France’s Top 10 Cycling Cities 2025

Discover the top 10 most bike-friendly cities in France according to the 2025 Bicycle Barometer.
How were they ranked? What do the results say about cycling culture across France?
A data-driven look at safety, comfort, infrastructure and real rider experiences.
Full map & results here: https://barometre.parlons-velo.fr/

#cycling #cyclingfans #cyclinglife #cyclinginsider #bike #bikeinformation #bicycleinfrastructure #france #survey #grenoble #rennes #strasbourg #annecy #caen #lyon #nantes #tours #caen #bordeaux #besançon #velocity #bikefriendly

@fubassociation9296

If you’d like to support our work, you can use the affiliate links below.
We only link to products and items that we personally use or that appear in our videos.
When you buy something through these links, it won’t cost you anything extra — but we’ll receive a small commission. This helps us keep creating videos, sharing our experiences, and promoting better cycling environments.
Thank you so much for your support — every click really helps!

Film Equipment:
Dj Mini Microphone https://amzn.to/47asOi7
DJI Osmo Action Cam 3 Adventure-Combo: https://amzn.to/431bWYN

Cycling gear:

Ortlieb Backroller Classic Set: https://amzn.to/4nuZEiF
Ortlieb Front Roller Set: https://amzn.to/4quMWDa
Ortlieb handlebar bag Ultimate six classic: https://amzn.to/3LvmU2w
Ortlieb Ratpack: https://amzn.to/47skZDx

Links:

Barometer:
https://barometre.parlons-velo.fr/

FUB:
https://www.fub.fr/

Besan¢on:
https://www.grandbesancon.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mag_PLUS_GBM_115.pdf

Caen:
https://caenlamer.fr/sites/caenlamer/files/2025-05/plan-velo-caenlamer-depliant-05-2025_0.pdf

Bordeaux:
https://sedeplacer.bordeaux-metropole.fr/a-velo/me-deplacer-a-velo/choisir-mon-itineraire-velo/reve-reseau-velo-express

Nantes:
https://metropole.nantes.fr/ma-ville-ma-metropole/les-grands-projets/grandes-voies-velo-se-reperer-plus-facilement-velo

Annecy:
https://www.grandannecy.fr/mon-quotidien/facilite-mes-transports/a-velo

Lyon:
https://cyclopolis.fr/

Rennes:
https://www.tourisme-rennes.com/decouvrir-rennes/rando-velo/reseau-express-velo/?utm_campaign=Billetterie+-+Performance+Max&utm_source=google-perfmax&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22047184499&gbraid=0AAAAAC-4W_D510dZBE5m25nCHrwRCpwjY&gclid=CjwKCAiA8bvIBhBJEiwAu5ayrDXF1wr_mOXDKb9z8JUhq86SdlM8wIL08WxDpbuIVYR4WiK39QN7QRoC700QAvD_BwE

Strasbourg:

Pistes et itinéraires cyclables à Strasbourg

Grenoble:
https://www.mobilites-m.fr/pages/Velo.html

Credits:

Caen:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/
By Sergeant Christie
By Steeve Monniere
By Jean Froissart

Annecy:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/
By Syced

Rennes:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Erwan Corre

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
00:54 Why Surveys Matter
04:00 The Bicycle Barometer
05:01 How the 2025 Survey Works
07:43 Key National Trends
09:35 City Size Differences
11:25 Top 10 Cycling Cities
20:18 Regional Breakdown
22:22 Conclusion
25:14 The Path Forward

Fair Use Disclaimer: This video may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

What makes a city bike friendly? And who decides what bike friendly even means? Is it the politicians, the traffic planners, or the lobby groups? Or do you rely on statistics from accidents or percentage of bicycle usage or the amount of installed infrastructure to make the case? Hi, I’m Sedi Spaghetti and as a longtime advocate for cycling, I’ve had this discussion with all sorts of people and have received all sorts of answers, many of them contradicting each other. It all depends on personal preference and expectations. We’re all experts in our own right, and nobody can deny you your experience. So the best way to come to an objective conclusion is by asking as many people as possible and conducting a survey amongst the cyclists themselves. That way everybody can voice their opinion based on experience and decision makers get solid reliable feedbacks. Such surveys are carried out on a regular basis in some countries and have become tradition. I always look forward to taking part where I live in Switzerland and get excited to see the results. How does my city fare in comparison? Am I the only one to notice that nothing has been accomplished since the last survey? Or will others come to a similar conclusion? And how will politicians react? I remember a city mayor once complaining that the results were rigged and that his city was far more bike friendly than the survey suggested. He claimed that he was an avid cyclist himself and took the news personally as if it was an attack on his reputation. Yes, he was a bit of a narcissist, a common trait in politicians. He did have a point though because even a survey can be somewhat biased. Ironically, this mayor could have rectified the bias himself, but didn’t show any signs of that beyond complaining and making false allegations. The bias goes towards the selected group participating in the survey. But that’s not the survey’s fault. Traditionally, such surveys are initiated, organized, and funded by national advocacy groups, and they in turn usually have to rely on their members to participate. It’s not easy to find people willing to sit down for a quarter of an hour to answer a questionnaire. You’re more likely to be motivated if you’re upset with the current situation. So, that narrows down the basis for data considerably. It would be better if governments would ask a broader selection of the public on their opinion. It should be in their best interest to know what citizens think. But regardless of bias, evaluating the bike friendliness of a city on a regular basis gives a good idea on how well your city compares with others and lets you monitor progress over time. It also gives a glimpse of an underlying shift in expectations. If nothing is changing in your city, but the results are getting worse, it might be because demand has increased and more vulnerable groups with different needs like elderly, children or beginners are taking to the streets by bike now, too. Or people are just getting frustrated at the lack of progress. A simple painted bike lane might simply not be enough today, even if this was regarded as progress 20 years ago. Unfortunately, bike friendly surveys are only practiced in a few selected countries, which usually already have a vibrant cycling culture. But as cycling is on the rise around the globe, such surveys are becoming more common. And in this video, I’d like to put the spotlight on France, which has just released its results for the fourth time since 2017. France is an interesting example. Apart from sporting events like the famous tour, bicycles almost disappeared out of towns and cities in the second part of the 20th century, but have since made a remarkable revival. This goes handinhand with a growing cycling and tourism industry leading to a vast network of wavets linking regions and cities together. This is why France gets a considerable amount of attention on this channel which is focused on bike traveling. But as bike travelers frequently enjoy visiting cities, we’re benefiting from the same infrastructure put in place that the French use to get their baguettes from the bakery. So, let’s see how locals view the cities we like to visit. Is Paris leading the way and exercising its influence on other cities? Before we get to the results, though, let’s have a brief look at how the survey, which was initiated by the French Cycling Association, FUB, short for Feder Francis, was conducted, called the bicycle barometer. The 2025 survey was open on the official website in the spring of that year. Cyclists were invited to assess their riding experience in one or several municipalities. Each of the 26 questions, grouped into five themes, was rated from one negative to six positive. They covered safety, continuity and quality of cycle routes, comfort, maintenance, signage and surface quality, local effort, how actively the council is improving things, facilities and services, parking, repair and maintenance provision, and the overall feeling. This is absolutely fantastic. A score was then calculated for each municipality that received enough responses. 50 minimum for towns over 5,000 inhabitants and 30 for smaller ones. Participation has risen with each of its four additions. Evidence of a growing social demand for cycling. The 2025 edition marks a turning point. 334,31 responses, 2,646 qualified municipalities, and 12,984 communities represented. That’s more than one in three across France. In addition, the questionnaire was complemented by a vast participatory map covering the whole of France. Each participant could mark on the map difficult or dangerous spots areas recently improved and places needing cycle parking facilities. Together, they identified over 1.1 million locations, often with comments, creating a detailed citizen-led diagnosis to guide public policy. Wow. To ensure reliability, an algorithm detected anomalies and excluded about 2,700 entries. Collecting all of this data is just the start. The juicy part begins when you start grading the individual towns. For this, the FUB adopted the same letter and color classification used in the commonly known classification of electrical appliances, houses, and cars. From G in dark red to A+ in dark green, giving a playful and easily understandable visual overview of the state of the cycling nation. The data also show how people use their bikes. 73% for leisure or touring, 35% for commuting, 28% for errands, and 16% for sport. Roughly one quarter ride daily, one quarter occasionally. Cycling is certainly on the rise in France. Estimates suggest that since 2017 when the bicycle barometer survey was carried out for the first time, cycling has increased by about 50% nationwide and has almost doubled in large cities. And within the same 8 years, the share of people regularly using a bike has risen from a quarter to a third of the population. That’s quite some progress in a short time. So, you might expect much better results to show up in the survey, especially as cities all around have adopted bike friendly policies and promotional schemes. But sadly, the reality is that change is slow and incremental. And despite all the heated debate surrounding traffic congestion, cycling is still a fringe mode of transport. On a national level, the overall cycling climate has improved slightly since 2021, up 3%. But remains mediocre and highly uneven from one area to another. The national average score is 3.09 points out of six, up from 2.98 on the last survey in 2021. 64% of respondents still consider local cycling conditions poor. 47.8% 8% say things have not changed in the past 2 years. 36.5% see improvement and 15.8% think conditions have worsened. The results also reflect that cycling is gaining more of its momentum in metropolitan areas than in smaller towns. Sure, cycling is more appealing where driving is restricted and traffic congestion is high. So, this might just seem logical. However, it’s also because conditions are usually worse in smaller municipalities. Generally speaking, the more effort cities put into cycling infrastructure, the more comfortable cycling is, and the more people it will appeal to. This explains why large cities perform better on average than smaller ones. Here’s the breakdown. Major cities receive 3.56 points on average. Medium-siz towns, 3.25. Suburban municipalities 3.16, the same amount as with small towns, but villages and rural communes only receive three points. As mentioned, a total of 2,646 municipalities were listed in the surveys report. You can check out each of them if you follow the link in the description below. But in this video, we’ll focus on the major cities and won’t bore you with the names of unknown places. Each municipality was also ranked within their group because there’s not much point of comparing a village with a metropolitan area. But by ranking them in the survey, the FUB has created competition and a race to the top. Although the goal would be to have all cities on first spot so no cyclist gets discriminated simply because they live in the wrong place. But until then, we can get excited to see who’s leading and which city offers the best cycling experience. So, here’s the top 10 of cycling cities in France 2025. [Music] Ranking 10th is Bzon with a rating of 3.67 points out of six. Known for its citadel inhabited by baboons, watchmaking heritage and green valley setting on a loop of the D river and located in the Frontier region in eastern France near the Swiss border. The city of 120,000 with a metropolitan area of a quarter million has expanded its riverside pass and built new protected lanes through the city center. The Grand Bison Metropol supports secure parking at tram and train stations and aims for 20% model share by 2030. These sustained policies explain its entry into the national top 10. [Music] Ranking ninth is K with a rating of 3.7 out of six. known for its World War II history, medieval castle, and William the Conqueror’s legacy, and located in Normandy in northwestern France near the Channel Coast. The city of 105,000 with a metropolitan area of 265,000 adopted a blow 2025 for the elomeration, aiming for 300 km of continuous lanes. Recent projects include protected corridors on the ornate river banks, upgraded crossings at the city gates, and improved links to the university campuses. The barometer highlights a marked rise in cyclist satisfaction thanks to clearer wayfinding and safer intersections. Ranking eighth is Bordau with a rating of 3.72 points out of six. known for its world famous wine trade, elegant 18th and 19th century architecture and UNESCO listed historic center and located in the Noville Aquiten region in southwestern France near the Atlantic. The city of 260,000 with a metropolitan area of 1.2 2 million is extending its RO express and creating continuous links to suburban communes and has added more than 200 km of lanes since 2020, prioritizing safe junctions and secure parking near tram stops. Ranking seventh is Na with a rating of 3.88 points out of six. known as the port city on the Lir River and for its historic maritime heritage and vibrant cultural scene and located in the Pedal region in western France near the Atlantic coast. The city of 310,000 with a metropolitan area of 650,000 maintains one of France’s most mature cycling networks with over 600 km of routes. Recent works focus on bridging gaps between neighborhoods and suburbs, upgrading riverfront corridors, and expanding cycle parking. The PLO 2023 to 2026 sets out 125 million investment including Reso Express. Model share in Central Na has doubled since 2015, reflected in steady barometer progress. We’ve recently uploaded a video report on the current status when we visited the city a couple of months ago. So check out the link in the description for more detailed insight into Na’s efforts to become more bike friendly. Ranking six is T with a rating of 3.89 points out of six. Known for the famous castles in the region, its wine and Renaissance heritage and located in the Lir Valley in central France. The city of 140,000 with a metropolitan area of 370,000 has developed extensive riverside paths as part of the Lir AO Eurov6 route, has expanded segregated lanes along key axis and is rolling out new secure cycle parking hubs at stations. Also, participation in the National Active Mobility Fund co-inance several urban links, improving access between the tram corridor and the Lara bridges. Ranking fifth is Ani with a rating of 3.9 points out of six. known for its picture postcard lake and mountains, medieval old town, alpine tourism and outdoor sports and located in the Utavois region in eastern France in the Alps. The city of 130,000 with a metropolitan area of 230,000 has capitalized on its leisure cycling reputation by investing in urban mobility. New protected lanes in the city center, improved signage and a metropolitan cycling plan Vo Dansi 2025 that link surrounding communes. Seasonal bike share schemes and traffic calm zones are strengthening everyday use. Ranking fourth is Leon with a rating of 4.03 points out of six. Known for its worldclass gastronomy, historic districts and as a major economic and transport hub and located in east central France at the confluence of the Ron and Sa rivers. The city of 520,000 with a metropolitan area of roughly 1 and a half million has a formal cycling plan with ambitious targets like doubling dedicated cycling facility length, major corridors such as the W Leonire along the road, expansion of 30 km an hour zones and strategic investment in continuous highquality bike routes. These investments correspond with a notable improvement in the city’s barometer score. Third up is with a rating of 4.05 points out of six. Known as a dynamic university city and for its cultural life and historic center and located in Britany in northwest France, the city of 220,000 with a metropolitan area of just under half a million. The city has implemented a Reszo Express VU, a star-shaped express bike network that links the city to surrounding communes with dozens of kilometers completed and many more planned, plus large scale works to improve junctions and continuity changes that helped Den rise high in the barometer. Ranking second is Strasborg with a rating of 4.15 points out of six. Known for its historic UNESCO listed center, its role as a European political hub housing the European Parliament and with a long tradition of cycling culture and located on the Rine in Alsace in northeastern France. The city of 280,000 with a metropolitan area of approximately half a million is long noted for its very large mileage of cycle infrastructure commonly quoted to be around 5 to 600 km of cycle paths across the urban area and extensive bike parking. Roughly one in six workers commute by bike in the city. Its continuous investment in connected cycle routes and secure parking keeps it among France’s most cyclable cities. And top of the list is Gobble with a rating of 4.37 points out of six. known as a gateway to the Alps with a strong science and tech cluster and famous for its walnut production and located in eastern France on the Eizair River. The city of 160,000 with a metropolitan area of several hundred thousand has an extensive network of cycle routes and has developed highquality bike corridors plus continued expansion and upgrading of infrastructure that supports high levels of bike commuting in the metro area. These measures underpin Grenobyl’s top ranking in the barometer. This ranking is clearly just a snapshot as work is in progress everywhere. But it also shows how each city is progressing at its own pace. Paris, for example, has made a lot of effort recently, but isn’t among France’s leading cities yet. And other cities are catching up fast, like Dulus or Clon Feron, which both got considerably higher ratings than in the previous assessment. But for now, the list shows where cyclists are welcomed most. And the good news is that all of these cities can also be reached by long-d distanceance cycle paths and vets. So this might give you an idea of where to travel next. Of course, as bike travelers, you’ll be cycling from one municipality to the next. So you’re going to see it all. And progress is often determined by the amount of support they get from regional governments, especially in smaller communities. So let’s have a look at how well the regions are doing. The picture across regions is far from uniform. The Atlantic coast performs best. Ped de Laoir 3.42 points. Britany with 3.35 and Noville Aquiten coming in with the same score followed by Oon Alp and the Grandest. Il France sits mid-table with an average of 3.15. In contrast, the Southeast scores much less with Province Alport at 2.73 points and Corsica at 2.46 and the overseas territories only scoring 2.74 remaining the weakest. Though Corsica shows the strongest relative rise stands out among overseas regions with 18% improvement and 13 of its 24 municipalities qualified. These disparities highlight that while cycling is thriving in Western France, other regions still struggle to catch up. So, let’s turn to the future. What conclusions can be drawn out of the evaluation and what’s expected? Since 2019, the Bicycle Barometers participatory map has revealed the geography of cycling priorities across France. In 2025, contributors pinpointed over 1.1 million specific locations. Their feedback identifies three types of sites. 58% of them lack safe infrastructure or are considered dangerous. 24% have recently improved and 18% need better cycling parking facilities. Most of these critical points lie within 50 mters of key transport corridors, regional or national routes, making them high priority targets for councils and the state. Without action here, local cycling conditions are unlikely to improve. Among all the danger spots reported, 43% are close to essential services. around 131,000 near health care facilities, 104,000 near shops, and 13,000 near schools. These figures underline how unsafe or incomplete infrastructure still hinders access to daily destinations, particularly for the most vulnerable users. Bridges, main roads, station fourcourts, access routes to town centers. The key locations identified by the bicycle barometer reveal in great detail where improvements are most urgently needed. In total, 2553 high priority sites were recorded across some 700 municipalities alongside areas of concern. The barometer also highlights 930 locations where cycling conditions have clearly improved since 2021, spread across nearly 320 municipalities. These positive changes prove that local cycling policies work and that people quickly notice a difference. Some places appear simultaneously as both problems and successes. This overlap reflects mixed feelings among cyclists towards new infrastructure. Some see genuine progress. Others view the same projects as inadequate or ills suited. It shows that good faith debate still surrounds many design choices and that further adaptation to real user needs remains vital. The bicycle barometer thus serves as an invaluable feedback tool, helping councils identify such tensions and resolve them constructively. The 2025 barometer confirms it. Public action makes a visible difference. Where councils invest in cycling, improvements are tangible and appreciated. To transform a community from the start of a local term, the FUB proposes three simple affordable steps. Number one, redesign traffic and upgrade existing roads. Create a circulation plan and convert existing lanes into safe cycling routes. Number two, reduce speeds to 30 km an hour in towns. a lowcost, highly effective way to calm traffic, reduce danger and encourage active travel. And number three, maintain and adapt infrastructure, keep roots in good condition, and adjust designs to new types of riders and bikes. These recommendations arise directly from citizen feedback in the barometer. The results show that regular cyclists, those who ride daily, tend to rate their town slightly better than occasional riders. The gap averages half a point between practice levels and nearly one point between daily and casual cyclists. This suggests that local cycling networks still fall short of making newcomers feel safe and comfortable. For non-cyclists, 11% of the respondents, the main barriers are clear. 60% say they feel unsafe, 50% point out a lack of cycling infrastructure, and 32% complain about speeding vehicles. Among cyclists, top priorities remain a continuous joined up network, good maintenance of cycle lanes, slower motor traffic in towns, fast direct routes, and secure bike parking. Across all groups, three words sum it up. safety, quality, and continuity. And that just about answers the question we started out with. What makes a city bike friendly? And we shouldn’t forget that making a city bike friendly doesn’t only benefit cyclists, but the whole city in general, even if it means that car owners have to make sacrifices, the sacrifices are worth it. Going bike friendly makes a city more livable, accessible, and sociable and thus more attractive to live in and to visit and giving the economy a boost. If you agree, give the video a like and the channel a subscribe if you enjoy content like this. Thanks for watching and keep on cycling. [Music]