Can You Bike Around Nashville?
- 4 sections
- 4 sources cited
Yes, and the greenways let you ride away from car traffic: Nashville has more than 110 miles of paved, multi-use greenway paths, according to the nonprofit Greenways for Nashville. Riding between neighborhoods on city streets is possible but means sharing roads with cars, so plan routes before you ride. For a visitor, a good first ride is downtown to East Nashville and the Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and Nashville BCycle e-bikes cover that corridor.
Where Riding Works Well
- Greenways. Greenways for Nashville describes greenways as paved, multi-use paths for recreation, transportation, and access to nature, and says the network covers 110+ miles (Greenways for Nashville maps). Its homepage also posts closures; as of October 2026, it reported the Stones River Greenway boardwalk closed because of damage (Greenways for Nashville).
- Downtown to the east side. The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge crosses the Cumberland River from downtown, and BCycle’s network runs from the Parthenon along Broadway, across the Pedestrian Bridge, and out to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway (Nashville BCycle).
- Combining bike and bus. Every WeGo local bus has a front rack for two bikes, first come, first served, and e-bikes up to 55 pounds with tires no wider than two inches can use it (WeGo how to ride). That makes it possible to ride one way and take the bus back.
Where It Is Harder
Away from the greenways, you share the road with cars, including on busy arterial streets. Before a cross-town ride, map the route with a bike setting in a navigation app, favor greenways and quieter streets, and check for closures. Ride with lights after dark, and follow the posted rules on greenways, which are shared with walkers and runners.
Getting a Bike
Without your own bike, a straightforward choice is a Nashville BCycle e-bike from a docked station, open 24 hours; prices, the free library pass, and dockless options are compared in where to rent a bike or scooter in Nashville.
Is It Worth It on a Visit?
If you want one ride, make it the Pedestrian Bridge and the east bank toward Shelby Bottoms on a dry, mild day. Summer afternoons are hot, with July highs averaging about 91°F under NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals, so ride early or late in the day then. For getting around the rest of a trip without a car, see how to get around Nashville without a car.