It’s a late-May weekend, the weather’s finally cooperating, and you’ve got a Citi Bike key or a day pass burning a hole in your pocket. New York has 15 designated greenways — continuous, car-free corridors built for exactly this. Two of them stand out as the city’s best scenic rides, and both are easy to reach by bike share. Here’s how to ride them.
Ride #1: The Hudson River Greenway (Manhattan’s West Side)
This is the one. The Hudson River Greenway runs along the west side of Manhattan, parallel to the river, on a two-lane path that’s closed to car traffic — and it’s North America’s busiest bike path for a reason. You get open water on one side, the Manhattan skyline at your back, and almost no stoplights to break your rhythm.
Where to start: Grab a Citi Bike at any of the stations along 11th or 12th Avenue. Good launch points include 12 Ave & W 40 St, W 20 St & 11 Ave, W 14 St & The High Line, West St & Chambers St, and South End Ave & Liberty St.
The beginner-friendly route Citi Bike itself recommends: Pick up a bike at 12 Ave & W 40 St, ride south with the water on your right, and dock at West St & Chambers St. It’s about 3.2 miles and takes most riders 25–30 minutes on a classic Citi Bike — comfortably inside the 30-minute window included with a single ride or day pass (45 minutes if you’re an annual member). From Chambers St you’re a short roll from Battery Park if you want to keep going.
Ride #2: The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway
If you’d rather be on the Brooklyn side, the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is a 27-mile route tracing the borough’s waterfront from Newtown Creek in the north all the way down to Bay Ridge, with connections out toward Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay. You don’t have to ride all 27 miles — most people don’t.
The crown-jewel stretch is along Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, one of the most popular bike segments in the entire city. You get East River views, the Manhattan skyline across the water, and a steady stream of waterfront parks to stop and rest in. Pair it with a loop through Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO and you’ve got a postcard ride.
Ride Smart: A Few Closures to Know
A couple of greenway segments are under construction right now, so don’t be surprised by a detour:
- On the Manhattan side, parts of the East River Greenway are affected by the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) and Brooklyn Bridge–Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR) projects, including stretches around East River Park and South Street. Follow posted signage for detours.
- The west-side Hudson River route is open and is your safest bet for an uninterrupted ride.
The NYC DOT keeps a running list of greenway closures lasting more than three months on its Greenways page — worth a glance if you’re planning a longer point-to-point trip.
More Bikes Are Coming to Your Neighborhood
If bike share hasn’t reached your block yet, it’s on the way. NYC DOT and Lyft began rolling out Citi Bike’s Phase 3 expansion in fall 2025, extending the system deeper into Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn to meet record ridership. The long-term goal is to double the service area and roughly triple the number of bikes — so the list of neighborhoods you can launch a scenic ride from keeps growing.
The city is also planning its next generation of car-free routes. In 2025, NYC DOT, NYC Parks, and NYCEDC released Greater Greenways, the first comprehensive greenway plan in over 30 years, mapping out new corridors including the Harlem River, Queens Waterfront, Bronx Waterfront, and Southern Queens greenways. Today’s two best rides won’t be the only ones for long.
Bottom line: For a no-stress, all-views ride this weekend, start with the Hudson River Greenway. Want Brooklyn? Hit Kent Avenue. Either way, mind the free-ride clock, check the app for the nearest dock, and enjoy the water.
