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Cycling Summer 2025: Nieuwpoort crowned the most popular cycling destination in Flanders
Sven Nijs
Summer 2025 was packed with cycling fun. Over 1 million recreational cyclists headed out with Fietsknooppunt.be. Based on all downloaded routes and app usage, we compiled a ranking of Flanders’ most popular cycling destinations. Nieuwpoort tops the list, with plenty of surprises further down!
Summer 2025 was one for the books: sunshine, good vibes, and above all countless cyclists criss-crossing Flanders. With Fietsknooppunt.be, hundreds of thousands of recreational riders found the most beautiful routes.
Between 1 June and 31 August 2025, we recorded just over 1,200,000 cyclists via Fietsknooppunt.be (website and app) planning, searching and navigating routes.
For the very first time, we reveal which Flemish cities and municipalities were most popular with cyclists. We also identified the most popular regions and cycling nodes. A story showing where Flanders loves to pedal the most!
Flanders’ most popular cycling destination is by the sea
We combined hundreds of thousands of GPS readings with the length of the cycling node network and the area of each municipality/city. The result is a unique ranking that objectively shows where recreational cyclists went most this summer.
Nieuwpoort: the ultimate cycling hotspot
Nieuwpoort shines at number one as Flanders’ most popular cycling destination in summer 2025. No surprise: the sea is an irresistible draw and the town offers excellent cycling infrastructure. And there’s more than the sea: the harbour channel, the Yser estuary at the impressive Ganzepoot water complex, the King Albert I Monument, the Frontzate embankment path, ... All together, a true paradise for recreational cyclists.
Below is an interactive map of all Flemish municipalities. Colours range from blue (least popular) to red (most popular). You can zoom, view by province, and hover a municipality to see details.
Below the map you’ll find the full ranking of the most popular municipalities and cities for the selected region.
| # | Place | Number of cyclists | Popularity score |
|---|
Leuven leads Flemish Brabant and is the most popular capital for cycling
In Flemish Brabant, Leuven was the most popular destination for recreational cyclists — and the most popular among the provincial capitals. It combines strong cycling infrastructure with a prime location: from the city you quickly reach the Green Belt, Meerdaal Forest, the Dyle Valley or the rolling Hageland, while the historic centre is a highlight in itself.
As is Limburg’s cycling hotspot
In Limburg, As was the most popular spot for recreational cyclists, strategically located between two top attractions: Cycling through Water (Genk) and Cycling between the Spoil Heaps (Hoge Kempen National Park). As also boasts an absolute cycling highlight: the recently reopened Station van As with its 31-metre observation tower — a replica of the drilling rig with which André Dumont discovered Limburg’s first coal.
Wijnegem: number 1 in Antwerp province
In the Province of Antwerp, Wijnegem saw the busiest recreational cycling traffic. Next to Rivierenhof, it’s a gateway for Antwerp residents towards the Kempen and the watery landscapes around Lier. The nearby junction of the Albert Canal and the Dessel-Schoten Canal creates a true hotspot.
Ghent leads in East Flanders
In East Flanders, Ghent was a true hotspot. Strong cycling policy and a natural start/stop hub for the Lys Region. The cycling node network runs through the historic centre with the Gravensteen, rivers and canals — a perfect cocktail for cyclists.
Antwerp is the most popular cycling province
At provincial level we measured the highest cyclist density in Antwerp, closely followed by West Flanders and Limburg. In the southwest, Scheldeland with the Rupel, Dyle, Nete, Scheldt and Senne is a magnet for cyclists. Seeking calm? Head into the Kempen. Cosy towns like Lier, Hoogstraten, Turnhout, Geel and Herentals make perfect stops before, during or after a ride.
On the interactive map below, you can view rankings by province and by tourist region in Flanders.
| # | Province/region | Number of cyclists | Popularity score |
|---|
Flanders’ most popular cycling node is in Maasmechelen
Flanders has 6,500 signposted routes connecting 4,000 cycling nodes into a network of over 14,000 km. Based on all route downloads on Fietsknooppunt.be this past summer, cycling node 565 (Maasmechelen) was included most often, acting as the gateway to ‘Cycling along the Spoil Heaps’.
Below you’ll find the top 10 most popular cycling nodes in Flanders — mainly a tussle between Limburg and West Flanders.
| # | cycling node | # in a route | on map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | node 565 (Maasmechelen – Access to ‘Cycling between the Spoil Heaps’) | 5.388 | view on map |
| 2 | node 8 (Nieuwpoort – Ganzepoot water complex) | 4.676 | view on map |
| 3 | node 41 (As – Station As gateway) | 4.630 | view on map |
| 4 | node 98 (Koksijde – Golf Ter Hille) | 4.485 | view on map |
| 5 | node 2 (Middelkerke – Wateringstraat) | 3.895 | view on map |
| 6 | node 23 (Bruges – Dampoort) | 3.836 | view on map |
| 7 | node 68 (Veurne – Ooststraat) | 3.782 | view on map |
| 8 | node 34 (Damme – Damme Canal) | 3.540 | view on map |
| 9 | node 91 (Genk – ‘Cycling through Water’ next to Bokrijk) | 3.507 | view on map |
| 10 | node 1 (De Panne – Adinkerke) | 3.273 | view on map |
Nieuwpoort took the crown this summer, but all of Flanders bursts with great routes. Build your own ride in a few clicks and let the cycling node network guide you.
Questions about the figures? We’re happy to help.
- Contact: Sven Nijs, founder of Fietsknooppunt.be
- Fietsknooppunt.be is part of NodeMapp
- [email protected]
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