Europe is building the world’s most ambitious cycling network — the EuroVelo, spanning over 90,000 km across 40+ countries. In this video, I’ll share the story of its origins, how much progress has been made, where development is stalling, and what’s still to come. From Norway to Malta, Portugal to Ukraine, discover how cycling is connecting cultures, boosting local economies, and offering unforgettable touring experiences. Whether you’re a passionate bike traveler or just curious about Europe’s cycling future, this update will give you the full picture — and maybe inspire your next ride!
@EuroVeloECF @europeancyclistsfederation7511
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Links:
Euro Velo:
https://en.eurovelo.com/
ECF:
https://ecf.com/
Euro Velo Status Report 2025:
https://pro.eurovelo.com/download/document/EuroVelo-2025-Route-development-final%201.pdf
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:02 Overview of the network
06:10 Organisation and funding
08:15 Country by country breakdown
12:42 Route by route breakdown
14:45 Latest improvements
15:58 Conclusion
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Hello fellow cyclists and bike travelers. Back in 1993, just after the Iron Curtain had fallen and Europe was finally at peace for the first time ever, the Danish had just completed installing a national cycling network. Compelled by this success, one of the involved planners, Yen Eric Larson, started work on a proposal for a European cycling network, giving people the chance to discover all the continent had to offer from north to south and east to west and helping bring nations and cultures together. It took some years for this vision to become a reality, but it’s gained a lot of momentum. And now the map is full of colorful squiggly lines going in all directions, giving local economies a boost and providing countless memorable bike touring experiences. Hi, I’m Eddie just and I’m Vera and I’m doing the editing. And in this video, I’d like to give an update on how much has been achieved, where progress is stalling, and what we can look forward to in the near future. For those who aren’t familiar with the Eurov network, let’s get down to some basics and get an overview. When finalized, the network should be about 91,000 km long, of which 63,000 km have been completed. But as division had started out with 12 routes and has since been expanded to 17, it might get even longer still. We’ve personally cycled many stretches ourselves and have even one of the routes passing right in front of our home, which is a strange coincidence, but also gives us easy access. So, that’s pretty cool. Anyway, chances are there’s a Eurov close to where you live, providing you live in Europe, of course. The Euro1 or Atlantic coast route leads from North Cape in Norway to Commina in Portugal. We’ve cycled a part of this route in France from Maron to Nalt. Newella 2 or capital’s route starts in Gway in Ireland and goes to Moscow. We’ve only cycled a small part of this stretch from Utre to Denhog in the Netherlands. The URL3 or pilgrims route leads from Tronheim in Norway to Santiago de Compastella in Spain. We’ve cycled several parts of this route in Denmark from Fricken to Fensburg. In Germany from Hamburg to Cologne. In Belgium from Lege to Namur. In France from Orlon to T from Marmmont to Longon, from Dardanak to Bordeaux and from Clarak to Shatonf Sharant. The Eurabel 4 or Central Europe route leads from Roskov in France to Kief. We’ve cycled parts of this route in France from Lavra to Feckom and in Germany from the Dutch border near Venllo to mines and from Gundon Amine to Oxenfort. The Euro5 or Via Romea leads from Canterbury in the United Kingdom to Bindesy in Italy. We’ve cycled apart in Italy from Piaenza to Pavia. In France, from Strasport to the Swiss border in Basel and in Germany from S. Lewis to Shenhen in Luxembourg. The Uvel6 or Atlantic Black Sea route leads from Sombra Lee in France to Constant in Bulgaria. We’ve cycled two major parts from Sombre to Orlio in France and further along from Jian all the way to the Austrian capital Vienna. The Eurova7 or Sunroot leads from North Cape in Norway to Valeta in Malta. We’ve cycled a section of this route in Italy from Balsano to Banolo Sanvito. The Uravel A or Mediterranean route goes from Kadis in Spain to Nikicoia in Cyprus. We’ve covered the complete stretch from Aguas in Spain to Imperia in Italy and also along the Po River in Italy from Banolo Sanvito to Pavia. The Eurov9 or Baltic Adriatic route runs from Dansk in Poland to Pula in Croatia and we’ve only cycled a small part south of Vienna in Austria. The Euro 10 or Baltic Sea cycle route is a round trip circling the Baltic Sea starting and ending in Dansk and Poland. We’ve cycled the part in Germany from Flynsburg to Keel. The Euro 11 or East Europe route stretches from North Cape in Norway to Athens in Greece. Unfortunately, we’ve never cycled any of this route before. The Eurov 12 or North Sea cycle route is also a round trip starting and ending in Bergen in Norway. We’ve cycled a complete stretch from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Gina in Denmark. The Ural 13 or iron curtain trail follows Europe’s old great divide all the way from Gen Yakobselv in Norway to reservoir in Turkey. We cycled a small part in Germany from Vitznous to Gaza. The Eurova 14 or waters of central Europe runs from Tel A in Austria to Valenth in Hungary. It is the Eurova’s latest edition and we haven’t had the chance to cycle any of it yet. The Ural 15 or Rin cycle route runs from Andermat in the Swiss Alps to Hukvan Holland in the Netherlands. This is the route closest to me as it passes right by my front door. We’ve cycled the whole stretch from Smargraton in Switzerland to the sea. The Eurov 17 or Ran cycle route goes from Andermat in Switzerland to set in France. We’ve cycled almost a whole stretch from Bri in Switzerland to set and also the branch down to Pors Loui, but not the variation south of Lake Geneva. This is the route we are most familiar with as we cycled it multiple times while it was under construction and witnessed its development over the years. And finally, the UVL 19 or M cycle route which starts in Longa in France and ends in Rotterdam and the Netherlands. This is the only route we’ve cycled in its entirety a year before it was announced and officially opened. The Eurov network is managed by the European Cyclist Federation ECF, which is mainly financed by national advocacy groups and organizations. They lobby for the completion of routes and are responsible for promotion. As you can imagine, their resources are limited, which is why the UVL network isn’t really common knowledge. Videos like the one you’re watching are certainly welcome to help spread the word, but I’m not getting any funding. Needless to say, the ECF doesn’t finance any routes themselves. The necessary infrastructure is paid for by local and national authorities and is often a joint effort with the EU. National coordinators, usually organizations rather than individuals, manage roots and marketing at a state and local level. And because Europe is so fragmented, this leads to different results all over and explains why some countries have signage and others don’t. And why some countries have almost completed development while others haven’t even started yet. It all depends on national and local policies. No doubt the Eurova network is more than just a marketing scheme. Labeling a bike route as a Eurova route gives it higher priority, unlocking funding for on the ground improvements to infrastructure. So you can expect low traffic routes, safety features like dedicated cycle paths, services and rest areas, and not to mention the experience of stunning landscapes and deep dives into Europe’s historic culture. The standards vary from country to country and with changing expectations over time, too. All of this means that each section has its individual merits, but not all of them are enjoyable in the same way. As the ECF has no jurisdiction over what standards apply, it’s down to local individuals and advocacy groups to push for smallcale and incremental improvements that help enhance the network as a whole. So, let’s have a look at what’s been accomplished on a national level. In order to evaluate and compare the different standards, the ECF breaks each country down into five levels of progress. At the planning stage, under development, developed, developed with Eurov signs and certified. Certifications are based on the relevant criteria according to the European certification standard methodology developed by the ECF. The certification label ensures a high quality level for the route as well as good public transport connections and availability of information both online and in paper format. But regardless of meeting criteria, any developed route offers a cyclable path that is generally safe and is therefore marked as part of the network on the map. Each year, the ECF evaluates the current status and publishes a report including a nation by nation ranking. So, who’s winning? Last on the list are Malta and Ukraine. Whereas the extension of the Eurov7 to Valleta is only a recent addition, Ukraine isn’t really accessible in the current political situation. Not that cycling isn’t on the rise in Ukraine. It is, but for other reasons than for bike touring, of course. If you’re interested in that, we made a video about it a couple of months ago and have included the link in the description below. But let’s get back to the ranking. Next up is Belleras, which is in a similar situation to Ukraine, but has 16% under development. So that’s a start at least. And there are a further seven countries, the Republic of North Macedonia, Russia, Montenegro, Albania, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania that haven’t passed the planning or developing stage yet. But then the numbers pick up pretty quickly. 29th in the ranking is Lithuania, 28th is Sweden, 27th is Finland, 26th is Italy, and 25th is Poland. So there are some pretty major cycling destinations among the lower ranks. Further countries with large gaps in the network are Slovenia coming in at 24th and Latia at 23rd. But competition amongst the remaining countries is fierce as they all boast at least 80% of developed routes on their parts of the network. Greece is the newest addition to this group and comes in at 22nd. Portugal ranks 21st because only a fraction of the roots is signposted and marked and Norway just about makes it into the top 20. Croatia in 19th, the UK in 18th, Germany in 17th, and Slovakia in 16th place are all in the solid midfield. On the top side of the list, Spain comes in at 15th, just behind Luxembourg at 14th, Turkey at 13th, Denmark, which slides in at 12th, and Czecha in 11th place. The top 10 consists of some expected and not so expected players, especially the non-EU members. Ranking 10th is Europe’s top cycling nation, the Netherlands, lagging behind Hungary in ninth and Austria in eighth. Ireland comes in at seventh, even though there are still some small gaps in the network, which surprisingly can’t be said of Serbia, which appears in sixth place. Then in fifth place is a new contender, previously unlisted, the Principality of Likenstein. We’ll get back to that a bit later because this is quite some news. But let me reveal who’s at the top of the list first. Fourth then is Belgium as the top Benelux nation. Third is Estonia which has completed and it signposted all of its 2,460 km long section. And a strong second is France which has muscled its way to becoming Europe’s top cycling destination. And leaving the pack is surprise surprise mountainous Switzerland where we’re recording this video and which hasn’t just completed all of its network but also boasts the highest rate of certified routes which doesn’t mean it’s crossed the finish line because even here there’s still much room for improvement and things that need to be attended to. It’ll be interesting to see which nation achieves the 100% certified routes first and grabs that win. So with each nation and region at different stages, how does this tally out for the individual routes? Let’s have a look at how far they’ve progressed so far. Again, the ECF has given out a ranking. It’s weighted, so the total percentage of development doesn’t always equal the place each route is ranked, which can be slightly confusing, but overall it makes sense. At the bottom of the list is the Capitals route number two. Trailing behind the East Europe route number 11, the Sun route number seven, the Baltic Adriatic route number nine, the Baltic Sea Route number 10, the Mediterranean route number eight, the Iron Curtain Trail number 13, and the Via Romea number five. These routes have about half of their length completed. Ranking ninth is the Central Europe route number four, followed by the Pilgrims route number three and the Atlantic Black Sea route number six. These routes have about 3/4 of their length finalized. Closer to completion are the North Sea cycle route number 12, the Rone cycle route number 17, the waters of Central Europe number 14, and the Atlantic coast route number one. This route, which ranks third, is basically finished, but is only signed for half the way. There’s only one route that can be cycled in its entirety with arrows leading you all the way, which is the M cycle route number 19. Ironically, even though we’ve cycled all of it, we never saw a sign once because they only appeared a year later. Top of the list is the route that passes right by here, the Rine route number 15, which still has a small part under development, but beats the M River route because it has also been certified for 3/4 of its length. That said, the MS River also boasts a high standard of quality. So, the reason why it’s not certified may simply be because nobody has got around to doing that yet. This isn’t a complaint. The Eurov network is growing at a rapid pace, so people seem to be pretty busy. One of the most recent examples is Greece, which finalized almost its entire part of the network within a year, up from a measly 5% to a whopping 96% since the last report came out. A further example is Poland, which added a further 336 km or 6% of its network. Italy in turn signposted 640 km along the Eurov7 and France got its section of the Eurova 1 certified. We’ve given a firsthand report about some of the recent improvements on this stretch and have included a link in the description below. Not mentioned in the Eurov status report are the improvements made in Belgium on the Eurov 5, but we’ve also made a video on that. So go check it out if you want to know more. We’re also planning to make a video about the brand new portion of the Euro Villa 15 along the Ryan River. This now gives you the option to cross the Swiss border and cycle through Austria and Likenstein, the small forgotten country finally getting connected with the rest of Europe. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible before the iron curtain fell and certainly not before it was erected either. It has taken decades of peace and stability to even get this far and will require many more decades for it to evolve into a seamless network. All the while becoming a symbol of peace within Europe, inviting its citizens to participate. Cycling isn’t only a peaceful way to travel. Having safe scenic routes to follow enables you to explore Europe’s diverse landscapes and history in detail and engage with the rich culture, connect with locals, and form bonds that can last a lifetime regardless of language, customs, or religion. The thing is, on a bicycle, we’re all the same. The experience, hardship, and struggles, joy, and accomplishment is something we all share when touring by bike. So, enough of all the statistics and watching videos. It’s time to settle up and get cycling. Give the video a like and the channel a subscribe if you think so, too. And I look forward to seeing you in the next one. And thanks for watching and keep on cycling.