Cheap Bike Rental in Barcelona from €5 + Green Travel
Today there’s an increased focus on the environment and minimising energy consumption.
Barcelona is leading the way with its superblocks initiative to keep the city greener and has started giving cycle-paths priority over automobiles on some of the city’s main streets.
But what can tourists do?
My suggestion is to start small by renting environmentally friendly transport 🙂
Why a Barcelona Bike Rental?
We’ll start with the classic environmentally-friendly way to get around – the bicycle!
It’s not exactly Amsterdam but there are 100 km of designated bike lanes (and 200 km more on the way) even on main roads and Barcelona weather is perfect for cycling so why not take advantage?
With a Barcelona bike rental you can go anywhere in the city. Practically every one of Barcelona’s main attractions is reachable by bicycle.
Don’t believe me? Check out the map of bike lanes in Barcelona.
The Best Bike Rental in Barcelona
For the best bike rental in Barcelona get one at Barcelona Rent a Bike.
Why?
Well for starters they’ve got multiple locations across the city which will no doubt be near your Barcelona hotels or Barcelona hostels.
If it’s not walking distance (rare) the shops are right by some major Barcelona metro stations. The surrounding areas are the ideal place to take your first pedal around city and its amazing seaside boardwalk.
Booking Bikes Online in English
Not only has Barcelona Rent a Bike become the Barcelona bike rental spot due to reliable service, durable bikes, and amazing prices (starting at €6.00) but they offer some of the most flexible rental windows in the business.
Rentals include lock and Shimano gears (one document per party left as deposit).
Using the button below you can rent bikes with as little as €3.
00 down.
BOOK A BIKE NOW
Bike Rental Location and Hours
The bicycle shop is located near Plaça de Catalunya.
You can pick up/drop off your rental bike between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm, Monday to Sunday.
Barcelona Bike Tours in English
Barcelona Rent a Bike
Their standard 3 hour tour will take you to the city’s top attractions
By bike you’ll discover MACBA, Raval, the Gothic Quarter, the Old Port (Port Vell), Barceloneta, the Olympic Port, Parc de la Ciutadella, l’Arc de Triomf, Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló.
Each tour includes a knowledgeable English speaking guide plus helmet, lock, water and a bike seat for children if needed.
Hours
- Morning 11:00 am – Daily except December 25th and January 1st
- Early afternoon 2:00 pm – Daily from May 15th to October 31st
- Afternoon 4:30 pm – Daily from April 15th to October 31st / November only weekends.
Prices
- Adults: €22.00
- Kids (0-15): €20.00
BARCELONA BIKE TOUR
Book my spot now!
e-Bike Tours of Barcelona
If you’re looking for less peddling but still want that thrill of a cool Mediterranean breeze in your hair this one is for you.
This 90 minute e-Bike ride through the city’s tops sights like Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, Las Ramblas, El Born, and La Pedrera unveils the city’s magic in a new light with a friendly, professional, knowledgeable guide.
Each booking includes helmet, insurance, and a bottle of water.
Rides depart daily from Arc de Triomf at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.
90 Minute e-Bike Tour
Let’s ride!
Barcelona Bike Itineraries
In general the most bike friendly areas are the following:
- Barceloneta beach
- Ciutadella Park
- La Rambla
- The trendy Born neighbourhood
- Montjuic
- Sagrada Familia basilica
- Casa Batllo and La Pedrera
- The Olympic Port
Itinerary 1: Barcelona to Badalona along the Sea
The bike lanes that run along the sea are a treat for the eyes – and lungs!
If you’re looking for a Mediterranean view and that familiar sea breeze then this one is for you.
The lanes extend north east from Barceloneta all the way to Badalona.
This is a 14 km trip.
Along the way you’ll pass Barceloneta Beach, the Port Olimpic, and many more beaches. There’s also El Fòrum and the mouth of the river Besòs.
What’s good about this trip is that the road is completely flat so it’s perfect for families looking for a good day out but with minimal stress on the knees – and the mind!
Just follow the “Ronda Verda” signs.
Itinerary 2: Montjuic
This one is for bike riders who are a bit more advanced.
With this itinerary you’ll get a decent workout in plus add the option to visit various museums, sporting grounds, parks, and an amazing bird’s eye view of the city.
We depart from Plaça d’Espanya and end at Paral-lel metro station. This way you can end the ride with a little pedal through the old city.
This trip can be anywhere from 6 to 11 km long and it’s decidedly uphill especially at the beginning during the first trip from Plaza de Espanya to the Municipal Pool.
If you’re looking for some great break points I’d take my rest at Montjuic Castle to admire the famous Olimpic Stadium or to explore Poble Espanyol.
You can get a map of this itinerary on the Ronda Verda website.
Itinerary 3: The Essence of Barcelona
Who needs that fresh country air? Here we’re going for the city!
This 10 km long bike ride through the Old City (Ciutat Vella) and Eixample is a fun and relaxed way to discover the top attractions in Barcelona.
I would start in Plaza Catalunya and duck down into the Gothic Quarter and see the Barcelona Cathedral. After this I’d cut over to the Born area to check out the Santa Maria del Mar and Ciutadella Park.
After a small break in the shade of the park I’d carry on to the l’Arc de Triomf and Paseo de Sant Joan, eventually taking a right down Carrer de Valencia where we can’t miss the Sagrada Familia.
From here follow Carrer de Provença toward Paseo de Gracia and follow it downhill past La Pedrera and Casa Batlló and back to Plaça Catalunya.
If you’ve still got energy you can take La Rambla down to the Columbus Monument, the Barcelona cruise ship port, or even the beach.
Renting a Segway in Barcelona
It’s the hip new thing to do, this segway rental business.
I never thought it would take off and yet I see the area near the beach absolutely full of them. The appeal? Being able to get from A to B without even peddling! 😉
While I wouldn’t recommend one for getting to Barcelona’s essential sights they’re still a ton of fun.
You can rent a segway in Barcelona for as little as €10.00.
I’d recommend renting a segway for only a couple of hours to cruise around the beach but not to get around the city – renting one for a day or two can get pretty expensive.
Skateboarding and Rollerblading
Take a look around the streets and it’s clear Barcelona might just be the European capital of rollerbladers and skaters. Seeing the city this way gives you easy access to the tiny streets in the historic centre and most of all, it’s great exercise and just plain fun!
Two shops to consider when renting rollerblades or a skateboard in Barcelona:
- INERCIA: a very professional spot for renting rollerblades and skateboards. Head to their website to see prices. Make sure you bring a piece of ID to rent. The shop is located at 10 Roger de Flor near the Arc de Triomf metro stop (red line L1)
- BARCELONETA SURF SHOP: Great service, great products. It’s impossible to miss this classic surf and skate shop along the seafront. You’ll find it at 80-84 Passeig de Joan de Borbó near the Barceloneta metro stop (yellow line L4)
Head to their website to see prices. Make sure you bring a piece of ID to rent. The shop is located at 10 Roger de Flor near the Arc de Triomf metro stop (red line L1)Places to Go Have a Skate
- MARBELLA SKATEPARK: you’ll find this just a couple metres from Mar Bella beach and the closest metro stop is Poble Nou (yellow line L4) – it’s brand new and filled with locals.
- THE BOARDWALK: all along the seafront you’ll find a designated lane for bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, segways etc. Start at the courtyard of the world-famous W Hotel (the sail-shaped hotel by the beach) and head all the way to the Forum.
- MACBA: found right in the heart of the eclectic Raval neighbourhood – the square in front of the MACBA modern art museum is the place for skateboarders.
- SANTS ESTACIÓ: another massive square found at metro stop Sants Estació (green line L3 or blue line L5) with tons of skate spots.
- PARC DEL FORUM: at metro stop Forum-Maresme (yellow line L4) you’ll find the biggest concert and festival space in Barcelona. The sheer amount of concrete, benches, ramps etc. make this another famous skateboarder spot.
- ARC DE TRIOMF: at Arc de Triomf metro stop (red line L1) there’s a a very long, narrow stretch of pavement starting at the Arc and going all the way down to Ciutadella Park.
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Any questions you have on your Barcelona bike rental or any of the environmentally friendly transport options will be answered ASAP in the comments below.
Barcelona Bike Rentals • Great Bike Hire Companies for 2023
Where can you hire your own set of wheels?
By staff writer
Quick Menu
Bike Rental Companies
Guided Tours
Other Options
One of the best ways to explore Barcelona is by bicycle… we take a look at the advantages of pedal power and highlight some of the companies where you can rent your own wheels.
Considered one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities, Barcelona was made to be explored on two wheels. Between the coast and the mountains at the back, the city is remarkably flat making getting around quick and easy, especially thanks to the 200km of bike paths (and counting. You can check a map of Barcelona’s cycle paths here) which turn up in handy places around the city.
The versatility of bicycles means that you can also traverse the narrow streets of the likes of El Raval, Barrio Gotico and El Born, where cars are a nightmare and metro and public transport limited.
Whilst all of the above districts are must-sees, it doesn’t make sense to rent bikes unless you intend to get out of the centre, and beyond walking range, to some of the many cool sights outside the Old Town.
There are tonnes of routes we could recommend, starting with a jaunt North to the former industrial area of Poblenou with modern attractions like Torre Glories and the Park Diagonal, not to mention the beaches (in which case Steel Donkeys offer a funky tour!), or striking out all the way to the bustling village atmosphere of Gracia and on to Park Guell.
The liberty of two wheels means you could also pick off out of the way treasures such as the remarkable Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. A Modernista marvel that most tourists don’t know exist, the hospital was designed by Domenech i Montaner, an architectural genius who instructed his more famous contemporary Antoni Gaudi.
If you really fancy some hardcore pedalling, then why not hire yourselves some mountain bikes and head over either to Montjuic, with its smorgasboard of cultural treasures such as Poble Espanyol; or tone the thighs with a trip right up to Tibidabo – it’s the mountain peak topped with the church which you can see if you look to the back of the city!
Whatever you decide, grab yourself a map and check the weather forecast before you go.
Bike Rental Companies
Green Bikes Barcelona
Excellent rates, lean mean green machines and young international staff make Green Bikes a top place to hire a bicycle or two. Their office, in the Gothic Quarter, is a bit tricky to find however, but, as with all the most useful addresses in town, you can find their exact location on our map of Barcelona (just look under ‘Services’).
www.greenbikesbarcelona.com
Montefusco Cycling
Serious cyclists might get a little frustrated pottering about town on a sit-up saddle, which are pretty much the only bikes on offer in most stores. Montefusco however specialise in road bike hire, and their carbon-frame, ten gear racers are a great choice for anyone who wants to cover plenty of ground, and maybe even tackle one or two of those serious looking slopes at the back of the city (getting up to Tibidabo can be quite rewarding, if tiring!). They also offer a 70km guided tour of the city and various other cycling day trips.
www.montefuscocycling.com
Bicing
Bicing is Barcelona’s public bike share scheme, the city’s equivalent to London’s Boris Bikes or Paris’s Velib system. However, sadly the scheme is NOT AVAILABLE for tourists. In order to qualify you must be a resident, which means registering for a NIE identity number. If you are staying in BCN for any length of time it is well worth doing however as for around €50 you get unlimited access to these red and white dynamos that are extremely handy for getting around, and generally more pleasant than being stuck underground on the metro.
www.bicing.cat
E-bike Rentals
The advantage of these power-assisted cycles is of course you can go further, longer and harder – and in turn means you can simply see more of the city in the same amount of time. We will be back to update this page with a reliable E-bike hire firm very shortly!
Guided Tours
If you like the idea of seeing Barcelona from the saddle, but have no idea which are the best places to see, and how to find them, then you might want to consider signing up for a guided cycle around the city’s main attractions.
Other Options
And if you need a bit more power between your legs you might want to hire scooters instead, especially if you fancy a day trip to some of the better beaches outside of the city.
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Bicing – Bicycle rental in Barcelona
Date:
23.09.2016
Author: ABC of Spain
Barcelona is one of the best cities for cyclists. Where, if not here, in a city where the sun shines most of the days of the year, you can forget about the stuffy subway, morning traffic jams and crowded buses. But not only good weather contributes to the choice of a bicycle as the main mode of transportation, but also a large number and excellent quality of cycle paths, respect for cyclists and the convenience of using the Bicing city bike rental system.
Who can use the Bicing service?
Almost everyone who has ever been to Barcelona has paid attention to the numerous parking lots with red and white bicycles (and there are already about half a thousand of them). Unfortunately, Bicing bikes are only available to Spanish citizens and Barcelona residents over 16 years of age.
But if you are 16-17 years old, then you must provide parental permission to the Bicing office.
This service was originally conceived by the city government to improve public transport services within the city, so it is not designed for long trips and out-of-town tours.
How to register and what is the cost of the service Bicing?
As soon as you receive a NIE (foreigner identification number), you can safely register and receive the coveted card. Without a DNI or NIE and a Spanish address, you simply won’t be able to register on the site.
Registration is very easy. You need to go to the official website
https://www.bicing.cat/es/ and click on the “Altas” tab in the top right corner. You have to choose from two options: mechanical bikes (47.16 euros per year) or mechanical plus electric, for which you will have to pay an additional 14 euros per year. When registering, you must enter personal data (name, surname, NIE number, date of birth, email, phone number and create a password for your personal account) and after that you will proceed to payment.
Tip! If you are not sure which of the two options you want to choose, you can purchase a subscription for mechanical, and later add electric at any time through your personal account.
The amount for the whole year is immediately withdrawn and your bank account is linked to the card. It is not necessary to have an account in a Spanish bank, you can link any card and pay from your account in Russia.
Why is a bank account linked to a card? Because there is a billing system for the time of using the service. The first 30 minutes are provided free of charge , then for every half an hour 74 cents are withdrawn . After 2 hours of rental, penalties are charged 4, 49 euros . And if you do not return the bike, you will be fined 150 euros .
Tip! If you are planning a longer trip and want to avoid a fine, you must leave your bike at one of the stations, wait 10 minutes and take another from the same or the nearest station.
After registering and paying for a subscription, wait 10 working days, and your card will come to the post office at the address indicated in the registration. If more than 10 days have passed and the card has not arrived, you can call 900 31 55 31 and check the correctness of the specified data or contact the Bicing office, which is located at Plaza Carles Pi I Sunyer, 8-10, Barcelona. Take your NIE with you and you will be given a card in person if all the details are correct.
After receiving the card, it must be activated on the site in your personal account within 30 days (upper right corner of the site, tab “Activar tarjeta”
https://www.bicing.cat/es/activacion-de-la-tarjeta). If you do not complete this procedure, the system will activate it automatically after 30 days. From the moment of activation, you can immediately start using bicycles.
How to use bicycles?
And very simple! Swipe your card to the electronic reader, and the bike number will be displayed on the screen, and the light below it will start flashing green.
Before use, carefully check its performance (adjustment of the seat, wheels, lights and brakes). You have 3 minutes for these manipulations, during which you can change the faulty bike to another one.
Tip! Before using the service, you should download the free application Bicing to your phone. It is available for both IOS in Russian Appstore and Android. Using the application, you can check the nearest stations, the number of free seats and bikes, control the time of the trip and the correct return of the bike. As a bonus, take part in a game where you accumulate points at the end of each route based on distance, calories burned, grams saved CO2, and then get a chance to exchange them for prizes. The picture below shows how the stations will be displayed.
If the bike is working properly, then feel free to hit the road.
Upon arrival at your destination, you must return the bike to any of the free stations. Be sure to check the correct parking. When the return is correct, the light will turn red. Then put the card on the electronic reader, where it will be confirmed that the bike is installed correctly. If the parking light starts flashing green-red, something has gone wrong and the bike has not been counted.
Try to wait a few minutes, and if the red light does not turn on, then you need to contact the support service at the number indicated on the back of the card (for general information 902 31 55 31 and for assistance 900 31 55 31).
Tip: Support staff speaks Spanish and Catalan. When contacting you, you will be asked for the number NIE, so keep it at hand, as well as the number of the parking lot and the bike.
Operating time
The Bicing service operates 365 days a year according to the following schedule:
Monday – Thursday: all day except 2:00 – 5:00 am (you can only return the bike)
Friday: all day, except 3:00 – 5:00 am (only you can return the bike)
Saturday-Sunday and holidays: around the clock.
Emergency support service (900 31 55 31) works on the same schedule, but general information (902 31 55 31) is available only from Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 22:00.
We wish you pleasant cycling!
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Bicycle rental in Barcelona – Website for cyclists
Bicing bicycle rental system in Barcelona was launched in early 2007, at that time there were only 15 stations and 200 bicycles. Since that time, Bicing has developed and expanded at a rapid pace.
There are now 400 stations and 6,000 bicycles in the Catalan capital. The number of registered “subscribers” is 186,000. In just two years, bike sharing in Barcelona has become an additional mode of transport. It is regularly used by 9% of citizens.
Bicycle rental in Barcelona would not have achieved such impressive success if it were not for the efficient work of the city authorities and its creators.
Given the growing popularity of rental, existing bike paths have been expanded and many new ones have been created. Their length is now 225 km, and soon there will be even more. Also equipped with new parking, protected from theft. The management of the rental system has also worked on the bikes themselves, which have become safer and more convenient and are now difficult to steal.
Bicycles are made in such a way that it can be seen from afar that it is from a rental. Cases of vandalism and theft certainly take place, but these are isolated cases and do not have a mass character. To improve the quality of services, the Bicing staff was expanded by 50%.
It is very important that all the necessary information for registered users of Bicing is on their website. There you can see the location of the stations and get information about how many and where there are free bikes, view maps of where the bike paths go, and much more. There is even a weather forecast.
As with any business, Bicing has infrastructure problems.
For example, Barcelona is located in the hills, so most people go down by bike and take the metro to the top. This leads to a shortage of bicycles in the upper part of the city. Therefore, bicycles are delivered upstairs by cars. Bicing bike mechanics repair about 400 bikes a day.
A yearly subscription in Barcelona costs 24 €. A person is given a card to use a bicycle. The first 30 minutes you can ride for free. If the bike is needed for a longer time, then the payment is 0.3 € for every next half hour. There is a limit: the maximum time for using a bicycle is 2 hours, after that a fine of 3 € per hour begins to accrue. They can even cancel membership in the rental system.
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