Urban Rides, Bike Trails & Weekend Getaways
Free Bike Maps and Self-guided Bike Rides
Taste and wander your way by bike with Bikabout's collection of the best bike rides in North America.
Montrealers call it “the mountain.” Really it’s a big hill, and no trip to Montreal would be complete without making it up the city’s famous icon through one of its loveliest parks. Our favorite way of getting up there is of course by bike, along the wide gravel path through the park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (the same Olmsted who designed New York City’s Central Park).
2.5 days exploring Oakland's vintage shopping, farmers markets, coffee and a bar on the National Literary Landmark Register in 3 bike routes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 3-7 miles each. Bikabout has stitched this low-stress bike routes to experience local, Kara Oberg’s, favorite places on 2 wheels. Hopefully by the end of the ride, you’ll love Oakland, like #WeloveOakland.
Vancouver boasts lots of shopping hot spots for tourists and locals alike. For the more discerning shopper, some of the most unique and local boutiques are found in Gastown and along the stretch of South Main, otherwise known as SoMa and Little Mountain. Main Street is also THE PLACE for vintage lovers, with more second hand stores than anywhere else in the city.
Aussies love Brooklyn. And they love their coffee. Put two and two together and you get an up-and-coming Australian cafe scene in Brooklyn with some of the best lattes and flat whites this side of the Equator. An easy, fun way to go cafe hopping is to take your bike around the borough, stopping at great Australian cafes in Brooklyn along the way, each with its own character and loyal customer following.
Craft brewing has exploded over the last ten years in Vancouver, and East Vancouver has become a hot spot for these small, independent breweries, each offering a variety of options for beer lovers. This bicycle based brewery tour features some of our favourite stops, along with some places to grab coffee or food to fuel your journey. All tasting rooms allow children accompanied by an adult, and many have worked out deal with local food trucks, who will park outside and whose food can be brought inside. Disclaimer: Drink responsibly and ride safely!
The gem of Vancouver’s public space, and our best recreational bike route by far, is the seawall. Construction around the Stanley Park portion began in 1917 and now at 22km provides a continuous public space separated from vehicle traffic along almost all of central Vancouver’s waterfront. It’s pretty impressive — so good one wonders if it’s the reason Vancouver doesn’t have a central plaza or any pedestrian streets, but that’s another matter. In recent years Vancouver has also made great strides in building 8 to 80 (safe for 8 to 80 year olds) accessible separated bicycle infrastructure throughout city streets. This tour aims to give a taste of the seawall and recent separate bike paths, along with a healthy dose of some of my favourite pieces of public art, cafés and watering holes. Oh, and there’s a first rate gelato shop and amazing Chinese garden.
