Citycycle plus: Explore Brisbane’s 3 best bike path loops on an electric bicycle

If you are new to Brisbane then you may have heard that Brisbane is hilly! And often hot. The Brisbane City citycycle is a great way to see the flat inner city but if you want to REALLY explore Brisbane then hire an electric bike.

The electric push bikes (or e-bikes) from eBike Hire Brisbane have the latest electric technology and are some of the coolest eBikes around. They are built to be comfortable and cover long distances – up to 80km in a day on one charge – so you can explore some of Brisbanes most beautiful spots in style and comfort, no matter how high or far.

And we are lucky in Brisbane. We have great cycling weather all year round and Brisbane has excellent bike paths to help you explore some lovely, more out-of-the-way places, safely.

Here are our top 3 suggestions to ride an electric hire bike from EBike Hire Brisbane:

1. The mini River Loop

This is a relatively short ride in ebike terms – about 25km – but it is packed with some great Brisbane icons. If you wanted to blast it you could easily do it with a two hour hire but you will want to stop and explore and take photos so we suggest allowing longer.

The route:

Collect your electric bike rental at Milton and head to the Coronation Drive riverside bikeway just 2 mins ride away. Turn right when you hit the bike path and Follow the bikeway and bikeway signs (into quiet residential streets) through Toowong, St Lucia to the University of Qld. Cross the river on the Eleanor Schonell bridge, ride in the bike lane up Gladstone Rd towards the city, through Highgate Hill and back along the river from Dutton Park ferry via West End.

Cross back over the river to return your bike to eBike Hire Brisbane via a number of bridges (closest to us is the Goodwill Bridge).

Things to see:

Just riding along the river bank is lovely; stop for a coffee at the historic Regatta Hotel; explore the picturesque grounds of University of Queensland – see the historic Great Court, UQ Art Museum, or simply ride around the beautiful grounds and say hello to the wildlife.

Take cool photos on the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, stop at the lookout at the top of Highgate Hill on Dornoch Terrace for great city views, stop at Orleigh Park to enjoy the river serenity, grab coffee or lunch at one of the trendy cafes in West End.

2. The full River Loop

This is one of Brisbane’s iconic bike rides and is a favourite with locals too. 100’s of cyclists get their early morning pre-work cycle in on the River Loop. The loop is approx. 35km but can be tricky to navigate in places as it winds its way through back streets so allow contingency time for unplanned exploring!

The River Loop is an add-on to the mini River Loop. It continues on around the river from UQ through beautiful ST Lucia, to Indooroopilly. Cross the river over the historic Indooroopilly bridge and work your way back towards the city through the Qld Tennis Centre, some of Brisbane’s most amazing houses (& most expensive real estate!), and link back up with the mini River Loop at Dutton Park.

3. The Eastern River Loop

Botanic Gardens, new Farm, cross the river by ferry to Bulimba, back through Kangaroo Point .This is another fun and easy bike route where you can take in some Brisbane icons and really feel the vibe of Brisbane. It’s about 25km but there is so much to see you may find you end up doing way more kms.

From eBike Hire Brisbane head into the city along the Coronation Drive bikeway and the beautiful Boardwalk on the river (yes, you ride above the river!) Follow this all the way around into the Botanic Gardens for some exploring, the continue along the riverfront Boardwalk all the way around to the New Farm Boardwalk.

You get a birds eye view of the Storey Bridge and see Brisbane from a different angle. Keep following the river around through New Farm. You might want to Stop at the historic Powerhouse Museum or the historic wool houses in Teneriffe. Keep your eye out here for the Ferry Crossing to Bulimba.

Cross over the river on the ferry (they take cash & bikes are allowed) and then you’re in the heart of the very cool Bulimba precinct. Lots of great cafes and shops here. Head back to the city along Hawthorne Road – stop at Hawthorne Garage if you have time – and get into the bike path along the river side of Wynnum Rd. You’ll get gorgeous views of the river as you ride and glimpses into some of Brisbanes most exclusive real estate.

Ride through Kangaroo Point to Docklands and then you have a few options. Head to the top of Kangaroo Pt Cliffs for iconic city views. Or head to under the Storey Bridge at the nose of Kangaroo Point and take in some great Storey Bridge and city views from a completely different perspective. Or do both! You can work your way to Southbank Parklands along the riverside boardwalk and bike path and take your pick of a number of bridges to drop your bike back to eBike Hire Brisbane.

Our suggestion if you are on a tight budget but want to explore is to use CityCycle Brisbane for your inner city, flat terrain and hire an ebike for 1 or 2 days to experience the real Brisbane further afield.

Hiring from eBike Hire Brisbane is not expensive and you can see a lot more in the time you have. Plus you will have a blast riding, getting to places that you otherwise would not have seen and without getting too sweaty or puffed.