Barcelona Bike Rentals
Where can you hire city, road, mountain or electric bikes?
By Duncan Rhodes
Easily one of the best ways to explore Barcelona is by bicycle. On this page, we take a look at the advantages of pedal power and highlight some top companies where you can rent your own wheels, including ebikes.
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.
Cruise along the city beaches, why not?
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 going further, then hire e-bikes and head over to Montjuic, with its smorgasboard of cultural treasures such as Poble Espanyol.
Super-keen cyclists who wish to tone their thighs could rent road bikes and take on Tibidabo – it’s the mountain peak, topped with the Sagrat Cor church, which is visible from almost anywhere in the city.
Whatever you decide, grab yourself a map and check the weather forecast before you go.
Top 5 Bike Rental Companies
Find our select list of reliable bike hire companies below…
1. Ocean Bikes Barcelona
Ocean Bikes chose the perfect time to bring their fleet of chic Italian bikes into the Port Olimpic, as the marina is currently being reformed for the Americas Cup and will be one of the most attractive and important hubs in Barcelona from 2024 onwards. From this fantastic location, you can cycle in both directions to Barcelona’s city beaches, while a comfortable bike path will take you up Marina boulevard to Sagrada Familia. Choose between their brand new 7-speed e-bikes, with the ability to explore the entire city, or keep it simple with a lightweight pedal bike with single gear and comfy saddle. Their electric bikes are unbeatably priced at €35 for a day’s rental. Reserve your bikes on their website.
oceanbikesbarcelona.com/premium-electric-bike-rental
2. 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
3. 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!). Best of all they will deliver the bikes to your hotel for you! If you fancy a guide, they also offer a 70km tour of the city and various other cycling day trips.
roadcycling.barcelona/bike-rental
4. Terra Bikes
For mountain bike rental, travellers need look no further than Terra Bikes who’ve been in business since 2005 and know the needs of their customers. They offer a range of quality, hard-riding MTBs with the cheapest starting at €35 a day, plus a little extra for a helmet if you don’t have your own. They also have a hotel delivery service, if you want the bikes to come to you! Also available are GPS self-guided routes or guided tours.
www.terrabiketours.com/mountain
5. 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. They’ve also vastly increased the number of electric bikes available – handy if you live in Gracia! (Photo credit Bicing).
www.bicing.cat
Cycling (Safety) Tips
- Barcelona’s extensive network of cycling lanes means that you can get almost anywhere by bike path alone.
- For adults, wearing a helmet is only legally required outside of the city, however we’d recommend wearing one. Most rental companies offer free helmets, on request.
- Children under the age of 16 must wear a helmet.
- Local cyclists often ignore traffic lights. If you’re not familiar with the roads, and/or don’t fancy a chat with the local police, we suggest you don’t follow suit.
- Always ride in single file, especially in bike lanes.
- Don’t change directions without signalling.
- Beware of electric scooters: they are silent, faster than you (i.e. overtake suddenly), and share the bike lanes.
- If you’re inexperienced at cycling in a big city, consider taking a guided tour instead. Local guides know the best / safest routes and are on hand with advice and help if you need it. They also know plenty of cool and hidden sights to visit.
- Check out the Ajuntament’s section on cycling safety here, along with some of their other bike-related sections.
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. Here’s a couple of quick suggestions to get you started..
1. Gaudi Bike Tours
If there’s one man you need to get to know in the Catalan capital it is of course Antoni Gaudi. His works define the city’s aesthetic and identity, and the humble bicycle is the perfect way to join the dots of his architectural legacy together. Gaudi Bike Tours do exactly that with their Gaudi UNESCO Highlights Tour that takes you to all of the star man’s most famous buildings, which co-incidentally gives you a great overview of Barcelona in general too, with its parks, plazas and playas. They also offer an ebike tour with Park Guell ticket.
gaudibiketours.com
2. Steel Donkey Bike Tours
If you whole reason for hiring a bike was to escape the tourists then look no further than Steel Donkeys who specialise in alternative, off the beaten track tours. They like to travel in groups of no more than 8 people, plus guide, and you can expect to delve into districts like El Born, Raval, Gracia or Poblenou, and see some of Barcelona’s hidden gems or forgotten corners.
www.steeldonkeybiketours.com
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.