As the first island in Greece, friendly to cyclists, Leros was certified, with the special mark “Bike Friendly Destination”, which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism.

“Commuting by bicycle, which is also exercise, is an activity that is now requested by more and more visitors, who love the environment and adventure, getting to know new destinations and the cultural heritage of the region they visit” he points out with statements of the mayor of Leros, Michalis Kolias, to APE-MPE.

The effort to highlight Leros as a destination for cycling tourism began in previous years and has already brought results as reported by the mayor of Leros. In fact, it is characteristic that cyclists come by boat from Turkey to take part in the races, as well as many cycling enthusiasts from European countries.

Leros, an ideal destination for mountain biking

“For mountain bike lovers, the special morphology of the terrain makes Leros an important destination for this sport, since on the island there are amazing routes, with varying degrees of difficulty, that offer unique emotions and a wonderful experience” he says to APE-MPE the mayor of Leros, Mr. Kolias

The highly active Cycling Association of Leros has undertaken this part with promotional actions in order to highlight the beauties of the island through cycling, while in the last period of time the perfect cooperation of the association with the Municipality of Leros resulted in the certification of the island of Leros as a “bike friendly” destination.

Also, in Leros there is a certified hotel, which is friendly to cyclists. The hotel has electric bicycles for its guests, and in an effort to provide high quality services in cooperation with the local cycling club, they have digitally mapped around 20 routes for bicycle getaways.

Cycling routes

For cycling enthusiasts of all levels, Leros offers many options with both natural and freshly made trails, which can be combined into a variety of tours. The island has a variety of cycling routes, through dirt roads, paths and technical routes with flow.

For the service and convenience of cyclists, many of the cycling routes in Leros have the necessary markings, while in many places along the routes there are waste bins. The mapping of cycling routes in most of the island is also important, while maps of the network of paths and cycling routes can be found by the visitor at the tourist entrance gates of the island and in other places.

A characteristic cycling route in Leros is the staircase path, which leads from the castle to the town of Ag. Marina. An amazing route for experienced cyclists though.

Within the Merikia – Lakki – Temenia – Xirokambos residential complex, there are no particularly difficult routes for visitors who want to use the bicycle as an alternative means of transport.

In the areas of Platanou – Panteliou – Ag. Marina, there are uphill routes, which reward the visitors with the wonderful view.

In the settlements of Alinto – Krithoniou – Kamara – Gourna, the relatively flat routes make the bicycle an ideal alternative means of transport.

From Alinda – Kamara – Ag. Isidoros to Partheni and Blefouti, the route is without particular difficulties and compensates the cyclist with the spotlessly clean beaches (Ag. Kiura – Blefouti) that exist at the end of the route.