The World's Best Bike Rides — A Father's Day Guide

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there — and especially to the one who lives with me.

Jake loves a bike ride. I do not, particularly. But love is inconvenient that way, and so I have found myself, on more than one occasion, clipped into a helmet and pedaling somewhere scenic while pretending to enjoy it more than I do. The truth is, I enjoy it more than I let on.

A couple of years ago, we celebrated Father's Day in Norway, just outside of Flåm — and whatever ambivalence I carry about cycling in general, I left some of it on that fjord. We rented e-bikes and rode through a landscape so picturesque it felt almost fictional. Steep rock faces, waterfall mist, the green of spring sprouting everywhere. Stunning is the only word that fits, and even that undersells it.

That trip has stayed with me. So for this Father's Day, I went looking. If you're searching for the best bike rides in the world to give a dad who loves to travel — or simply the most beautiful dedicated cycling routes on the planet — here are a few to inspire you.

1. Rallarvegen, Norway — Fjord Cycling at Its Most Dramatic

This is where we started, and where any honest conversation about scenic bike rides has to begin. The full Rallarvegen — the old navvies' road built to supply the Bergen Railway — runs about 80 kilometers from Haugastøl through the high mountain plateau, past Finse and Myrdal, and descends all the way to Flåm by the fjord. It deserves at least two days. We did not do the whole thing; we rented e-bikes in Flåm and rode the lower valley section, which was already more than enough to rearrange my feelings about cycling.

The route is paved and gravel, dedicated, and mostly downhill from Myrdal to Flåm — which is a very civilized design for a bike trail. E-bikes are available to rent directly in Flåm, and the classic approach is to take the Flåmsbana railway up and ride back down. If your dad has been waiting for a cycling trip that looks like a painting, this is it.

Best for: Scenic drama, e-bike riders, all fitness levels

Rental: E-bikes available at Flåm Bike Rental

Best months: June–September

2. La Loire à Vélo, France — Châteaux, Vineyards, and 900 km of Dedicated Path

Everyone who has done this trip talks about it the way people talk about a meal they cannot stop thinking about. I have not done it yet, but it is high on my list — and I say that as someone who did not grow up dreaming of cycling holidays.

The Loire à Vélo is 900 kilometers of dedicated, paved, signposted bike paths along the Loire River, passing through châteaux, vineyards, medieval towns, and the kind of French countryside that makes you understand why people write poems about France. Almost entirely traffic-free. Flat and gentle enough for any fitness level. The infrastructure is exceptional — a network of "Accueil Vélo" certified hire stations along the full length of the route, with e-bikes, the option to pick up in one town and drop off in another, and bikes waiting at your hotel when you arrive.

Four to seven days is a comfortable trip; forty to sixty kilometers a day is a sustainable pace. The Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means the scenery is not incidental — it is the point.

Best for: Multi-day touring, wine lovers, families, e-bike riders

Rental: Accueil Vélo network throughout; e-bikes widely available

Best months: April–October

3. Shimanami Kaidō, Japan — Island-Hopping on the Inland Sea

When I think of Japan, cycling is not the first thing that comes to mind. That is apparently an oversight on my part.

The Shimanami Kaidō is a 70-kilometer dedicated cycling route connecting Japan's main islands via six smaller islands across the Seto Inland Sea — with its own bike lanes the entire way, gentle gradients, frequent rest stops, and rental terminals on every island so you can begin and end wherever you like. The views are extraordinary: suspension bridges strung between islands, traditional fishing villages, turquoise water. This route is consistently called one of the most beautiful cycling experiences in the world, and looking at it, I believe it. E-bikes are widely available.

For the dad who loves Japan, or who has been looking for a reason to go — this is the reason.

Best for: Beginners, Japan travel, scenic coastal riding

Rental: Terminals on every island; e-bikes available

Best months: March–May, September–November

4. Otago Rail Trail, New Zealand — Four Days Through Gold Rush Country

Built on a former railway line, which means it follows the natural contours of the land rather than fighting them. That translates to a dedicated, flat, four-day ride through some of New Zealand's most dramatic high-country scenery: gold rush towns, turquoise glacial rivers, the valleys beneath Aoraki/Mt Cook. The kind of landscape that makes you feel small in the best possible way.

E-bikes are widely available and popular on this trail, which makes the distance very manageable even for casual riders. Lodge accommodation is built into the route, so you are not camping — you are riding through wilderness and sleeping somewhere comfortable. That is a very good combination.

Best for: Multi-day adventure, e-bike riders, dramatic scenery without extreme difficulty Rental: E-bikes widely available at trail start points

Best months: October–April (Southern Hemisphere summer)

5. Munda Biddi Trail, Western Australia — For the Dad Who Wants Solitude

This one is for a specific kind of dad: the one who wants to disappear into something vast and quiet, who is not looking for a château or a Michelin-starred dinner at the end of the day, who wants the trail mostly to himself.

The Munda Biddi — the name means "path through the forest" in the local Noongar language — winds through the eucalyptus forests of Western Australia's southwest, past river valleys and through land that has its own unhurried rhythm. Wallabies, possums, kangaroos. Remote in the way that actually means remote. It is not for everyone, but for the right person, there is nothing quite like it.

Best for: Serious cyclists, wildlife encounters, true wilderness

Rental: Available at trail access points

Best months: September–November, March–May

Planning a Cycling Trip for next Father's Day

Whatever route you choose — and whether you love cycling or are simply willing to — the point is not the miles. It is the company, and the particular quality of attention that moving through a beautiful place on two wheels seems to produce. You notice more. You are slower than a car and faster than your feet, which turns out to be exactly the right speed for seeing the world.

A few things worth knowing before you book any of these:

• All five routes have e-bike rentals available, which makes them accessible regardless of fitness level

• Loire à Vélo and Shimanami Kaidō are the most logistically straightforward for first-time bike trip travelers

• Rallarvegen and Otago Rail Trail are the most dramatically scenic

• Munda Biddi is the most remote and best suited to experienced cyclists

Happy Father's Day!

Interested in building one of these trips? I plan bespoke cycling and luxury travel itineraries through Skylark Journeys. Reach out at kacey.rose@fora.travel— I'd love to help you design it.