this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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These are the 10 most cyclist-friendly cities in the world (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Wotagar@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
58 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Here is the regional ranking:

Source

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[–] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

I heavily doubt this list. As a NL native, I would guesstimate that probably the first 50/150 on this list should be dutch cities. Ofc that would be a boring list, but I have been in somewhere between 50 and a 100 EU cities and it looks to me like we have an extreme luxury here with our biking situation.

I've seen some larger cities in EU that seemed doable on the bike, but even then, lanes end at random spots and the network is incomplete. Are you supposed to mount the curb in those situations? Or take your chances mixing in motorized traffic with your 20kg vehicle? And the smaller EU cities I've seen weren't better.

Plus, Amsterdam could be fun to bike around if it wasn't bursting at the seams from the high amount of tourist bike noobies trying their first few km on the pedals. I'm happy they're here, but it's not an improvement to biking 😄 better off taking the tram.

[–] bluesheep@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Exactly. Amsterdam at no4? Above Groningen? Above Houten, the city designed around traveling by bike? Both of which aren't in this top 10? I also call bullshit on this list

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago

Houten was not included in the survey. They only considered cities above 250k population and then somehow limited it to 100 cities. They also only consider the five best cities that participated in their survey, which mostly affected a bunch of large cities in Germany, including Berlin and Hamburg.

The 2025 Index ranks 100 cities which have been carefully selected in a transparent, multi-step process. The selection started off with a list of all urban areas of more than 250,000 inhabitants, while also including capital cities with smaller populations when their cycling modal share had become significant.

[–] verdi@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 1 points 6 days ago

Can confirm, any average dutch backwater has better bike infrastructure than Cph. It's not just bike lanes, the transitions, signalling and direction changes are far better thought out. 

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What you mean a NL indigenous person?

[–] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah as in born and raised. I guess the raised part is most important for this.

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I meant where, NL mean?

[–] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The Netherlands

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oh, okay, never seen the abbreviation. sorry,

[–] gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 days ago

Wild that you've never seen it, but I'm glad you learned

[–] Deme@sopuli.xyz 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Helsinki? Lmao no.

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Really, they have huge reputation for that?

[–] Deme@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The main network of wide bike paths is nice, but outside of that the painted on lanes and gutters can be unreliable. At times a lane just ends or abruptly turns into a one way lane. While bike infra is being improved, the city itself is still very much designed cars first. I suppose it's definitely not the worst, but I am at least disappointed if there's no more cities with better bike infra than that.

I cycle to work out of town when there's no snow on the ground (I'm lucky in that it's mostly parks, with only a couple of roads to cross on the 15km route), but it's a lot easier to take public transit when heading downtown.

Oh yeah and Oulu in northern Finland should be mentioned for their exceptional winter maintenance of bike paths. Check out https://mas.to/@pekkatahkola

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There Bicycle paths are do they not allow motorized vehicles? There bicycle paths are not complete enough, that riders have to leave them, for the stupid rest of bicycle riders options?

[–] Deme@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 days ago

Yes, there's nice dedicated bike paths where only bicycles (and also e-scooters and such) are allowed, but there's not enough of them to be able to get everywhere.

[–] Decq@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Ghent absolutely does not deserve to be #3. There are probably at least 10 Dutch cities better than Ghent.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

MÜNSTER!

[–] nodiratime@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Doesn't deserve a place in the top 10. Maybe in the top 50. But the list is bs anyway.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh i dont know how it is there. But i just like it mentioned :÷

[–] nodiratime@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Even though some claim otherwise, it's hands down the best city for cycling in Germany. But it still doesn't hold a candle against a lot of cities in NL.. lovely city though, and very young/full of university students.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 days ago

Yes. That i know

[–] EponymousBosh@awful.systems 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What the hell are these regional groups? Why is Mexico not part of North America? Why is ALL of Asia grouped with Australia and NZ?

[–] yessikg@fedia.io 1 points 5 days ago

Mexico not being there means a white USAmerican or Canadian made this list.

[–] idealism_nearby@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I literally have no idea how any city on planet earth could be more cyclist-friendly than Amsterdam. They are treated with more respect than cars and pedestrians.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago

The number 1 is Utrecht which is basically a very similar city to Amsterdam but a bit smaller and less over-crowded with tourism and just in general. It makes sense to me.

[–] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 3 points 6 days ago

Interesting hearing bicyclist in the locations listed, I assume, calling BS on the list.

[–] Qzr@programming.dev 1 points 5 days ago

Lol, if Seoul is no. 5 in Asia, it means there are no cyclist-friendly cities in Asia. Maybe Christchurch is better, but even Taipei didn't strike me as cyclist-friendly at all compared to most European cities I know.

[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

No Spain? Last I checked cycling here was very encouraged

[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Montréal being at n.1 in NA but n.15 worldwide is representative of how sucky bike stuff is here. Although montreal's central neighborhoods would definitely crack the top ten if they were counted alone.

[–] tamal3@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not Just Bikes on YouTube does a simultaneously loving and hateful video on Montreal biking. If I remember correctly, he basically says it's a very small region of Montreal that is bikeable, and that it's really piecemeal between neighborhoods as to what the infrastructure looks like. There was also something about disconnection from certain metro lines, but I don't remember the details on that clearly.

Also, I need to say out loud to someone that Guadalajara is in North America too... Wonder how it compares with Montreal for biking, given that they're somehow not on the same list?

[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

tbf since that video Montreal has gotten significantly better, and the places he complained about not being connected to transit have since been connected to the network by the new light metro.

The image shows that Montréal is in 15th place worldwide while Guadalajara is n.73

[–] tamal3@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

That's great to hear! You're reigniting my desire to move to Montreal.... If it was a Spanish speaking city instead of French I think I'd already be there.

The video had mentioned that the city was considering more car-free summer streets. Do you know if that has that come to fruition?

[–] termaxima@slrpnk.net 2 points 6 days ago

Living in France, from what I know I disagree. Grenoble blows Paris away easily.

[–] Saapas@piefed.zip 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Helsinki #6? Hmm okay

[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 2 points 6 days ago

The other ones must be very bad.

[–] eluvinar@szmer.info 1 points 6 days ago

Just came here to check if there's no polish cities. There shouldn't be! But we often end up on such lists for no reason I could understand (lobbying? marketing?)

[–] gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 5 days ago

Why does this look AI generated?

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