling is quite common in some cities, like Kyoto.
Bikes are required to be registered at a police station. Officially, cycling on pavements is outlawed, but this seems to be generally overlooked; in any case many pavements are officially dual use. Children, by law, must wear helmets.
The Shimanami Kaido Bikeway connects the main island of Honshu to Shikoku, and runs from Onomichi City to Imabari City, a distance of 70 km.
Cycling in Taiwan is improving, with new cycle paths, but driving standards are quite poor. Kaohsiung has 150 km of cycle lanes and a city bike hire scheme.
is one of only three countries in the world which mandates bicycle helmet wearing for all ages (the others being Australia and New Zealand) and, of course, it can be hellish hot. Fuel and air conditioned vehicles are as cheap here as anywhere in the World and both recreational and commuter cycling is minuscule
Most people still use bicycles in Vietnam, so cycling there can be a good choice. However motorised traffic is rapidly coming to dominate Vietnam's roads, especially near Saigon, meaning it is no longer the cycling paradise it perhaps once was.
National Highway 1 is a well-known route for long cycle tours, being Vietnam's main North-South road. There are plans to upgrade it to a six lane highway however, so it may not be a great route for much longer. The southern 700 miles tend to be more popular, as they are reputedly more scenic and include many miles of beaches.
A popular alternative is to choose parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was the network of supply routes used by the Communist north to supply their troops in the south during the Vietnam war. This takes in the rural areas, crosses into Laos, and is much tougher cycling.
Cycling in Pakistan is very common. Cyclists often cycle the Karakoram Highway through the Hunza Valley in Pakistan to China. The Khunjerab Pass, at 4863 m, is the highest paved international border crossing in the world and the highest point on the Karakoram Highway. Organised tours and books about the journey are available.
Cycling in India is very common, and is becoming more popular as a leisure activity. There a number of informally known routes that are popular, but few that are officially designated. A few areas and routes worth mentioning would include:
Australia is making efforts to improve cycling, and cities like Brisbane have better routes and city hire schemes. Australia was the first country in the world to impose uniform national mandatory bicycle helmet legislation, beginning in 1990 and it is illegal to ride without a helmet (except that in Tasmania this law only applies on public roads and in the Northern Territories there is an exemption for adults cycling along footpaths or on cycle paths).
Former railway lines in some states of Australia, particularly Victoria have been converted into dual use trails, with detailed maps and online services.
Cycling is not a major commuter activity in New Zealand (except in Nelson), although it is increasingly popular as a sport and leisure activity and mountain biking is particularly well developed in Nelson.
Beware of buses and trucks on main roads as many drivers will not give you sufficient overtaking clearance; proportionately, five times as many cyclists are injured and killed on New Zealand roads as in the Netherlands or Singapore! You should also be prepared for the large distances between towns and cities and the generally windy weather. While there are some areas of New Zealand that are flat, such as around Richmond, most tourists cycling in New Zealand will find that they need to be able to cope with long periods of cycling up and down hills. Be prepared to encounter four seasons in one day.
Currently, there is a network of cycleways being built around New Zealand, with some safe and beautiful routes already constructed: NZ Cycleways . Helmets must be worn by law .
Most EEA countries have well-developed tourist routes, in addition to commuter cycling in cities.
Europe is developing an international network of touring routes, known as EuroVelo. These often follow existing national routes, but bring them together to make thematic and very long journeys, such as the North Sea Route, which takes in the coastlines of the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Norway. The furthest destination east is Moscow. Route 2, the Capitals Route, starts in Galway, Ireland and routes through Dublin, London, Berlin, Warsaw and Minsk before arriving in Moscow.
The picture is mixed in the former Soviet Baltic states, although the capitals like Tallinn have good networks.
Denmark is equally consistently well provisioned for cycling. Copenhagen(see Cycling in Copenhagen) (and "Copenhagenizing") has become a byword for cycling culture, much as Amsterdam. In these countries, cycle paths are normal on main roads in cities and towns. Over 30% of journeys in Amsterdam and Copenhagen are by bike. There are extensive routes that make cycling practical for everyday travelling, and trains are also designed to take your bike with minimum fuss.
Denmark has a set of national routes crossing the country and close to the coastline. Extensive Danish camping makes it pretty easy to cycle along these routes especially on the coast, where camp sites are often every few miles. The national leisure routes vary in terrain, from easy paved routes in towns, through to unsurfaced forest trails and sandy dune paths. These make for extremely interesting cycling, but can be a little slow on a fully-laden touring bike. The wind on the west coast can be pretty ferocious.
Finland has generally good cycling in the cities.
Cycling is a national sport in France, but city cycling is not as good as northern Europe, although it is improving in cities like Paris and Lyon. Drivers are relatively good with cyclists.
There are some stunning officially marked leisure routes, that take in many of France's well-known landscapes, like the La Loire à Vélo.
Nearly 15% of journeys are by bike in Berlin and cycling is common in cities like Hamburg. There are over 70,000 km of routes in total. Some of the longer, more famous routes include:
Reykjavík in far northern Iceland has good cycle provision.
In Europe, the Netherlands are the most famous for cycling, with Amsterdam famous for its bikes.
Norway may not seem like a natural cycling destination, but it has some well-developed routes, which take you through some spectacular scenery and along the coastline. Wild camping is permissible in Norway, which makes some of the routes easier.
In Portugal, cycling facilities are improving in Lisbon.
Facilities are developing well in parts of Spain, especially cities. Major roads in Spain also have a standard cycling reservation. Drivers are generally polite to cyclists in Spain.
Cycling in the United Kingdom is quite good for leisure routes, with a national network developed and signposted by Sustrans. Some routes follow former railways. Cycling is good in some cities, especially Oxford and Cambridge. London has a network of cycle routes, although they are not as safe or pleasant as a city like Amsterdam. In general, UK city cycling is well below average for Europe.
If you are considering touring in the United Kingdom, it's worth considering buying the maps and guides produced by Sustrans to accompany the national routes they have helped develop. The routes themselves can be found on Open Cycle Map, but Sustrans' guides are helpful for nearby places to stay or visit. See also Cycling in Scotland for an overview of touring and mountain biking.
Beirut's downtown has a car-free Sunday.
Petra & Wadi Rum
Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal have good and developing systems of local bike routes. Edmonton in the Praries and Victoria in the West are said to be among the most bike-friendly in the country.
The Trans-Canada Trail is a set of linking trails connecting east, west and north Canada. See: Across Canada by Bicycle
The Route Verte has 3,059 miles of tracks in Quebec, including leisure and commuter routes. They claim it is the most extensive network in North America.
City cycling in the U.S. can vary from the downright awful to the very good. Car culture is very strong, but encouraging cycling has asserted itself as a political idea, for environmental and health reasons in some places. Portland and Minneapolis are the biggest cycling cities. Los Angeles has a sizeable number of cycle paths.
Chicago, Seattle, and Boston are also good for city cycling. College towns like Fort Collins or Auburn often have good facilities.
Some major destinations, like New York are improving their cycling facilities and culture but suffer from traffic problems which might put off visitors. A Manhattan Waterfront Greenway encircles most of Manhattan. Washington has growing commuter bike usage, a bike share scheme and some long bike trails.
The U.S. is a huge country, with extremely varied terrains, and a strong cycling movement. Dedicated bike trails, as they are called in the States, are a growing leisure phenomenon.
The U.S. has 41,420 mi of (unmarked) national routes planned and put together by Adventure Cycling Association. The routes use the most bike-friendly facilities available, including dedicated cycle trails, old railway lines and quiet roads. They link up the major population centres and tourist destinations like the Grand Canyon and national parks. Some are focused on historic events.
Maps and supported tours are available.
More info: Adventure Cycling Association map
Official marked US and state routes are included on OpenCycleMap . There is an effort to create a full official marked US cycle network: the first few routes have been designated, based on the ACA's network of routes.
There are of course many, many more state and local bike trails.
Colombia is a particularly avid cycling nation, for the sport and the activity. Bogotá has an extensive cycle network.
Brazil has some reasonable cycling in some cities. Rio de Janeiro has a few good cycle paths and cycle hire. São Paulo has dedicated cycle ways, and nearby Guarujá has extensive cycle paths. Curitiba has over 100 km of cycle ways, one of the largest in the country. Overall, cycling is common, but traffic conditions don't make cycling as easy as it could be.