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Travel + Fun

26th Oct 2018

5 bike friendly cities around the world perfect for visiting with the family

Melissa Carton

On yer bike!

I love cycling with my kids, but I’m always worried about bringing them on the busy roads in Dublin.

That’s why when we go on vacation I find it a great excuse to live life in the cycle lane but there are some cities in particular that are perfect for heading out on your bike with the kids.

If you’re looking for somewhere to head over the mid term break some of these cities might be just what you’re looking for.

1)Amsterdam, Netherlands

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlX59-clB6b/?tagged=amsterdambikes

When a city has more bikes than people, you know it’s going to be a good spot for cycling.

The Netherlands, in general, has a lot of very flat terrain which makes it perfect for travelling on two wheels.

Tourists and visitors to the city can also use their online bike-specific route planner to navigate the city with ease.

2)Kyoto, Japan

https://www.instagram.com/p/BimFYDIAK4B/?tagged=kyotobikes

Like Amsterdam the land which Kyoto was built on means that cyclists can practically glide along the roads.

Kyoto is one of Asia’s best bike-friendly cities and bicycles can easily be rented if you’re a visitor to the Japanese city.

The city’s grid pattern also makes it really easy and quick to get navigate and get around.

3)Montreal, Canada

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7wSooL-GF/?tagged=montrealbikes

Montréal has been named as having one of the friendliest bike systems in North America and for visitors to the city, it’s easy to see why.

Much of its 400 miles of bike paths are segregated from traffic and Montreal is also host to an incredibly popular bike festival.

While bike rentals are very common in Ireland and the rest of Europe, Montreal’s BIXI ( modular bicycle sharing system) is a first for North America, and so far has been a huge success with locals and tourists.

4)Portland, USA

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPWEMMn1ly/?tagged=portlandoregon

When it comes to getting on your bike there’s no place it’s easier to do it than in Portland, Oregon, USA.

The help starts immediately after landing and Portland International Airport even has a designated area to disassemble and reassemble bikes before and after your flight!

Portland has the largest number of bike commuters in the U.S. and the bike-sharing scheme in the city is appropriately called Biketown. Biketown was launched in 2016 and has 1,000 bikes at over 100 stations across the city.

5)Perth, Australia

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlW_fK3jJc1/?tagged=perthbikes

Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to cycle around in the beautiful Australian weather? With the weather getting chillier here there really wouldn’t be anything nicer.

The city has bike lanes that are parallel to shared paths making it safe for children to cycle their own bikes without having to worry about traffic.

Imagine casually cycling with the kids to the beach. Bliss!

So what do you think?

Are you a fan of cycling and if so will any of these destinations be going on your travel bucket list?