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Wrocław has become the first city in Poland to be ranked among the top 30 in the world for bike-friendliness by the Copenhagenize Index, which tracks policies intended to make cycling more safe, convenient and mainstream.
“Wroclaw has broken into the 2025 ranks due to years of network-building now paying off with safer, more accessible routes,” write the authors of the index. “The city is paying special attention to communication, education, and rider support.”
Copenhagenize notes that Wrocław, which is the third largest in Poland, has drawn inspiration from the Netherlands to create 428 kilometres of cycling routes, linking its parks, universities and business centres.
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This year’s ranking was topped by Utrecht in the Netherlands, followed by the Danish capital of Copenhagen and Ghent in Belgium. Wrocław ranks higher than any city in the UK (with London and Manchester in 33rd and 34th, respectively) or the US (with Portland in 35th and Minneapolis in 44th).
The other Polish cities to be ranked among the top 100 in the world were Poznań (53rd), Warsaw (62nd), Gdańsk (63rd) and Łódź (68th).
The index is based on 13 indicators grouped into three pillars: safe and connected infrastructure; usage and reach; and policy and support. These cover physical design and safety, the scale of everyday cycling, and long-term political and cultural backing.
The index aims not only to rank performance but to help cities identify how to accelerate a shift toward cycling.
Explaining Wrocław’s positive assessment, the authors pointed to recent schemes, including wider tracks along tram corridors, as a sign of improvement. They also noted that the city has pushed urban logistics and education.
They pointed to Mikrohub Wrocław, Poland’s first cycling logistics hub, which opened in June 2025 in a former underground car park and enables cargo-bike deliveries, as motorised deliveries are banned from the centre after 10 a.m.
To achieve further gains, the authors of the index recommend that the city better separates cyclists from traffic, invests in safer intersections, and provides bike parking at key locations.
They also note that many routes remain narrow or unprotected, contributing to a fall in the share of daily trips made on bikes to 5% from 6.3% in 2019.
Łódź's bike-sharing scheme currently has just 13 out of 1,500 bikes available, with the authorities blaming "unprecedented" levels of theft and vandalism https://t.co/sOFoMZuslX
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 2, 2022
Poznań, meanwhile, welcomed its spot in the ranking, with the city’s municipal road authority noting that cycling now accounts for around 10% of daily trips in the city.
It said that the city is working on improving network cohesion, including new routes to improve links across the Warta River and between southern districts and the centre.
The length of cycle routes in Poland has increased significantly in recent years, from less than 6,000 kilometres in 2011 to 23,000 kilometres in 2024, according to data from Statistics Poland (GUS), a state agency.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Wroclaw.pl
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
