0.0 mi
Into the park
Onto the loop road at the south-west corner. Ride counter-clockwise — everybody does, and it's easier.
Past Bethesda Terrace, along the Lake, under the elms of the Mall — with a licensed driver who's run this route for years and will tell you what you're looking at.
Free cancellation to 24 hrs · Instant confirmation · Licensed & insured drivers
Six miles of car-free loop road past Bethesda Fountain, Strawberry Fields, the Alice in Wonderland statue and Belvedere Castle. With a map in your hand it's easy to build your own route and double back on anything that catches your eye.
Save up to 50% by booking online · Available daily · Free cancellation to 24 hrs
All four in the price, from the moment you pick the bike up. None of them appears as an extra line at the counter.
The same bike from the same shop costs roughly double if you walk up on the day. Book ahead and it's held for you.
One, two, three or five hours, all day, or a full 24. You're not forced into a block that doesn't fit.
The loop road has been closed to traffic since 2018. You never share a lane with a vehicle.
Rental prices near the park run from $9 to $45 for what looks like the same bike. It usually isn’t the same deal — the cheap end charges separately for the helmet and the lock, and the walk-up rate at the gates is close to double what the same shop charges online. Here’s the whole picture, including the part that isn’t in our favour.
Roughly double
the online rate
Same bike, same shop, same afternoon. You’re paying for the fact that you hadn’t decided yet, and on a warm Saturday the sizes you want may already be out.
Unlock fee
+ per-minute after
Cheapest for a fifteen-minute hop. The meter runs while you’re standing at Bethesda, and there’s no helmet, no lock and no map.
$35–45
Convenient, and priced accordingly. Usually the same rental shop with a commission stacked on top.
BOOKED HERE
From $20 adult
from $14 child
Hybrid or mountain bike sized to you, helmet, lock and route map in the price, held in your name, and attachments for children added at checkout from $1.
All Ages And Stages
two adults and two children, booked online
from, per bike
Hybrids and mountain bikes for men and women, in a full range of frame sizes. The seat is set for you before you leave the door.
hours · priced at checkout
Most people take three hours, which is enough for the full loop with proper stops. Pick your length when you book and the rate shows before you pay.
from, per bike
From first bikes with training wheels up to full geared bikes for older children. Helmets are included and required for under-14s.
MOST BOOKED
Prices are per bike and start at $20 for adults and $14 for children, with the exact rate depending on how long you take it for. Booking online saves up to 50% against the walk-up rate at the park. Want a guide with it? The two-hour guided tour is $49 and includes the bike.
Most rental shops hand you a folded tourist map and wish you luck. This is the loop marked on ours, by mile, so you know what’s coming and where the one climb is. Double back on anything you like — that’s the whole point of renting.
All three are marked on the map in your bag, along with restrooms, water fountains and the places you can leave a bike locked. The park has plenty of spots to lock up and walk around when you want to get off the bike — the lock is there so you can use it. Bikes stay on the loop road; the bridle path and the pedestrian paths are off limits.
Onto the loop road at the south-west corner. Ride counter-clockwise — everybody does, and it's easier.
The Imagine mosaic, opposite the Dakota. Quietest before nine in the morning.
Built as a folly, now the park's official weather station. Best view of the Great Lawn there is.
The best skyline in the park, doubled in the water. Bikes stay on the road; the cinder track is for runners.
The only real climb on the loop. It lasts about ninety seconds. Drop a gear early and it's nothing.
Bronze, oversized, and built to be climbed on. By the model-boat pond on the east side.
The Angel of the Waters and the tiled arcade ceiling, then a short run back out at 59th.
The trouble with a guided tour is that it moves when the guide moves. Rent instead and the itinerary is yours — twenty minutes on the terrace steps if you want them, an hour at the Reservoir, double back to the castle because you liked it. With a map in hand it’s easy to build your own route, and there are plenty of places to lock up and walk around.
or call +1 (929) 483-7420
Children old enough to ride get their own bike from $14. Younger ones go in a child seat from $5 if they sit up comfortably, or a covered trailer from $18 if they need more support — it holds one or two toddlers up to 70lb. Older children with basic coordination pedal behind you on a tag-along from $18. The 72nd Street cut-across gives you a flat twenty-minute loop with all the famous parts on it.
or call +1 (929) 483-7420
Golden hour in Central Park lasts about ninety minutes and the best three vantage points are a mile apart. On foot you get one. On a bike you get all three — and with a rental you can stand at each of them for as long as the light holds rather than as long as a group allows. Add a basket for a dollar and the camera has somewhere to sit.
or call +1 (929) 483-7420
Take five hours, all day or 24 and the Hudson River Greenway is about fifteen minutes west — car-free for miles, all the way down to Battery Park if you have the legs. It is the best cycling in Manhattan and almost no visitor knows it’s there.
or call +1 (929) 483-7420
If you live in a fifth-floor walk-up, renting for an afternoon costs less than a month of bike storage and involves carrying nothing down the stairs. The 24-hour option covers two mornings, the bikes are maintained by somebody else, and there is nothing to lock to a railing overnight.
or call +1 (929) 483-7420
Rear-mounted and fitted at the counter, for younger children who sit up comfortably on their own.
Covered, holds one or two toddlers up to 70lb total, and the better option for smaller children.
A half-bike behind yours, so an older child pedals along without having to steer or brake.
Clips onto the front. Somewhere to put the water, the snacks and the camera you were told to bring.
Add any of these at checkout when you book online, or tell us on the phone and we’ll have it fitted before you arrive. All four are limited in number and go first on weekends and holidays.
A block from Columbus Circle and about ninety seconds from the park entrance, so you’re on the car-free loop road almost immediately rather than negotiating traffic to get there. Everything you need is handed over at pickup — bike, helmet, lock and map.
A B C D 1
59th St–Columbus Circle · 3 min walk
N R W
57th St–7th Ave · 4 min walk
F
57th St · 6 min walk
BUS
M5 M7 M10 M20 to 58th St
Wear comfortable shoes and bring a camera — you’ll be getting off the bike more than you expect. Bags can be left at the shop while you ride, free. Running late on a return? Call the desk on +1 (929) 483-7420 rather than racing back.
Adult bikes start at $20 and kids’ bikes at $14, with the exact rate depending on how long you take it for. Every rental includes the bike, a helmet, a lock and a map — none of those is an extra at the counter. Booking online saves up to 50% against walking up at the park on the day.
One hour, two hours, three hours, five hours, all day, or a full 24 hours. Three is what most people take — enough for the six-mile loop with proper stops. The 24-hour option is worth knowing about if you want the park early both mornings.
Rentals are available daily. From April through August, pickup runs 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. From September through March, hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Last hire is well before closing, so don’t leave a five-hour rental until late afternoon in winter.
The loop road is six miles, which is about an hour riding steadily without stopping. Nobody does that. Allow two to three hours if you want to get off at Bethesda, Strawberry Fields and the castle — which is why three hours is the most booked length.
Hybrids and mountain bikes for adults, in men’s and women’s frames across a full range of sizes. Kids’ bikes cover all ages and stages, from first bikes with training wheels up to geared bikes for older children. Everything is sized at the counter rather than guessed.
Yes, four ways. A child seat from $5 attaches to your bike and suits younger children who sit up comfortably. A child trailer from $18 is covered and holds one or two toddlers up to 70lb total, which is better for smaller children needing support. A tag-along from $18 lets an older child pedal behind you. A basket from $1 carries everything else.
Mostly flat, with gently rolling stretches and one real climb at the north end lasting about ninety seconds. Drop a gear before it and it’s nothing. If you’d rather skip it, cut across at 86th Street and ride the lower loop instead — both cut-acrosses are marked on the map.
Not inside the park. The loop road has been closed to cars since 2018, so the whole ride is car-free. The only vehicles you’ll see are park maintenance and pedicabs. Getting there is ninety seconds on the pavement from the shop.
A lock comes with every rental and the park has plenty of places to lock up and walk around — the map marks the best of them, including near Bethesda, the boathouse and Strawberry Fields. Lock the frame to something fixed rather than just the wheel, and take anything loose with you.
Comfortable shoes and a camera. That’s genuinely it — you’ll be off the bike more than you expect, and the loop is the sort of ride where you stop for things. Add a basket for a dollar if you’d rather not carry a bag on your back.
Photo ID for each rider and a card for the deposit hold, which is released when the bike comes back. A photo of your passport on your phone isn’t accepted — bring the document. It’s the most common reason a rental is delayed at the door.
Cancel or move free of charge up to 24 hours before, and call us if the forecast turns on the day — we’d rather move you than have you ride in it. If a chain goes or a tyre gives up mid-ride, call the number on your rental slip and we’ll come to you or swap the bike, at no charge.
The same bikes with someone in front who knows the history and which turns matter.
No pedalling at all, and the north hill disappears. Riders 16 and over only.
Less ground, far more detail, and nothing to lock up. Departs daily at noon.
Available daily. Adult bikes from $20, kids’ from $14, with the helmet, lock and map in the price — and up to 50% off the walk-up rate when you book online.