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EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, with 2 more in early construction across various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will be almost . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF). The multinational project aims to connect 40 countries via the 19 unique routes across the European continent. EuroVelo routes can be used for bicycle touring across the continent, as well as by local people making short journeys. The routes are made of both existing national bike routes — such as the Dutch LF-Routes, the German D-Routes, the French véloroute "SN3V" and the British National Cycle Network — and existing general purpose roads, together with new stretches of cycle routes to connect them.


History

The idea of creating a network of international cycle routes spanning Europe started in 1995. It was initially coordinated by the ECF, ''De Frie Fugle'' (Denmark) and Sustrans (UK) and the original plan was to create 12 long-distance cycling routes. Since August 2007, the ECF has assumed full responsibility for the project. Despite sometimes tight financial constraints, the EuroVelo project has already begun to fulfil the vision of its founders with sections of the network being implemented in countries as far apart as Finland, Cyprus, Spain and the UK. In addition, the EuroVelo brand has become widely known. There have been various changes to the network over the years, most notably the addition of two new routes — EuroVelo 13 (the Iron Curtain Trail) and EuroVelo 15 (the Rhine Cycle Route) — in September 2011, which are the longest and shortest of the EuroVelo routes.


Future expansion

In September 2023, the ECF announced that the Iberian Cycle route connecting Lisbon with Pamplona via Madrid is set to become the future EuroVelo 16 route by 2028 with a length of 1,896 km.


Main points on the EuroVelo routes

* Routes EV10 and EV12 are a circular tour * Connections to other EV routes are in parentheses * Odd routes are heading north–south, even routes are heading west–east


Route information


EuroVelo 1 – Atlantic Coast Route

Stretching the length of the continent, from North Cape, Norway to Valença, Portugal, the EV1 connects Norway, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, the West Country of England, France, Spain and Portugal.


EuroVelo 2 – Capitals Route

EV2 runs between
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Ireland to
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia visiting some capital cities along the way, from Eyre Square to Red Square. Between The Hague in the Netherlands and the German-Polish border, the EV2 follows the bicycle route called ''European Bicycle Route R1'' or ''Euro-Route R1'', an international long-distance cycling route connecting Boulogne-sur-Mer in France with St Petersburg in Russia.


EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route

EV3 goes from Trondheim in Norway to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The route follows traces of old roads used for
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
s in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The route passes through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain. Most of these countries have a developed network of bicycle routes used as part of the EV3.


EuroVelo 4 – Central Europe Route

The EV4 goes from Roscoff, France to
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, Ukraine, going through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Ukraine.


EuroVelo 5 – Via Romea Francigena

The EV5 route is inspired by the '' Via Francigena'', a pilgrimage route from London to Rome first recorded by Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric in the 10th century AD. However, the route of the true ''Via Francigena'' is an almost straight line path from London to Rome, while the EuroVelo 5 route takes a more easterly route that passes through Brussels, Luxembourg and
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
in the
Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
. It then follows the Franco-German border, passes through Switzerland following Swiss National Bike Route no. 3, before crossing the Alps at the Gotthard Pass. It then passes through Italy (more closely following Sigeric's route) to Rome before continuing on to the Adriatic port city of Brindisi.


EuroVelo 6 – River Route

Running from
Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oc ...
on the mouth of the river
Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...
along that river eastward through France, EV6 passes over the border to Switzerland to Lake Constance and then on to Tuttlingen in Germany, where it begins its way down the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
following the Donauradweg (Danube Cycle Route). It follows that river, Europe's second longest, through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania to the river's mouth at the Danube Delta. It then continues southwards to end in
Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
, on the Black Sea. File:EuroVelo 6 St Louis.jpg, Signage for EuroVelo 6 in France near the
tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
of France, Switzerland and Germany


EuroVelo 7 – Sun Route

EV7 runs from the North Cape to
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. It goes through Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Malta.


EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route

EV8 follows the European coastline of the Mediterranean sea from Cádiz, Spain to
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece, going through Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus.


EuroVelo 9 – Amber Route

EV9 (in Poland, also labeled as R9) stretches from the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
to the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. It is so named after the precious stone
amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
collected in the Baltic, which was taken by routes such as this to the Mediterranean. One of the shortest of the EuroVelo routes, EV9 still manages to cut across Europe from north to south, from Poland to Croatia, and in doing so passes through the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia en route. File:EuroVelo 9.JPG, Sign R9 at the south-western border of
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, near Wrocław Airport File:Neustaedter Kanal EuroVelo.jpg, Signage for EuroVelo 9, Wiener Neustadt, Austria


EuroVelo 10 – Baltic Route

EV10 runs around
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
. Some of its parts are mapped on
OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (abbreviated OSM) is a free, Open Database License, open geographic database, map database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveying, surveys, trace from Ae ...
projec
Relation: EuroVelo 10 - Baltic Sea Cycle Route - part Sweden (63584)
On the state of the route there is an OpenStreetMap wiki page


EuroVelo 11 – East Europe Route

EV11 connects (theoretically)
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
's North Cape with
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
.


EuroVelo 12 – North Sea Route

EV12 was the first European route, opened in June 2001, route through England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It features in the ''
Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
'' as the longest unbroken signposted cycling route. It was funded in part by the European Union's Interreg initiative.


EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail

EuV13 follows the old Iron Curtain, the divided borders of Europe during the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. The ICT runs from Kirkenes, Norway on the Barents Sea, along the Finno-Russian border through to the Baltic Sea, then hugs the length of the Baltic coast to Lübeck in Germany. It then follows the old border between West Germany and the former East Germany, the current borders between the Czech Republic and both Germany then Austria, the Austrian-Slovak and Austrian-Hungarian borders before following the borders of Romania, the former
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and North Macedonia. It finishes at Rezovo in Bulgaria on the Black Sea after following the border with Greece and Turkey.


EuroVelo 15 – The Rhine Cycle Route

EV15, with an overall length of about passes through four countries from the headwaters of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
in
Andermatt Andermatt () is a mountain village and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. At an elevation of above sea level, Andermatt is located at the center of the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the historical center ...
in the Swiss Alps to the estuary in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
in the Netherlands, via France and Germany.


EuroVelo 17 – Rhone Cycle Route

EV17 has an overall length of about . It starts in Andermatt and runs along each side of Lake Geneva before crossing into France. Passing through
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
and
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
, it forks into sections which end in
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
and
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
.


EuroVelo 19 – Meuse Cycle Route

EV19, with an overall length of about , is the newest and the shortest EuroVelo route. It follows one of the most significant rivers in Europe, from the source of the
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
on the Langres plateau in France, heading north into Belgium and on to the river mouth at Hook of Holland, with the route ending in the Dutch port city of
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
.


Requirements

The ECF has written a route development manual for those working on developing EuroVelo routes. According to the guidelines, all EuroVelo routes should fulfill the following criteria: * They must be based on existing or planned national or regional routes of the involved countries. * At least two countries must be involved. * Route length must be at least . * Steep sections should be avoided wherever possible and for very steep sections (if unavoidable) alternative transport options (i.e. public transport or alternative routes) should be provided. * Easy to communicate - internationally recognisable identity and name (marketing potential). * Implementation plans in place (project plan, business plan, partners). * Signing in accordance with the regulations of the respective nations and/or regions, continuous and in both directions. * Signage supplemented by EuroVelo route information panels, in accordance with the recommendations of
UNECE The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is an intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Econ ...
and the ECF's
Signing of EuroVelo cycle routes
' manual.


Route infrastructure

In 2011 the share of route infrastructure components in the EuroVelo network was as follows: * Bicycle path/lane: 14% * Traffic-free asphalted road: 8% * Traffic-free non-asphalted road: 6% * Public low-traffic, asphalted road: 56% * Public non-asphalted road: 3% * Public high-traffic, asphalted road: 14%


See also

* European long-distance paths * Outline of cycling * Route Verte * United States Bicycle Route System * Cyclability


References


External links


EuroVelo — the European Cycle Route NetworkECF European Cyclists' FederationEurovelo 13: Iron Curtain Trail - Through Europe along the former Iron CurtainEurovelo 15 from Andermatt to RotterdamMapping project of EuroVelo on OpenStreetMapItalian GreenwaysInteractive map


Mobile Apps


Iphone App
EuroCycle - Offline Maps for EuroVelo Cycle Routes {{Authority control Cycleways in Europe Transport in Europe