Just one Canadian city named among the world’s best for cycling
Forget Vancouver. Move over, Toronto. Montreal is officially Canada’s cycling MVP.
Time Out just named Montreal one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world, making it the only Canadian spot to crack the list. Considering Canada has no shortage of bikeable cities, that’s a pretty big wheel deal.
The 2026 ranking, which was compiled using the insights of 24,000 people in dozens of cities around the world, looked at how residents rate getting around their cities by bike. Those in the top 20 had the most respondents who described getting around by bike as either “good” or “amazing.”
Some Canadians might have expected Vancouver to take the cake, since, in the past, the city often lands a top spot on similar rankings. The West Coast city has long been known for its enthusiastic cycling culture and extensive network of bike routes and scenic paths, while Toronto has spent decades expanding its cycling infrastructure and bike lane network, despite Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s relentless mission to tear it all down.
Nevertheless, Montreal ranked as the second-best city for cycling, just behind Cambridge, England, with a cycling score of 82.5 per cent. Time Out even went as far as to name Montreal the most bike-friendly city in all of North America.
According to the outlet, a whopping 25 per cent of Montrealers used the city’s primary bike-share system, BIXI, in 2023. The City has also invested heavily in cycling infrastructure through its Express Bike Network, or EBN.
This ambitious project will eventually create 191 kilometres of protected bike routes across the city, many of which are cleared of snow in the winter for year-round use. This will be added to an already impressive 1,083 kilometres of bike lanes and cycling paths Montreal already has.
But it turns out a lot of Canadians, not just Quebecers, love to bike.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly one in three Canadians (32 per cent) reported bicycling in 2023, up significantly from 22 per cent a decade earlier, showing just how much cycling has grown across the country.
Montreal gets the bragging rights this year, but who knows if another surprising city will take the title next year.
Here’s a look at Time Out’s top 10 best cities for cycling in 2026:
- Cambridge, England
- Montreal, Canada
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Shanghai, China
- Vienna, Austria
- Warsaw, Poland
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Seville, Spain
For the full list, visit Time Out’s website.