Explore Winnipeg by bike!
Bike Winnipeg put together a number of guided bike tours between April and October each year, as well as a few select winter rides. These 2-3 hour tours are interpreted by lively and knowledgeable experts and guided through the city by ride marshals to help ensure your comfort and safety. All tours travel at a leisurely pace with plenty of stops along the way.
We offer a mix of free and paid rides. Space on the rides is limited, so register early to reserve your spot!
If you can’t fit one of these rides into your schedule, please take a look at some of the self-guided tours we and other organizations are offering.
ArtRides
Join Bike Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Arts Council on an informative ride and get to know the artwork that punctuates and brightens your city!
Rides run 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and are always at a casual pace, with lots of stops along the way where you’ll have the opportunity to learn a bit more about some of our favourite public art works.
Cost: Free
Blue Rapid Transitway – Thursday, July 15th
Starting Location: Seel Station (1550 Seel Ave)
Start Time: 7:00 pm
End Time: 9:30 pm
Distance: 13kms
This 13km tour will start and end at Seel Station Park & Ride. Artworks we will visit include:
- Rooster Town Kettle & Fetching Water by Ian August
- テンサイ (TENSAI) by Kelty McKinnon and Cindy Mochizuki
- (Un)Still Life with Spoked Wheels by Warren Carther
- Métis Land Use by Tiffany Shaw-Collinge
- Salt Fat Sugar & Your Water is Safe by Bill Burns
- ROW ROW ROW by Public City Architecture and Urban Ink
- Furrows on the Land (The Field) / Furrows in the Land (The Wheel) by Jeanette Johns
Tour participants are responsible to provide a bike and helmet. Ask us for bike rental recommendations!
Tours will run as scheduled rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of a thunderstorm.
Please respect physical distancing and stay home if you feel unwell. Face masks are encouraged.
Our Stories (August 26th)
Starting Location: Fountains behind the Manitoba Legislative Building (450 Broadway)
Start Time: 7pm
End Time: 9 pm
Length: 7 km
This 7km tour will start at the fountain behind the Manitoba Legislative Building. We will visit public artworks including:
- Louis Riel by Miguel Joyal
- Mediating The Treaties by Rolande Souliere
- Electrical Currents by Julie Nagam
- The Square Dancers by Kenneth Lavallee
- O-Ween Du Muh Waun. (We Were Told.) by RBOY Inc.
- emptyful by Bill Pechet
- Bloody Saturday by Noam Gonick and Bernie Miller
- Phare Ouest by Marcel Gosselin
- Louis Riel by Marcien Lemay
- Monument by Michel de Broin
Tour participants are responsible to provide a bike and helmet. Ask us for bike rental recommendations!
Tours will run as scheduled rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of a thunderstorm.
Please respect physical distancing and stay home if you feel unwell. Face masks are encouraged.
BLUE Rapid Transitway (September 16th)
Starting Location: Seel Station (1550 Seel Ave)
Start Time: 6:30 pm
End Time: 9:00 pm
Length: 13 km
This 13km tour will start and end at Seel Station Park & Ride. Artworks we will visit include:
- Rooster Town Kettle & Fetching Water by Ian August
- テンサイ (TENSAI) by Kelty McKinnon and Cindy Mochizuki
- (Un)Still Life with Spoked Wheels by Warren Carther
- Métis Land Use by Tiffany Shaw-Collinge
- Salt Fat Sugar & Your Water is Safe by Bill Burns
- ROW ROW ROW by Public City Architecture and Urban Ink
- Furrows on the Land (The Field) / Furrows in the Land (The Wheel) by Jeanette Johns
Tour participants are responsible to provide a bike and helmet. Ask us for bike rental recommendations!
Tours will run as scheduled rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of a thunderstorm.
Please respect physical distancing and stay home if you feel unwell. Face masks are encouraged.
South Winnipeg (October 7th)
Start Location: St. Vital Park Duck Pond (190 River Rd)
Start Time: 6:00 pm
End Time: 8:00 pm
Length: 20 km
Discover public art in South Winnipeg! We’ll explore several artworks during this 20km art ride including:
- Écobuage by Plain Projects + Urbanink
- Watershed by Collin Zipp
- Land/mark by Jacqueline Metz & Nancy Chew
Tour participants are responsible to provide a bike and helmet. Ask us for bike rental recommendations!
Tours will run as scheduled rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of a thunderstorm.
Please respect physical distancing and stay home if you feel unwell. Face masks are encouraged.
Pedal into History
Curator of Seven Oaks House Museum, Eric Napier Strong, has drawn deeply on his historical expertise to develop this series of rides exploring different areas of Manitoba’s early history.
Ride participants are guided between historic sites by bicycle, and treated to in-person interpretation relating to the history of each site, local community and early Manitoba.
Cost: $10 + Fees
Birth of a Province Tour – Multiple Dates
We all know this year marks Manitoba’s 150th birthday, but how many of us really know the people and places that led to our province’s foundation?
This family-friendly ride along the scenic Red & Assiniboine Rivers will introduce you to the remarkable characters and exciting events that helped our home take shape.
The tour will help you better understand:
- Our local history before we became Manitoba
- The historical architecture of our downtown
- The differing cultures and perspectives of English and French Metis communities
- The impact of Canadian colonialism on local ways of life
Follow the links below to register now!
Across the Assiniboine (August 8th)
Start Location: St. James Anglican Church (540 Tylehurst Street)
Start Time: 1:30 pm
End Time: 4:00 pm
Length: 10 km
Winnipeg’s role as “Gateway to the West” made us more than just a metropolis: Our city became a model for Canada’s west-ward expansion, settlement, and colonization. What did that process really mean for the people of Manitoba, and what lessons can we learn from our rich architectural heritage?
This 10km tour will take you through the most historic neighbourhoods along the Assiniboine river. Along the way we’ll talk about the history of our city’s western expansion, and the impact colonization left on the prairies.
The tour will help you better understand:
- The development of West Winnipeg
- Evolving architectural styles from the 1850s to the 1930s
- Indigenous history along the Assiniboine River
- The role of city planning in colonization
Power & Politics (August 22nd)
Start Location: Balmoral High School (109 Langside)
Start Time: 10:00 am
End Time: Noon
Length: Approximately 9km return
This casually-paced tour will take us into the lap of luxury, exploring the beautiful old buildings in Old Winnipeg’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
It’s no coincidence that many of Winnipeg’s most remarkable mansions are clustered along the Assiniboine River. From Armstrong’s Point to Wellington Crescent, we’ll be tracing the development of this area from backwoods bush to the seat of political and economic power.
Winnipeg was once known as the “Chicago of the North”, and our historic architecture reflects that rich past. At the same time we developed a reputation as a wild west town, filled with outrageous characters who made their own rules.
We’ll be tracing the history of our city’s early elites: Visiting corrupt land barons, abusive mayors, and a wealthy Metis woman who taught racist writers what “respect” means on the prairies.
Some of the sights we’ll visit along our way include:
- Balmoral High
- Ralph Conor House
- Cornish Library
- Gilchrist House
- Pioneer Lodge/Omand’s Creek
- Rumford House
- Nellie McClung House
- Woodsworth House
- Wolseley School
Ride the Red (September 19th)
Start Location: Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum (494 Tache)
Start Time: 1:30 pm
End Time: 3:30 pm
Length: 11 km (19 km return)
St. Boniface, Point Douglas, and (West) Kildonan were perhaps the three most important settlement areas during the early Red River Settlement period, and offer many of the remaining examples of historic locations and architecture from the time.
Although their histories are deeply intertwined, each area had its own ethnic, cultural and political dynamics, and the people of each shaped the development of early Winnipeg in distinct ways.
Bike Week Rides
Winnipeg’s cycling culture comes together during Bike Week Winnipeg (June 7th-13th) for a week of events celebrating the bike. Hop on your bike and join us on a ride.
Unfortunately, all Bike Week Winnipeg rides were cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In their place, a number of virtual or self-guided events are being offered. Visit Bike Week Winnipeg for details.
We’ll be back in 2022 with a whole new set of rides!
Other Rides
We typically offer a number of rides that fall outside the above. These include rides that help explore some of the city’s festivals (Doors Open, Folklorama, …) or learn about the city through partner organizations such as Save Our Seine, Green Buildings Council, or the MB Master Gardeners Association.
StrikeBike! (September 11th)
Start Location: Parking lot at 529 Wllington Cr.
Starting Times: Saturday, September 11th – 10 am and 2pm
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: $20 plus fees
We are thrilled to be able to offer this tour once again!
Stand! producer/General Strike Historian Danny Schur will be our guide on this casually paced tour that winds its way from River Heights into the Downtown and the Exchange Districts.
Relive the events of the General Strike as we stop at many of the sites where history unfolded during the spring of 1919; events that eventually became the platform for future labour reforms across Canada.
StrikeBike! tours start in the parking lot of 529 Wellington and run for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Tours end at City Hall. Continue your day from there, or ride back with us to 529 Wellington following the tour.
We are offering two tour options on Saturday, September 11th:
- 10am – Noon
- 2pm – 4pm
Proceeds from the StrikeBike! rides will go towards Bike Winnipeg to support of our ongoing advocacy and education efforts.
About Danny Schur
Danny Schur is a Juno- and Multi-Platinum-Album-recipient composer/producer/writer best known for the “Stand!” film adaptation of his successful stage musical “Strike!”, which became the #1 Canadian movie musical in its 2019 theatrical release.
Connections to Riel in St. Vital (September 18th)
Start Location: John Bruce Bridge at end of John Bruce Road West in South St. Vital. John Bruce Road is across from the St. Vital Arena on St. Anne’s Road south of Bishop Grandin.
Starting Time: 1:00 pm
End Time: 4:00 pm
Length: 10 km
Cost: $10 plus fees
Few people think about St. Vital as a place that is connected in many ways to Louis Riel.
The idea behind the tour is to create a greater awareness of the important role St. Vital played in Louis Riel’s life and introduce the many connections to Riel and his immediate family that exist in St. Vital. It has been a journey of discover, often on my bicycle, for me to learn about these connections and I am hoping to convey insights that I have acquired to others. The tour consists of nine sites near the Seine River between Bishop Grandin and John Bruce Road, and 4 sites away from the Seine River including Riel House National Historic Sites. Because of the long distance between some of the sites, we decided to offer a bike tour as a walking tour would take too long.
Why so many connections to Riel in St. Vital?
What few people realize is that Louis Riel spent a significant portion of his youth living in St. Vital. His parents moved to St. Vital from St. Boniface in 1852 when he was 7 years old. He lived on the banks of the Seine River in St. Vital with his parents for seven formative years from age 7 to 14. At age 14 he went to Montreal on a scholarship to attend a seminary where he trained to be a priest and received a classic upper school education. He returned to Manitoba in 1866 rejoining his family in St. Vital. While he was leading the Red River Resistance in 1869/70, he continued to live with his family near the Seine River in St.Vital.
His parents continued living in St. Vital for the remainder of their lives, Many of his 10 brothers and sisters settled down in St. Vital, As we will discover on this tour, the St. Vital connections to Riel involve not only Louis but also his parents and other family members
The values, beliefs, and leadership qualities that Louis exhibited in his later years were acquired during his youth, from his parents, his Catholic religion and the Franco / Metis culture he belonged to.
On this bike tour, participants will discover how St. Vital played an important role in Riel’s life and how the community has embraced him as their favourite son and the Riel family as their favourite family. You will visit:
- where Riel lived with his family for much of his youth,
- where the Riel family river property was located
- where his father and uncle operated at carding and grist mill on the Seine River
- where Riel lived while he was leading the Red River Resistance
- where the Riel’s body was returned to after he was hanged in Regina in 1885, and he lay in state for two days with hundreds of people coming by to pay their respects
- public buildings, streets, parks, housing developments and monuments named for or dedicated to Louis Riel, his father and his mother
As well, participants will
- see how St. Vital Centre is located right in the middle of what was once the Riel family river lot property
- learn about Riel’s parent, Louis Sr. and Julie Lagimodiere and how they influenced his aspirations, beliefs and commitment to the Metis people, French language and Catholic religion their respects.learn about Riel’s French Canadian and indigenous ancestry
- learn about Louis Riel’s three coffins
We will visit 12 or 13 sites on this tour.
Near Seine River
- Louis Riel Senior Trail
- Riel Family Home Site (2nd Bollard on Trail)
- Richfield Street ( Riel Family River Lot)
- Chateau Louis Riel
- Riel Sr. Mill Site
- Riel Sr. Mill Stones former site
- Louis Riel Recreational Park
- Riel Memorial Monument (2 white doves)
- Riel Estates
Away from Seine River
- Ecole Julie Riel School
- Louis Riel Library
- Riel Street
- Riel House National Historic Site
Denis DePape is a former Board Member of Bike Winnipeg and of Save Our Seine. He is an avid cyclist, frequent user of the trails and forest along the Seine River in St, Vital and Manitoba history buff.
Pedal Powered Ghost Tours – Downtown
Start Location: Skating Canopy at The Forks
Starting Time: 7:30 pm
End Time: 9:30 pm
Length: 9 km
Cost: $15 plus fees
A woman vanishing into thin air at the Hotel Fort Garry. Spirits reaching out from beyond the grave at the Pantages Theatre. Just what is happening in Winnipeg’s heritage buildings at night? Early Winnipeg was a booming city full of excitement with no shortage of murders, cheating lovers and tragic accidents; all play a role in Winnipeg’s reputation as one of Canada’s most haunted places.
Based on the popular Winnipeg Ghost Walk Tours, Bike Winnipeg has paired up with local author Matthew Komus (Haunted Winnipeg: Ghost Stories from the Heart of the Continent) for a two-wheeled tour of the city that promises to put more than just a little bit of fright into your night.
This 2 hour tour will lead us across the Downtown and Exchange Districts and into Old St. Boniface to investigate some of the spookier abodes in the River City.
Tour size is limited, so purchase your ticket now to reserve your spot on this ride into Winnipeg’s haunted history!
Please make sure that you bring your bike lights.
“Winnipeg stands very high among the places we have visited for its psychic possibilities.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Pedal Powered Ghost Tour – Seven Oaks
Start Location: Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery – John Black Entrance
Ending Location: St. Johns Cemetery
Starting Time: 7:30 pm
End Time: 9:30 pm
Cost: $15 plus fees
The Pedal Powered Ghost Tours continue with strange and spooky tales from the distant past.
Learn about paranormal activity inside Seven Oaks House Museum and embark on a tour of the Seven Oaks neighbourhood led by Matthew Komus, author of Haunted Winnipeg, who will share eerie stories along the way.
Participants will hear of a historic battle that continues to be fought to this day, visit the oldest haunted house in Winnipeg and even learn of the community’s connection to the top secret Manhattan Project.
Based on the popular Winnipeg Ghost Walk Tours, Bike Winnipeg has paired up with local author Matthew Komus (Haunted Winnipeg: Ghost Stories from the Heart of the Continent) for a series of two-wheeled tours that promise to put more than just a little bit of fright into your night.
Tours are approximately 2 hours in duration, and will cover about 10km.
Tour size is limited, so purchase your ticket now to reserve your spot on this ride into the haunted history of Seven Oaks!
Please make sure that you bring your bike lights.
“Winnipeg stands very high among the places we have visited for its psychic possibilities.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
COVID-19 Precautions
To help ensure the safety of our ride participants, volunteers, and staff, we will be asking everyone to maintain a 2m distance between each other at stops and while riding. Sites have been selected to ensure space for social distancing, and we have limited ride sizes.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, we ask that you please stay home. We will be more than happy to provide a refund. Finally, please note that we are not requesting the mandatory use of masks during our rides.