The best cities for cycling, October 2026
This edition analyses 999,399 routes in 51 cities. Every route is evaluated using the same criteria, making it possible to compare and rank routes and cities consistently.
The best cities for cycling
Each city's typical ride, measured using the same scoring method. The tick marks the median across all 51 cities.
- 1
Amsterdam Typical ride scores 75 out of 100 70% of what you can reach by bike is nature93% low stress36% infrastructure387 rides measured - 2
Utrecht Typical ride scores 64 out of 100 51% of what you can reach by bike is nature85% low stress31% infrastructure184 rides measured - 3
Taipei Typical ride scores 63 out of 100 35% of what you can reach by bike is nature16% low stress7% infrastructure447 rides measured - 4
Copenhagen Typical ride scores 61 out of 100 37% of what you can reach by bike is nature93% low stress28% infrastructure208 rides measured - 5
Seoul Typical ride scores 59 out of 100 24% of what you can reach by bike is nature0% low stress7% infrastructure982 rides measured - 6
Madrid Typical ride scores 57 out of 100 44% of what you can reach by bike is nature15% low stress6% infrastructure576 rides measured - 7
Paris Typical ride scores 57 out of 100 30% of what you can reach by bike is nature66% low stress17% infrastructure149 rides measured - 8
Edinburgh Typical ride scores 55 out of 100 35% of what you can reach by bike is nature46% low stress10% infrastructure222 rides measured - 9
Boston Typical ride scores 54 out of 100 25% of what you can reach by bike is nature44% low stress10% infrastructure318 rides measured - 10
Singapore Typical ride scores 54 out of 100 25% of what you can reach by bike is nature2% low stress14% infrastructure525 rides measured - 11
Ghent Typical ride scores 53 out of 100 33% of what you can reach by bike is nature79% low stress22% infrastructure326 rides measured - 12
Vienna Typical ride scores 52 out of 100 30% of what you can reach by bike is nature63% low stress19% infrastructure505 rides measured - 13
Melbourne Typical ride scores 52 out of 100 29% of what you can reach by bike is nature4% low stress12% infrastructure4,049 rides measured - 14
Stockholm Typical ride scores 52 out of 100 33% of what you can reach by bike is nature95% low stress26% infrastructure520 rides measured - 15
San Francisco Typical ride scores 52 out of 100 27% of what you can reach by bike is nature74% low stress8% infrastructure268 rides measured - 16
Barcelona Typical ride scores 51 out of 100 40% of what you can reach by bike is nature62% low stress12% infrastructure194 rides measured - 17
Osaka Typical ride scores 51 out of 100 20% of what you can reach by bike is nature38% low stress3% infrastructure491 rides measured - 18
Valencia Typical ride scores 51 out of 100 28% of what you can reach by bike is nature59% low stress14% infrastructure224 rides measured - 19
Lyon Typical ride scores 50 out of 100 22% of what you can reach by bike is nature63% low stress18% infrastructure178 rides measured - 20
Lisbon Typical ride scores 50 out of 100 30% of what you can reach by bike is nature3% low stress6% infrastructure229 rides measured - 21
Seattle Typical ride scores 50 out of 100 17% of what you can reach by bike is nature84% low stress7% infrastructure411 rides measured - 22
New York Typical ride scores 50 out of 100 20% of what you can reach by bike is nature44% low stress7% infrastructure859 rides measured - 23
Munich Typical ride scores 50 out of 100 32% of what you can reach by bike is nature89% low stress27% infrastructure512 rides measured - 24
Dublin Typical ride scores 49 out of 100 23% of what you can reach by bike is nature1% low stress12% infrastructure461 rides measured - 25
Bristol Typical ride scores 49 out of 100 21% of what you can reach by bike is nature46% low stress11% infrastructure234 rides measured - 26
Bogotá Typical ride scores 49 out of 100 28% of what you can reach by bike is nature1% low stress7% infrastructure806 rides measured - 27
Toronto Typical ride scores 49 out of 100 20% of what you can reach by bike is nature16% low stress7% infrastructure523 rides measured - 28
Manchester Typical ride scores 48 out of 100 22% of what you can reach by bike is nature21% low stress9% infrastructure277 rides measured - 29
Berlin Typical ride scores 48 out of 100 33% of what you can reach by bike is nature61% low stress18% infrastructure1,071 rides measured - 30
Tokyo Typical ride scores 48 out of 100 17% of what you can reach by bike is nature38% low stress2% infrastructure937 rides measured - 31
Hamburg Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 28% of what you can reach by bike is nature62% low stress17% infrastructure752 rides measured - 32
Perth Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 28% of what you can reach by bike is nature1% low stress11% infrastructure2,891 rides measured - 33
Vancouver Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 21% of what you can reach by bike is nature64% low stress8% infrastructure294 rides measured - 34
Brisbane Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 29% of what you can reach by bike is nature1% low stress11% infrastructure1,194 rides measured - 35
Sydney Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 27% of what you can reach by bike is nature2% low stress10% infrastructure2,796 rides measured - 36
Wellington Typical ride scores 47 out of 100 39% of what you can reach by bike is nature5% low stress11% infrastructure181 rides measured - 37
Oslo Typical ride scores 46 out of 100 45% of what you can reach by bike is nature60% low stress10% infrastructure407 rides measured - 38
Cologne Typical ride scores 46 out of 100 25% of what you can reach by bike is nature74% low stress17% infrastructure549 rides measured - 39
London Typical ride scores 46 out of 100 23% of what you can reach by bike is nature26% low stress8% infrastructure1,841 rides measured - 40
Zurich Typical ride scores 44 out of 100 30% of what you can reach by bike is nature49% low stress10% infrastructure141 rides measured - 41
Dresden Typical ride scores 44 out of 100 34% of what you can reach by bike is nature48% low stress8% infrastructure392 rides measured - 42
San Jose Typical ride scores 43 out of 100 11% of what you can reach by bike is nature40% low stress10% infrastructure434 rides measured - 43
Mexico City Typical ride scores 42 out of 100 17% of what you can reach by bike is nature36% low stress2% infrastructure1,203 rides measured - 44
Boulder Typical ride scores 42 out of 100 20% of what you can reach by bike is nature57% low stress22% infrastructure146 rides measured - 45
São Paulo Typical ride scores 42 out of 100 13% of what you can reach by bike is nature21% low stress3% infrastructure1,999 rides measured - 46
Chicago Typical ride scores 41 out of 100 11% of what you can reach by bike is nature44% low stress5% infrastructure1,144 rides measured - 47
Portland Typical ride scores 41 out of 100 11% of what you can reach by bike is nature59% low stress9% infrastructure571 rides measured - 48
Auckland Typical ride scores 41 out of 100 32% of what you can reach by bike is nature1% low stress9% infrastructure1,588 rides measured - 49
Jakarta Typical ride scores 38 out of 100 13% of what you can reach by bike is nature0% low stress0% infrastructure540 rides measured - 50
Los Angeles Typical ride scores 37 out of 100 10% of what you can reach by bike is nature9% low stress4% infrastructure1,327 rides measured - 51
Cape Town Typical ride scores 25 out of 100 13% of what you can reach by bike is nature0% low stress1% infrastructure892 rides measured
How cities are ranked
Every ride is scored from the streets it travels: through nature 30%, views 5%, away from traffic 30%, longest nature stretch 15% and climbing 20%. Away from traffic is the share on paths and on roads up to 40 km/h on main roads or 50 km/h on side streets, or kept apart from faster roads by a cycleway, or in a painted lane on a smaller main road up to 50 km/h; a pavement counts as the road beside it. Before building anything longer we build 20 km rides from every starting point in the city; Typical is the middle score of those, so every part of the city counts once, however many starting points we went on to build further from. Climbing is left out when cities are compared: a city's hills are a fact about it, not a mark of how good its rides are. The hilliest cities have their own table.
Where each city stands out
Every city's typical route on each part of the score. The tick is the middle city; the city named is the one that does best.
Through nature
Views
Away from traffic
Longest nature stretch
As a table
| City | Through nature | Views | Away from traffic | Longest nature stretch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 84% | 0% | 100% | 33% |
| Utrecht | 63% | 0% | 100% | 17% |
| Taipei | 61% | 9% | 93% | 27% |
| Copenhagen | 53% | 5% | 100% | 15% |
| Seoul | 48% | 1% | 96% | 25% |
| Madrid | 51% | 3% | 94% | 16% |
| Paris | 42% | 8% | 99% | 18% |
| Edinburgh | 46% | 2% | 95% | 13% |
| Boston | 46% | 2% | 93% | 17% |
| Singapore | 44% | 5% | 94% | 15% |
| Ghent | 37% | 0% | 98% | 14% |
| Vienna | 35% | 1% | 99% | 11% |
| Melbourne | 40% | 0% | 92% | 13% |
| Stockholm | 32% | 6% | 100% | 9% |
| San Francisco | 30% | 12% | 98% | 13% |
| Barcelona | 33% | 10% | 97% | 11% |
| Osaka | 37% | 0% | 95% | 11% |
| Valencia | 32% | 0% | 98% | 10% |
| Lyon | 28% | 8% | 98% | 11% |
| Lisbon | 38% | 13% | 87% | 10% |
| Seattle | 27% | 6% | 100% | 10% |
| New York | 31% | 0% | 96% | 13% |
| Munich | 28% | 2% | 100% | 9% |
| Dublin | 35% | 0% | 91% | 13% |
| Bristol | 31% | 8% | 95% | 9% |
| Bogotá | 31% | 0% | 97% | 8% |
| Toronto | 33% | 0% | 91% | 14% |
| Manchester | 30% | 0% | 94% | 8% |
| Berlin | 29% | 2% | 95% | 7% |
| Tokyo | 29% | 0% | 95% | 8% |
| Hamburg | 29% | 1% | 95% | 8% |
| Perth | 30% | 0% | 92% | 10% |
| Vancouver | 25% | 0% | 98% | 7% |
| Brisbane | 38% | 0% | 82% | 11% |
| Sydney | 32% | 0% | 89% | 10% |
| Wellington | 41% | 7% | 76% | 15% |
| Oslo | 25% | 4% | 97% | 10% |
| Cologne | 22% | 0% | 98% | 7% |
| London | 26% | 0% | 94% | 7% |
| Zurich | 17% | 9% | 95% | 6% |
| Dresden | 23% | 6% | 91% | 7% |
| San Jose | 14% | 0% | 98% | 6% |
| Mexico City | 14% | 0% | 96% | 4% |
| Boulder | 22% | 0% | 87% | 6% |
| São Paulo | 15% | 0% | 94% | 5% |
| Chicago | 12% | 0% | 97% | 4% |
| Portland | 11% | 0% | 98% | 4% |
| Auckland | 35% | 0% | 66% | 11% |
| Jakarta | 20% | 0% | 77% | 6% |
| Los Angeles | 9% | 0% | 89% | 4% |
| Cape Town | 12% | 0% | 50% | 4% |
Each part is the middle of the routes measured from every starting point we tested, the same ones the city ranking reads. Climbing is ranked in its own table.
The hilliest cities
How much the typical ride climbs in each city. Hills are not part of how cities are compared above.
| Rank | City | Metres up per km | Rides measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Paulo | 19.4 | 1,999 |
| 2 | Wellington | 18.3 | 181 |
| 3 | San Francisco | 18.1 | 268 |
| 4 | Oslo | 15.7 | 407 |
| 5 | Seattle | 13.8 | 411 |
| 6 | Lisbon | 13.4 | 229 |
| 7 | Auckland | 11.5 | 1,588 |
| 8 | Lyon | 10.9 | 178 |
| 9 | Barcelona | 10.7 | 194 |
| 10 | Vancouver | 10.4 | 294 |
| 11 | Zurich | 10.3 | 141 |
| 12 | Seoul | 10.2 | 982 |
| 13 | Bristol | 9.9 | 234 |
| 14 | Singapore | 9.4 | 525 |
| 15 | Sydney | 9.3 | 2,796 |
| 16 | Madrid | 9.1 | 576 |
| 17 | Brisbane | 8.6 | 1,194 |
| 18 | Edinburgh | 8.4 | 222 |
| 19 | Dresden | 8.1 | 392 |
| 20 | Stockholm | 7.3 | 520 |
| 21 | Boulder | 6.4 | 146 |
| 22 | Portland | 6.2 | 571 |
| 23 | Perth | 5.8 | 2,891 |
| 24 | Toronto | 5.7 | 523 |
| 25 | Boston | 5.5 | 318 |
| 26 | Dublin | 5.3 | 461 |
| 27 | Mexico City | 5.3 | 1,203 |
| 28 | Melbourne | 5.2 | 4,049 |
| 29 | Paris | 5.0 | 149 |
| 30 | New York | 4.8 | 859 |
| 31 | London | 4.7 | 1,841 |
| 32 | Vienna | 4.5 | 505 |
| 33 | Taipei | 4.4 | 447 |
| 34 | Los Angeles | 4.3 | 1,327 |
| 35 | Manchester | 4.2 | 277 |
| 36 | Bogotá | 4.0 | 806 |
| 37 | Cape Town | 3.7 | 892 |
| 38 | Jakarta | 2.8 | 540 |
| 39 | Hamburg | 2.4 | 752 |
| 40 | San Jose | 2.4 | 434 |
| 41 | Tokyo | 2.2 | 937 |
| 42 | Copenhagen | 1.8 | 208 |
| 43 | Munich | 1.8 | 512 |
| 44 | Cologne | 1.7 | 549 |
| 45 | Berlin | 1.5 | 1,071 |
| 46 | Valencia | 1.4 | 224 |
| 47 | Ghent | 0.8 | 326 |
| 48 | Amsterdam | 0.7 | 387 |
| 49 | Utrecht | 0.7 | 184 |
| 50 | Chicago | 0.6 | 1,144 |
| 51 | Osaka | 0.6 | 491 |
How it is measured
Ranked by metres climbed per kilometre, using the median of the routes measured from every starting point we tested. These are the same routes used for the city ranking. Minor changes in elevation are filtered out.
