English
Biking is a great form of public transportation in Barcelona. It’s a practical, sustainable, and very simple way to travel comfortably around the city, without strain, jams, smoke or noise and it’s designed especially for you. When combined with other public transport options, you can use the “Bicing” system to travel around all of Barcelona.
The Good:
Getting around by bicycle in a city like Barcelona is usually quite comfortable.
It’s cheap. With an annual fee of 44 euros, each time you rent a bike you can have it for 30 minutes absolutely free.
There are many bike lanes throughout the city that make biking more pleasant.
The city has been designed for you to use the bicycle as a complement to traditional public transportation, which means there are bicycle stations very close to the metro, trains and public car parks.
This is an environmentally friendly way to travel without any emissions.
It’s good for your physical and mental health, since you’re having a cardio workout while avoiding traffic jams and crowds of people.
It is very well organized.
The Bad:
You’ll have to pay extra each time your ride exceeds 30 minutes.
If your ride exceeds more than two hours, you’ll have to pay a small fine. The third time you exceed 2 hours you will be automatically dismissed.
The fact that you have to pay an annual fee and have a DNI or NIE makes it unsuitable for travelers from outside Spain.
As you can see, there are more pros than cons for using this service. And like in many European cities, the popularity of biking is spreading very quickly.
Another thing to consider is the excellent website for “Bicing” in Barcelona because it has applications to help you choose a route and the ability to find all the stations available using your smartphone.
For example:
Someone has rented an apartment at Calle del Salvador 1 inBarcelonaand wants to visit the Sagrada Familia by bicycle. By going online and entering the two addresses we can find the best route available:
In this case, when we enter the address of the apartment and the address of the destination, the application calculates the route. It offers the closest starting address to the apartment that we are renting, about a three minute walk, and tells us that this trip will take about 22 minutes by bike, and that we will be able to park the bike at the nearest station, about 3 minutes on foot from the main gate of the Sagrada Familia.
Biking is an alternative and ecological mode of transportation during your next vacation. Check out our offerings for accommodations in Barcelona, where you´ll find something to suit every taste.
