Nightriders

Spend an evening touring Boston’s waterfront by bike with Urban AdvenTours. Photo courtesy of Urban AdvenTours

Cycling in Boston, which has more than 60 miles of bike lanes and over 1,000 bike racks, has become more popular than ever before. The city is now one of the most bike-friendly metropolises in America.

Capitalizing on the growing enthusiasm, Urban AdvenTours now offers bike tours at night. Their Bikes at Night Tour provides a fun way to get some exercise as night falls while seeing some of Boston’s most famous sights from a new vantage point. The tour is perfect for Boston newcomers and tourists eager to learn about the city as well as for longtime locals looking for something different to do.

Seasoned guides lead participants on five-to-seven-mile routes along the waterfront. Highlights include Long Wharf, which was once the busiest pier anywhere in the American colonies; the renowned Institute of Contemporary Art; the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the only organically maintained public park in Boston; the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, an architectural gem named in honor of Joe Moakley, a former Democratic congressman; and the bustling Financial District. Almost every stop provides stunning views of the harbor or the city. The professional tour guides are well versed in city lore, guaranteeing that you’ll learn facts about Boston you never knew before.

The ticket cost of $35 includes the tour, use of a bike and helmet, and water—not having a bike of your own isn’t a problem. Riders are advised to arrive a half hour early so tour guides can adjust bikes and helmets to ensure a proper fit. If you’re worried about safety, rest assured that you are in good hands: bikes and helmets are brightly colored for high visibility and have reflectors and lights, so you will be visible even after dusk. Prior to each tour, the staff offers tips for safe city biking. Riders of all levels of cycling ability are welcome on the tour, but you should be comfortable biking on roads with traffic.

Urban AdvenTours also offers a variety of daytime tours. While the City View Tour, which highlights major attractions in Boston, is perfect for Boston newbies, the Tour de Boston is the best bet for families, as most of the ride takes place on bike paths. Bike enthusiasts can also choose from the Tour de Cambridge, which offers an in-depth two-wheeled exploration of Cambridge, or the Emerald Necklace Tour, which gives riders a chance to discover the park system designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted more than 100 years ago that stretches from the Back Bay to Dorchester.

Bikes at Night Urban AdvenTours take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings starting at 6 p.m. Tours depart from 103 Atlantic Avenue, Boston. The 1.5-to-2-hour tours cover 5 to 7 miles. By public transportation, take a MBTA Green Line trolley to Copley. Walk up Dartmouth Street to Back Bay Station and take an Orange Line trolley to State Street. Switch there to the Blue Line and take that to the Aquarium stop.

Tickets can be purchased online for $35 per person, which includes use of a bike and helmet. In the event of light rain, the tour will still run. In the event of severe or unsafe weather conditions, the tour may be cancelled, in which case tickets can be rescheduled for a later date. For more information, call 617-670-0637 or email info@urbanadventours.com.

Irene Berman-Vaporis can be reached at imbv@bu.edu.