Touring Barcelona while staying as a visitor is one of the first things many people are interested in doing once arriving in the city. Depending on the length of your stay, there are many options that are available for any prospective tourists. For those seeking apartment rentals in Barcelona for an extended trip, there is a service offered by the city of Barcelona called Bicing that allows anyone with a membership to hire bikes located around the city for up to two hours use, and there are dozens of guides that tour the cities attractions, either on foot, by bus, or for the adventurous by bicycle. There are many companies around Barcelona that offer bicycles for hire, as well as offering cycling tours of Barcelona, which can be found online and are ideal for brief holiday trips to Barcelona, although you are just as likely to encounter one whilst exploring the central barrios like Borne, Jaume, Gotic and the Raval.
Related article: Bicycle Tours in Barcelona
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Hiring a rental bike is an easy and fun way to explore the city. Prices range from €5 – €12 a day for hire or less by the hour, depending on which company you hire with. Hiring a bike can cost more than public transport, but is a great option if you want to explore the small streets and barrios in depth. Dedicated bike paths and signs towards the popular attractions make it a no-brainer, and cycling along the beach is especially rewarding in the summer when the weather is nice. There are over 200km of bike paths and lanes dedicated for cyclists in the city which make it a perfect option for the environmentally aware visitors to Barcelona, as well as anyone who wants to take in more of the sights than a bus-trip or taxi-ride permit.
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Wearing helmets while cycling in Barcelona is not a requirement like it is in some other countries (definitely recommended if you’re cycling around the city), but night cycling does require front and rear lights, so be sure to take this into consideration when hiring a bike for night-rides. Speed limits apply to cyclists as well, with a maximum of 10km/hr when in pedestrian areas, and 20km/hr on bike paths, which is worth bearing in mind if you want your trip to be fine-free. You can find the rest of the laws set for cyclists as well as some helpful hints at this site for anyone wanting to do their research before jumping into the saddle.
Related article: Where to buy second-hand bicycles in Barcelona
Bikes can also be taken on the metro, but not between 7am-930am and 5pm- 8 30pm (peak hour) as long as they are not ‘Bicing’ bikes, so feel free to use the metro as a short-cut to other areas around Barcelona if you’re worried about exhausting yourself. Barcelona isn’t an entirely flat city, it might be easier and faster at times if you’re determined to see the entire city by bike, although there is nothing quite as relaxing and rewarding as touring all the sights and sounds of the city from the seat of a bike.
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