Getting here on your bike

Cycling is arguably the best way to get around Portsmouth. Being flat and compact, the city is easy to navigate on two wheels in no time at all - and without too much effort. What's more, with miles of designated cycleways available, there are plenty of safe and scenic routes to enjoy.

Portsmouth cycling routes

One of the city's best-known cycling routes is the Shipwrights Way, which reaches its end at the Historic Dockyard. This 50-mile route links some of Hampshire's prettiest villages as it stretches from Alice Holt Forest down through Bordon, Liphook, Liss, Petersfield, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Staunton Country Park, Havant, Hayling Island and, finally, Portsmouth. The route was designed to reflect how timber was moved from the forest down into Portsmouth to build naval warships.

A gentler (and indeed, shorter) ride awaits those who want to stay within the city. There's the Seafront Cycle Ride, Langstone Harbour Cycle Ride and the Famous Figures Cycle Ride - among others.

For those just starting out on their cycling odyssey - or those who aren't quite so confident on city roads - there's a network of quieter routes designed to be suitable for all levels of ability. Take a look at the colour-coded routes on our Maps page.

If following a waymarked route doesn't appeal, you can always take a self-guided tour of the city, using the regular map or the Active Travel one.

Bike hire in Portsmouth

If you don't have a bike (or don't want to bring it with you), don't worry. There are plenty of places around the city where you can hire bikes by the day - at reasonable rates. The likes of Southsea Cycles, Portsmouth Cycle Exchange and Bike-u-Like are just some places offering hire services. These are also shops in their own rights with knowledgeable staff, so you can pick up any accessories you need, get a once-over on your bike, or ask general questions about cycling or the local area.

Voi Bikes

If you don't have your own bike, or would prefer to leave it at home, Portsmouth has the solution! The Voi Bike scheme lets you quickly and easily hire a bicycle or ebike, on a pay-as-you-ride basis. Simply download the app, find a bike bay and hop on. Then when you're done, drop it back off at a bay (or leave it in a safe place outside of a bay for a small charge). There are currently more than 360 bikes and ebikes available for hire from the 90+ bays dotted across the city.

The scheme hasn't been going for a long time, but has proved enormously popular and captured the attentions of locals and visitors alike - who travelled over 44,000km in total across just the first nine months. The city now has 4,108 active users, with many more visitors also taking up the offer.

The Voi website has more details on the bikes available and all the key information you need - including where to download the app.