About Charleston

Maps

Bus Map

Charleston is an attractive place for the would-be cycle tourist. It has that easy southeastern coastal climate. It's pretty flat, the food is fantastic, the pace is slow, and the people are very friendly. It's full of history, it's easy to navigate, and it has a vibrant arts scene. Charleston is charming in a way that few American cities can match, and charm is important. Charm is elusive. Charm can't be planned, budgeted, or bought. Real charm happens organically over a very long period of time, usually through a combination of good decisions and dumb luck. Charleston has undoubtedly benefited from both, and rolling along its quiet old boulevards, passing block after block of old mansions framed by palm trees is a joy.

A must do is crossing the Arthur Ravenel Bridge and if you have kids stop at the playground under the bridge on the Mount Pleasant side.

City Guide

Culture

Fat tired beach cruiser bikes dominate the local bike scene, and riding tends to be slow, casual, and upright. The rider population is very diverse, spanning all income ranges.

Etiquette

Hand signals are rare, other than the ubiquitous friendly southern wave “hello.” You should not ride against 1-way traffic (“salmoning”) but people here frequently do. 

Safety

Car speeds are pretty slow, and visibility is good with mostly long straight roads. A front white light is legally required, as is a red rear reflector. We found that we needed the extra light to see by, as many of Charleston’s streets are not well lit at night. We could not find any helmet law.

Security

We found bike corrals all over town, which provide properly secure bike parking options. We also observed many, many bikes locked up outside overnight, leading us to believe there isn’t a particularly high rate of bike theft.

Best Bike Rides in Charleston

These routes were curated by local Charleston folk who wanted to share their #BestBikeRide with you. Print off the map for free!

Photo by Holy Spokes bike share.

Photo by Holy Spokes bike share.

Bikes

Spinlister

Spinlister is like the Airbnb of bikes!  Use promo code, BIKABOUT, for $10 off

Bike Share

Holy Spokes - $8/hour for an upright city bike with a front rack for carrying personal items as well as front and rear lights for visibility at night. This bike share system also features a special 30 minute “hold” feature for quick runs into the corner market or coffee shop.

Rentals

Bicycle Shoppe - $7/hour, $28/day, $50/week - Fuji Cape May cruiser with basket and lock

Tours

Charleston Bicycle Tours - $1295 per person - multi day tours with accommodations

Places

We're constantly updating this list of our favorite bike shops, coffee shops, restaurants, museums, scenic vistas, playgrounds, ice cream, microbreweries and more in Charleston!

Lodging

Bikabout’s Favorites

Photo by NotSo Hostel

Photo by NotSo Hostel

NOTSO HOSTEL

156 Spring Street, Charleston, +18437228383

Bike Amenities: bike rentals, located in a bike friendly neighborhood

Photo by Spectator Hotel

Photo by Spectator Hotel

THE SPECTATOR HOTEL

67 State Street, Charleston, +18437244326

Bike Amenities: bike rentals, located in a bike friendly neighborhood

Photo by Vendue Inn

Photo by Vendue Inn

VENDUE INN

19 Vendue Range, Charleston, +18435777970

Bike Amenities: complimentary bikes, located in a bike friendly neigbhorhood

other Hotels

Hotels that provide complimentary bikes and other bike amenities

Transportation

City Transit

CARTA - racks for 2 bikes on all buses

Train

Amtrak Silver Service / Palmetto (Baltimore, Boston, Miami, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Savannah, Washington DC) - allows folding bikes or boxed bikes checked as baggage

Ferry

Charleston Water Taxi - service to Mount Pleasant, the Aquarium and Waterfront Park.  Bikes allowed for free.

Bus

GoToBus - “Bicycles may be transported based on space availability. Additional luggage space cannot be reserved.”

Airline

  • Alaska Air - $25 to check bike

  • JetBlue - $50 to check bike (folding bikes in container under 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs are FREE)


Support Local Advocates

Bikabout donates 25% of annual revenue to local advocates. You, too, can power better biking in Charleston by becoming a member of the great non-profit below!