World’s Most Beautiful Bike Routes: Two Italians Make the List

There are roads and routes that, when travelled by bicycle, transform into an exciting journey through the landscape: every bend opens a new perspective, every climb reveals a panorama and even the places most familiar seem to take on a different face. It is no coincidence that cycling tourism is undergoing a period of strong growth: just think that, according to data reported by Euronews, searches on Google for “cycling holiday” have risen by 292%.

But what are the most beautiful bike routes in the world? A study conducted by Explore attempts to answer this, using eye-tracking software to analyze the reactions of 200 participants as they faced 52 famous cycling itineraries. The speed at which each route captured attention and the duration for which it could hold it were combined into a score, on a scale from 0 to 100. In the ranking of the world’s most beautiful cycling routes, Europe occupies as many as 8 of the top 15 positions, while Italy stands out with two routes in the top 10.

The most beautiful bicycle route in the world is in Canada

In first place of the ranking, with a score of 97/100, is the Bow Valley Parkway, in Canada. The road links the Banff area to Lake Louise, crossing one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Canadian Rockies.

It is precisely the power of the landscape that captured the participants’ attention most strongly, pushing this itinerary ahead of all the others analyzed.

Two Italian routes in the rankings

Italy appears in the ranking of the world’s most beautiful cycling routes with two spectacular routes: the gravel white roads of Tuscany, which claim third place worldwide, and the evocative curves of the Passo dello Stelvio, which take eighth place.

The Tuscan white roads need little introduction: among climbs lined with cypresses, vineyards and ancient hilltop villages, they allow you to discover hidden gems far from the most beaten main roads.

The Passo dello Stelvio, on the other hand, brings a completely different landscape to the rankings: that of high mountains and one of the most challenging ascents on the list. The road reaches 2,758 metres above sea level and, on the South Tyrolean side, climbs along 48 hairpin turns immersed in the scenery of the Stelvio National Park. From Prato allo Stelvio it is roughly 25 kilometres of ascent, with almost 1,850 metres of elevation gain, through forests, rocky walls and views of the Alpine peaks. It is a road that has written important pages in the history of cycling and remains today one of the great challenges for those who love riding high in the mountains.

The full ranking

After the Canadian Bow Valley Parkway, in second place is the Great Ocean Road, in Australia. The famous scenic road winds along the southwestern coast of Victoria, offering breathtaking views of the ocean.

In fourth place is the Elbe Cycle Route, in Germany, with 90/100. The itinerary follows the Elbe river for about 1,220 kilometres, from the Czech Republic toward the North Sea, passing through historic towns and countryside and reaching as far as Hamburg.

Fifth is the Carretera Austral, in Chile, one of the grand scenic routes of Patagonia: for over 1,200 kilometres it traverses forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and valleys, through landscapes still wild and small communities.

The same score is awarded to the Amsterdam Cycle Route 10, in the Netherlands, which offers a landscape that is completely different. The route allows you to alternate between canals, parks and historic districts and then the countryside just outside the city, where villages, polders and old windmills appear. It is the Netherlands in its calmest and greenest face, the one discovered as you leave behind the center of Amsterdam.

In seventh place is the Pacific Coast Highway, in the United States. The famous road follows the California coast for hundreds of kilometres, offering some of the most iconic panoramas: among the most evocative sections is the stretch around Big Sur, where the road snakes between cliffs plunging into the Pacific, towering redwoods and hidden coves.

The Provence Lavender Route, in France, occupies ninth place. Here the landscape changes again: in summer the lavender fields transform the Provencal hills into a multi-shade purple spectacle, between small villages and roads that wind through the hinterland.

Closing the top 10 is the Road to Hana, in Hawaii, a spectacular road that traces the eastern coast of Maui through a succession of tropical forests, waterfalls, natural pools and panoramas that plunge into the ocean: it counts as many as 620 curves and 59 bridges.

Here is the complete ranking of the 15 routes analyzed:

1. Bow Valley Parkway (Canada): 97/100;
2. Great Ocean Road (Australia): 94/100;
3. Gravel roads of Tuscany (Italy): 91/100;
4. Elbe Cycle Route (Germany): 90/100;
5. Carretera Austral (Chile): 86/100;
6. Amsterdam Cycle Route 10 (Netherlands): 86/100;
7. Pacific Coast Highway (United States): 82/100;
8. Passo dello Stelvio (Italy): 82/100;
9. Provence Lavender Route (France): 81/100;
10. Road to Hana (United States): 78/100;
11. North Coast 500 (Scotland, United Kingdom): 78/100;
12. Route des Grandes Alpes (France): 78/100;
13. Slickrock Trail (United States): 76/100;
14. Lake Ohrid Circuit (North Macedonia/Albania): 76/100;
15. Vancouver Seawall (Canada): 75/100.