The 8 best bike rides in New York

“We’re not hidden in a 3,000-pound cage,” says Gersh Kuntzman, a passionate cyclist and editor-in-chief of Streetsblog, a website “dedicated to making the city’s streets and neighborhoods much more walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly.” He highlights the benefits of biking in New York City, including accessibility to the community that can’t be achieved with a car (or cage). “Biking is the best way to connect with neighborhoods and neighbors. Very few drivers stop along the way to shop or hang out, but cyclists always do.”

Emily Lipstein, engagement editor at Streetsblog NYC, grew up on Long Island and learned to ride a bike on her parents’ front lawn when she was 7. “It gave me an early sense of freedom when I couldn’t drive in my car-dependent suburb,” she recalls.

She moved to Brooklyn in 2018, but didn’t start cycling around the city until 2020 to explore more of the city and cover more ground than she would on foot. “Since then, I’ve biked all over the tri-state area, done a 100-mile ride on eastern Long Island, and commute to work by bike every day.”

Kuntzman and Lipstein are just two of the city’s countless cyclists, but they don’t just ride bikes; they dedicate their time to making New York a safe and enjoyable city for other cyclists and commuters.

Kuntzman says he has been covering the “livable streets movement” for a decade as a reporter for various media outlets, including Newsweek and the New York Post. He has been cycling since the early 1990s and believes the city should push cycling to meet its goals of reducing car dependence.

Rollin Walther, Bike New York’s operations and education coordinator, works to combine cycling with community outreach. He is an assistant instructor for Bike Path, Bike New York’s workforce development program that trains formerly incarcerated people to become bike mechanics who then work at Motivate, which maintains the CitiBike fleet across the city. “This year, the program was able to train and hire 45 people,” Walther says.

New York City is rich in biking opportunities, and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) offers more than a dozen self-guided bike tours throughout the five boroughs. Below, cycling experts and enthusiasts from Streetsblog and Bike New York share some of their favorite routes.

Hudson River Greenway

“The part I like best is the stretch north of (West 59th Street), from the long stretch under the West Side Highway to the George Washington Bridge, most of which is right over the Hudson River. (Down there) there are too many pedestrians spilling into it and too many taxis and buses crossing it at various places. It needs to be widened to accommodate the demand for cycling it has induced.” Gersh Kuntzman

Jamaica Bay Greenway

“Cross busy Neptune Avenue with double-parked cars at Coney Island before reaching the protected bike path on Emmons Avenue, which takes you directly to the Jamaica Bay Greenway. From there, you can cross the Gil Hodges Bridge to the Rockaways. Or you can stay on the Greenway and bike to Shirley Chisholm State Park.” – Gersh Kuntzman

“My favorite route in Brooklyn is the one that goes from my apartment in Crown Heights to Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways. I start on Eastern Parkway, through Prospect Park to Ocean Parkway (the oldest bike path in the United States). Once I reach the end of Ocean Parkway, I take the Jamaica Bay Greenway to the Marine Parkway Bridge, which takes me directly to the beach. The ride is beautiful and is a great tour of some of Brooklyn’s best neighborhoods and beaches.” – Walther rolling

From Brooklyn/Manhattan to the Rockaways

“There are several ways to get to the Rockaways, but I take Rugby Road to Bedford Avenue and Emmons, and you can stop at Roll n’ Roaster for a snack halfway there. The Gil Hodges Bridge is narrow, but once you get to the Rockaways, the views are beautiful and the beach vibe is unbeatable.” Emily Lipstein

Williamsburg Bridge

“I love biking on the Williamsburg Bridge, which has the second-best bike lane in the city because it’s wider than the others — at least when it’s not under repair like it is now. (The best bike lane is on the Willis Avenue Bridge.) The Willy B offers amazing views of the Brooklyn waterfront, which is still under development, with the Domino residential project looming just off the north side of the bridge. There are also random dance parties on the walkway between the bike and pedestrian paths, but that’s for the kids, mostly. I even use it in the winter.” — Gersh Kuntzman

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

“From my base in Greenpoint, the Kosciuszko Bridge to the Queens Boulevard bike path is a nice route in itself and a great, quick way to access Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the necklace of parks and green spaces east of Flushing. Both segments are relatively new: the K Bridge bike path opened in 2019. The Queens Boulevard path, which runs about 6 miles from Sunnyside to Jamaica, was created in stages between 2015 and 2023.” Jon Orcutt, Director of Bicyclist Rights Advocacy at Bike New York

From Van Cortlandt Park to Tarrytown

“This route takes you from the Bronx to the riverside towns of Westchester (and beyond) on a car-free, shared-use recreational trail. You can hike through the woods on a nice paved path and see fun art installations along the way. It’s part of the Empire State Trail, so you can really start and end anywhere, but this route is a great introduction if you’ve never been there.” – Emily Lipstein

Bronx Coastal Walk

“I spend a lot of time in the Bronx now because this route is one of my favorites. It takes you to Randall’s Island, Soundview Park, and SUNY Maritime (you can pay to eat in their dining hall), up and down City Island, along Pelham Parkway, and back to Manhattan mostly via greenways. This route gives you a real sense of how big New York City really is, seeing how the landscape changes from borough to borough.” – Emily Lipstein

George Washington Bridge to Nyack

“Ride with the cyclists on the 9W to Nyack! The new northbound path on the George Washington Bridge gives you spectacular views of the Hudson River before stopping at Strictly Bicycles in Fort Lee. 9W can be busy with lots of fast cars, but the road has plenty of wide shoulders for cyclists to ride on. Grab a snack at the market with all the other cyclists and bikers (it’s also a popular biker hangout) and take a quick jaunt through the woods before reaching Nyack.” – Emily Lipstein