The best cities for cycling as a tourist

HANGZHOU, CHINA

THE SPIN The world's most extensive public bike system boasts nearly 3000 stations and 70,000 bicycles; no matter where you are in the city centre, you should be able to find a bike no more than 300 metres away. Even better, the lakeside city and surrounding tea-planted countryside provide beautiful pedalling.

THE RIDE STUFF Cut across famous West Lake on Broken Bridge and Sudi Causeway, stopping along the way at museums, renowned eateries and willow-framed views straight from classical China. Cycle back along the eastern shoreline's green belt.

RENT IT Free for the first hour, trivial cents thereafter, but you'll need a $60 deposit on your card; gotohz.com

ELSEWHERE Extensive cycle lanes remain in cities such as Beijing (visitbeijing.com.cn) and Guangzhou (visitgz.com), and bicycle ownership remains the highest in the world.

MORE gotohz.com

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

THE SPIN The Argentine capital is investing heavily in cycle infrastructure with some 130 kilometres of lanes around this very flat city, making cycling a viable alternative to traffic-jammed taxis or buses. Just be cautious, though, since lanes are narrow and obstacles (poodles, rubbish bins, parked cars) not uncommon.

THE RIDE STUFF Start in Plaza Italia and wheel along Jorge Luis Borges avenue through the ultra-trendy Palermo Viejo district, then veer off to Parque Centenario, always full of locals strolling, guitar-strumming or browsing book stalls.

RENT IT The city's public Ecobici system is free, but you'll have to register first; buenosaires.gob.ar/ecobici

ELSEWHERE In South America, Bogota (colombia.travel) is best, with extensive cycling lanes linked to the bus system. Rio de Janeiro (rio.com) has great coastal routes and a shared-bike system.

MORE turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

THE SPIN Plenty of commercial ventures will rent you a bike in one of the world's most cycle-friendly cities. Half of Copenhagen's residents cycle daily (even our own Princess Mary takes to her bike), pedalling a combined 1.2 million kilometres. Around 390 kilometres of cycle lanes have their own traffic signals and parking bays; plot your route at Cycle Copenhagen (cyclecopenhagen.dk).

THE RIDE STUFF Start at the delightful harbour at Nyhavn and head along the waterfront past Fred and Mary's palace to the Little Mermaid. Circle around the star-shaped Kastellet maritime fortress and west to the green space of Faelledparken, next to the trendy Norrebro district.

RENT IT $16 for 24 hours; cph-bike-rental.dk

ELSEWHERE Wheel-obsessed Odense (visitodense.com), where there are more metres of bike paths per inhabitant than anywhere else in Denmark.

MORE visitcopenhagen.com

DUBLIN, IRELAND

THE SPIN Dublin's ongoing investment in bicycle infrastructure might make this a top cycle city of the future. Its public rental system has been a huge success; currently there are 1600 bikes at over 100 stations. Last year, the system notched up 10 million trips. Extensive 30km/h zones make cycling safe.

THE RIDE STUFF Hit the 11-kilometre Grand Canal loop in the city's south and you'll see sights such as the Guinness Storehouse brewery, cathedral and Trinity College. Sprawling Phoenix Park is another great cycle spot, and the coast is a 20-minute pedal away.

RENT IT $8 for three-day ticket, then free for 30 minutes on any one bike and small charges thereafter; dublinbikes.ie

ELSEWHERE Belfast is improving. Its 11-kilometre Comber Greenway (cycleni.com) along disused railway tracks is one of the British Isles' best rides.

MORE visitdublin.com

KYOTO, JAPAN

THE SPIN Though Kyoto has few dedicated cycle paths, it's paradoxically one of the best cities in Asia to saddle up thanks to its flat contours, quiet back alleys, courteous drivers and easy-to-navigate grid system of streets. Many of its sights are fronted by bicycle parking. And get this: it's actually legal to ride on footpaths, albeit at a sedate pace.

THE RIDE STUFF Pedal along the shallow Kamo River, where herons strut and cafe-goers chatter, then east along Sanjo-dori to Nanzen Temple. From here the charming Philosopher's Path heads north, passing many other delightful temples and washing-strung neighbourhoods.

RENT IT Various bike styles from $12.50 per day, as well as group cycle tours; kctp.net

ELSEWHERE Nagoya (nagoya-info.jp) is increasingly bike friendly, and certain Tokyo districts (cycle-tokyo.cycling.jp) make for a surprisingly pleasant pedal.

MORE kyoto.travel

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

THE SPIN The ultimate cycling city, where 60 per cent of locals use a bike daily, has a superb cycle network, along which only the humps of canal bridges offer any resistance to pedalling. Many 30km/h zones in the city add to safety. You can even rent bicycles at train stations and return them at any other, making excursions delightfully easy.

THE RIDE STUFF You can cycle almost wherever you want in Amsterdam. Cycle any and all of its city-centre canal sides and bridges and you'll pass flower markets, churches, red-light-district shockers and period buildings.

RENT IT Around $18 for 24 hours; bikecity.nl or orange-bike.nl

ELSEWHERE Groningen (toerisme.groningen.nl), where 37 per cent of all trips are made by bicycle; and Utrecht utrecht.nl where information panels at junctions allow you to plot your route.

MORE iamsterdam.com

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE SPIN London came late to cycling but when it finally rolled out a public cycle-hire system, it did so with commitment. There are 10,000 bikes at 700 docking stations, which are constantly being extended. Many are close to underground stations, and some in city parks. London has also established blue Cycle Superhighways leading across the city from the suburbs.

THE RIDE STUFF An hour's pedal (but many more hours in sightseeing) will take you from the Natural History Museum via Hyde Park, Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral to the Tower of London.

RENT IT $3.60 for 24 hours, but only 30 minutes free on any one bike; tfl.gov.uk

ELSEWHERE Edinburgh edinburgh.gov.uk and Oxford oxford.gov.uk where bicycles are the must-have student mode of transport.

MORE visitlondon.com

MONTREAL, CANADA

THE SPIN Kudos to Montreal for promoting cycling early: it launched cycle lanes in the 1980s. Paved cycle routes (640 kilometres of them, a third completely separated from cars, and a third cleared of snow in winter) are found all over the city and beyond. Montreal's public share system is probably North America's largest.

THE RIDE STUFF The 21-kilometre, marvellously scenic Les Berges cycle path runs through parkland by the St Lawrence River. Pedal on into Rene-Levesque Park and back via the Lachine Canal for a great look at a green city.

RENT IT The BIXI bike-share system charges $3 for a ride ride of under 30 minutes; montreal.bixi.com

ELSEWHERE Vancouver vancouver.ca has an impressive number of bike lanes and gorgeous waterfront pedals. Calgary (bikecalgary.org) and Victoria tourismvictoria.com are unrolling cycling plans.

MORE tourisme-montreal.org

MUNICH, GERMANY

THE SPIN Cyclists choose from over a thousand smart bikes and use 1200 kilometres of cycle lanes that meander through old town, parks and along the Isar River. Pick up detailed maps at the tourist office and burn off the bratwurst and cream cakes. You can also use German rail's Call a Bike system (callabike-interaktiv.de) to pick up a bike on arrival via a mobile-phone code.

THE RIDE STUFF Start at Konigsplatz, surrounded by Munich's museum zone, and cycle towards and into the vast and shady English Garden, pausing for a beer near the Chinese pagoda before meandering back into town along the Isar River.

RENT IT $25.70 for 24 hours; radiustours.com

ELSEWHERE Hamburg, Munster, Freiburg and Berlin, which has a great route planner (bbbike.de) to link the city's chief sights.

MORE muenchen.de

OSLO, NORWAY

THE SPIN Compact, outdoorsy and mostly flat, Oslo is ideal for summer cycling. Apart from dedicated cycle lanes, you're also allowed to pedal along pedestrian streets, though pesky pedestrians have right of way. You can take your bike on public transport; alight at Sognsvann metro station, for example, to connect to a huge network of forest trails beyond the city.

THE RIDE STUFF Cycle along the waterfront and onto the Bygdoy peninsula, which not only has some beautiful semi-rural cycle routes but will take you to the city's best sights, including the Viking Ship Museum, Fram Museum and entrancing Norwegian Open-Air Museum.

RENT IT $19 for 24 hours (closed in winter), limited to three hours on any one bike; bysykler.no

ELSEWHERE Hilly Trondheim, which boasts a world-first bicycle lift (trampe.no) to haul you up a steep incline.

MORE visitoslo.com

PARIS, FRANCE

THE SPIN The French capital's public bicycle system is extensive, with some 15,000 bicycles on offer at over 1200 docking stations. The tourist office provides a free location map, but stations aren't hard to find: there's one on average every 250 metres. Cycling from sight to sight is easy; take to the Bois de Boulogne for a leafier excursion.

THE RIDE STUFF No better route than along the Seine River's left bank on Sundays, when several roads are closed to motor traffic. Start near the Eiffel Tower, then head past ornate Alexander III Bridge and military complex Les Invalides before veering off on bohemian Boulevard Saint-Germain.

RENT IT Free if under 30 minutes, or $2.50 for 24 hours; velib.paris.fr

ELSEWHERE Lyon's public-hire system (velov.grandlyon.com) inspired Paris; Bordeaux (vcub.fr) has similar city bicycles.

MORE parisinfo.com

PORTLAND, US

THE SPIN Shoals of bicycles drift around Oregon's chief city, which has over 500 kilometres of cycle paths, with plans to extend this to 1600 kilometres by 2030. The government even offers incentives for office blocks to supply shower facilities; as a result, about a tenth of the population now cycle to work.

THE RIDE STUFF Loop around both sides of the river by following Waterfront Park and Eastbank Esplanade cycleway, which provides great city views. It skirts both downtown and brewery-filled, newly trendy East Portland and heads straight through the lively, crafty Portland Saturday Market.

RENT IT $40 for 24 hours and $26 each day thereafter; pedalbiketours.com

ELSEWHERE In the western US other decent cycling cities include San Francisco sfbike.org, sunny Denver (bikedenver.org) and Seattle seattle.gov, which has 700 kilometres of trails.

MORE travelportland.com

MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL, US

NEED TO KNOW Over 300 kilometres of cycle-ways (and growing) pushes the Twin Cities into the top league of cycle-friendly US destinations; Minneapolis often vies with Portland for first place. There's also a decent bike-share system and regular bicycle-related get-togethers over summer weekends, such as races and organised group cycles.

THE RIDE STUFF Midtown Greenway midtowngreenway.org is a former railway corridor in south Minneapolis that runs almost 10 kilometres and acquaints you with various neighbourhoods via several lakes. It's ploughed in winter, making for rare snowy enjoyment on two wheels.

RENT IT $5.30 per 30 minutes, or $13.40 for a three-day pass with unlimited 30-minute rides; niceridemn.org

ELSEWHERE The flat (but windy) city of Chicago (cityofchicago.org) and Washington DC (bikewashington.org). Austin in Texas (bikeaustin.org) combines great urban and mountain-biking trails.

MORE visit-twincities.com

SPUN-OUT: DON'T EVEN THINK OF CYCLING HERE

KOLKATA, INDIA

The Kolkata police banned bicycles in 2013 then, in the face of protests, declared it covered only an ever-changing number of roads – currently perhaps 62. The feud has waged in the city's high court. Even if you could cycle, you'd have to battle high heat, humidity and random acts of traffic.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Traffic gridlock gives Moscow cycling potential, but the first cycle path in 2011 was mocked as useless. The city has shared bikes and an ambitious project for 700 kilometres of lanes, but the rollout is sluggish, driver hostility rampant, and winter weather discouraging.

VENICE, ITALY

Cycling is entirely banned in Venice, but perhaps that's forgivable: the tottering city's narrow alleys, open canals, uneven flagstones and heaving tourist crowds don't exactly make for a cycle-friendly mix. You can, however, enjoy satisfying cycles in outlying lagoon islands such as Lido and Pellestrina.

DALLAS, US

Traffic-chocked, multilane highways, a fondness for Texan oil and the nixing of pro-cycling bills aren't encouraging, and the cycle network rolls out at a snail's pace. When the local newspaper runs an article entitled, "Biking in Dallas: a survival guide", you'd better take note.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Yes, things are improving and the climate is conducive, but international experts continue to describe Sydney as hostile to bike riders, citing petty cycling legislation, narrow lanes, aggressive drivers and the removal of some inner-city cycle paths. It can still take nerves of steel to cycle in Sydney.

CYCLING FASHION FAUX PAS

YELLOW FEVER

If you're a stage winner on a cycling tour, by all means wear a yellow or green jersey. Otherwise stick to less boastful colours. Balance out the water bottles and accoutrements in your jersey pockets; the lopsided look is not a fashion winner.

LYCRA IT OR NOT

Who could forget the Columbian women's cycling team and their infamous kit, flesh-coloured in all the wrong places (Google it, if you dare). Frankly, nobody looks good in Lycra, end of story. If you must, choose colours wisely.

CRACKING UP

Never tuck your jersey into your cycling shorts. But make sure it's long enough not to expose your skin when you bend over your handlebars. It's called builder's crack for a reason: leave it to builders.

HEAD START

Unfortunately, no cheap helmet really cuts it in the looks department. Helmets should be worn low over the brow, not tipped back. Don't leave your helmet strap dangling as if you're in kindergarten.

WHITE

Stick to white cycling shoes and especially white socks, say the pros. Low-cut socks are a no-no, so are leg-warmers unless you're good enough to have them plastered with sponsor's logos.