Scenic Bike Rides Around the World: From Angkor to the Salar de Uyuni

A bicycle is the perfect speed for travel: fast enough to cover real distance, slow enough to smell the jungle around a Khmer temple or feel the wind off a Dalmatian bay. These 18 rides, from ancient capitals in Asia to a salt flat in the Andes and a frozen lake in Alaska, show how many different journeys fit on two wheels.

Temples and ancient sites by bike

1. Angkor, Cambodia

Angkor was the heart of the Khmer Empire from 802 until it was sacked in 1431, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. Its major temples spread across an area about 24 km east to west, which makes a bicycle from nearby Siem Reap the ideal way to link Angkor Wat, the walled city of Angkor Thom and the Bayon.

2. Ayutthaya, Thailand

Founded around 1350, Ayutthaya was the second capital of Siam until the Burmese army destroyed it in 1767. Its brick temples and stupas stand in a historical park about 90 km north of Bangkok, and renting a bike in town is the classic way to see them.

3. Bagan, Myanmar

On a bend of the Ayeyarwady River, Bagan holds 3,595 recorded monuments from the 11th to 13th centuries, inscribed by UNESCO in 2019. Dirt tracks run between the pagodas. Check your government’s travel advice before planning a trip to Myanmar.

4. The Inca country of Peru

Mountain bikers come to the high country around Cusco for Inca sites such as Moray, a set of circular farming terraces at about 3,500 m near the village of Maras, some 50 km northwest of the city. Give yourself a few days to acclimatise before riding at this altitude.

5. Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile

Rapa Nui lies 3,700 km off the Chilean coast and covers about 166 km². That is small enough to explore by bike, riding between some of the roughly 900 moai statues, which range from 2 m to 20 m tall.

6. Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain, about 3 km west of Amesbury in Wiltshire. Building began around 3100 BC, and the great sarsen circle went up between 2600 and 2400 BC. English Heritage manages the site, whose visitor centre lies 2.4 km west of the stones.

City and coast rides

7. Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Wall Trail (Berliner Mauerweg) follows the line of the former Wall for about 160 km in 14 sections. It is flat and paved, passes the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the Bernauer Strasse memorial, and every section connects with public transport.

8. San Francisco, USA

The Golden Gate Bridge, opened in 1937 and 2.7 km long, has walkways on both sides, with set hours for cyclists. Riding across to Marin County is one of the city’s great short trips.

9. Havana, Cuba

Havana’s seafront Malecón runs for about 8 km from the harbour mouth in Old Havana to the Almendares River. It was begun in 1901 and is shared by cyclists, walkers and the city’s vintage American cars.

10. Dubrovnik, Croatia

The walled old town of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO site since 1979, is best explored on foot, but the coast road and the hills above it make good cycling.

11. The Croatian coast

Further along the Adriatic, quiet bays and rolling coastal hills give gentler riding with a swim at the end of the day.

12. The Loire Valley, France

La Loire à Vélo is a fully signposted route of about 900 km, including a 630 km main line from Nevers to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins on the Atlantic. It passes châteaux including Chambord, Chaumont, Amboise, Villandry, Saumur and Angers, and it forms the western end of the EuroVelo 6.

Mountains, deserts and ice

13. The Atacama, Chile

The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world. San Pedro de Atacama, at about 2,400 m, is the usual base for rides past salt lakes and volcanoes.

14. Lake Tahoe, USA

Above the Nevada shore, the Flume Trail traces an old aqueduct built in the 19th century to carry water to Comstock mining towns such as Virginia City. Running north from Marlette Lake, it hangs high above the water.

15. Crested Butte, Colorado

Trail 401 runs 13.4 km from Schofield Pass at 3,454 m through aspen and, in July and early August, meadows of wildflowers. It is rated intermediate to difficult.

16. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The world’s largest salt flat covers about 10,582 km² at roughly 3,650 m. It is dead flat, but the distances, sun and altitude make it a serious expedition.

17. Portage Lake, Alaska

In the Chugach National Forest, Portage Lake ends at the calving face of Portage Glacier. In winter it freezes hard enough for skiing and skating, but glacier movement can leave open water near the ice face.

18. SkyCycle at Washuzan Highland, Japan

The oddest ride here is the SkyCycle at Washuzan Highland, an amusement park in Kurashiki, Okayama. Riders pedal a two-seat cart along a rail about four storeys above the ground.

Planning a cycling trip

Match the bike to the ride: a city rental works for Berlin or the Loire, while Trail 401 needs a proper mountain bike. At altitude in Peru, the Atacama or Uyuni, carry more water than you think you need and protect yourself from the sun. Local rental shops are the best source of current route conditions. For more outdoor ideas, see Lake Bled as a landscape destination and planning a mountain-lake visit.

Related reading

• Road Bike Party 2: Three Riders Turn Familiar Equipment into a Film

Sources