Bicycle-friendly Copenhagen

Copenhagen has been holding the position as the most bicycle-friendly capital since 2015. This is due to its infrastructure, making cycling both convenient, safe, and fast. In Copenhagen, you find curb-separated bicycle tracks, bike bridges across its canals, cycle superhighways, traffic lights and green waves for two-wheeled commuters, which are just a few examples of Copenhagen’s way of designing and investing in a city for life, where bikes outnumber cars, where a cargo bike to take your kids to school is cooler than an SUV.   

Taking the bike is not only a choice for those bright summer days. Winter can get cold, but still, copenhageners rank high when it comes to bicycle commuting every year. This is not due to the locals being genetically disposed towards cycling. It is a matter of priority. In the past years, the City of Copenhagen has had a consistent focus on bicycle-centric urban planning investing in a safe, well-connected, and user-friendly bicycle infrastructure, making cycling the best way to get around the city.

• Copenhagen's Municipality has in total 546 km of bicycle paths (source: Copenhagen Municipality's report Cykelregnskab 2022)
• Since 2015, Copenhagen has been ranked the world's most bicycle-friendly capital several times, the latest in 2022.
• Copenhagen hosted the Tour de France Grand Départ on 1 July 2022.
• The Copenhagen Tour De France Route is a 13 km long flat route where travellers can experience culture and gastronomy at their own pace.
• In 2022, Copenhagen invested 10 million Euros in cycling infrastructure in order to maintain and improve its position as the most bicycle-friendly city in the world.
• Cycling accounts for 37% of all trips to work and study in Copenhagen.
• Copenhageners own more than 745.000 bicycles, which is five times more than cars.
• 1.45 million km were cycled per weekday in 2021 in the city.  
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• The average daily distance for a Copenhagen cyclist is 9,3 km.
• Almost all major roads in Copenhagen have curb-separated bicycle tracks on both sides of the street. 
• Dronning Louise's Bridge is one of the most heavily trafficked cycling stretches in Denmark with more than 40,000 cyclists daily. 
• 1 in 4 Copenhagen families with two kids own a cargo bike. 
• 70% of the Danes own a bicycle. 
• Approximately half of all school children in Copenhagen cycle to school. 
• 9 out of 10 Copenhageners bike in their spare time.
• Cycling reduces the risk of premature death with 28%.
• Cycling benefits society with 6,3 million € daily and 2,3 billion € on an annual basis.
• Socio-economic benefits per 1 km is 7.11 DKK by bicycle and 4.08 DKK by e-bike (Copenhagen Municipality). 

• See all routes of the cycle superhighways in Copenhagen here.
• Read more on biking in Copenhagen here.
• Find more about the history of the development of cycling infrastructure in the City of Copenhagen here.
• The Danish Cyclists' Federation work to make the bicycle the natural, safe everyday choice for all.
• The Copenhagenize ranking of bicycle-friendly cities on planet earth.
• The Municipality of Copenhagen’s goals and key figures on biking in Copenhagen from 2022 (in Danish).
• Statistics on cycling in Denmark from Danish Centre for Cycling Knowledge.