Barcelona by bike

Renting a bicycle in Barcelona

Rental bikes in Barcelona cost about €4–€6 for two hours, or €10–€15 per day. (That's for a city cruiser. Expect to pay about twice as much for a mountain bike.)

Barcelona has a growing number of bicycle lanes on local roads, and an impressive two dozen or so bike rental outfits—peruse them all in the "Getting around the city" section of Barcelonaturisme.com. Here are a few of the most central:

Barcelonaholidaybici.com - Cheapest bike rentals in Barcelona, located at Passatge dels Escudellers 3, behind the university building two blocks up La Rambla from the port (tel. +34-933-026-481). €4 for 2 hours, €7 for 4 hours, €9 for 8 hours, €10 for 24 hours.
Barcelonarentabike.com - Two locations: Carrer Tallers 45, just west of Plaça de Catalunya (tel. +34-933-171-970); Passeig Joan de Borbò 35 on Barceloneta (tel. +34-932-212-790). €6 for 2 hours, €10 for 4 hours, €12 for 5–11 hours, €15 for 24 hours.
Budgetbikes.eu - Four locations: Carrer Estruc 38, just southeast of Plaça de Catalunya; Carrer Unió 22, one block west of La Rambla; Plaça de la LLana 3, just north of Carrer de Princessa and east of Via Laietana; and Carrer Nou de la Rambla 106, just east of Av. Paral-lel (tel. +34-933-041-885). €6 for 2 hours, €9 for 4 hours, €12 for 8 hours, €16 for 24 hours.

Bike tours of Barcelona

Again, the "Getting around the city" section of Barcelonaturisme.com links to a dozen or so bike tour companies in Barcelona, or sign up directly via our partners at Viator.com:

Barcelona Half-Day Bike Tour (a 4-hour tour; from €23)
Barcelona Electric Bike Tour: Montjuic, Gaudi or Bohemian Neighborhoods Experience (2.5 hours; from €26)

The city bike program is really for residents

You'll see city-run Bicing bikes (www.bicing.cat) in racks around town. This is not intended as a tourist or recerational bike rental program, but rather as a locals' and commuter option for quick rides, since you have to pay an annual fee up front (€46.46). However, if you plan to be in Barcelona for a while, you might look into joining.

Once you are signed up, you can grab any of the bikes at dozens of automated locations and use it for up to 30 minutes for free, dropping it off at any other location.

You pay €0.73 per half-hour if you keep a bike longer than 30 minutes, and a penalty of €4.43 per hour if you go over two hours. (Rack up four penalities, and they take your biking privileges away.)

Tips & Links

How long should I spend in Barcelona?

If you're just passing through, I'd give Barcelona at least two full days.

It is a lovely place to relax, however, so you might be happier spending 3-4 days.

» Barcelona itineraries

Useful links & resources

SIGHTS

Barcelona tourist info: Barcelonaturisme.com (info office), Guiadelocio.com (events mag); Catalunya.com (regional info), Spain.info

Sightseeing passes: Barcelona Card (20+ sights; transport; discounts), Museum Pass (6 sights)

Tours & activities: Viator.com, ContextTravel.com, UrbanAdventures.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com

LODGING

Hotels: Booking.com, Venere.com, Priceline.com, Hotels.com

B&Bs: Booking.com, Bedandbreakfast.com, Airbnb.com, Venere.com

Apartments: Rentalo.com, Vrbo.com, Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Interhomeusa.com, Homeaway.com

Hostels & campgrounds: Hostelbookers.com, Hostelworld.com, Hostelz.com, Booking.com

TRANSPORT

Airfares:

Airports: Aena.es

Trains: Raileurope.com (throughout Europe), Renfe.com (within Spain), Bahn.de (throughout Europe), Seat61.com

Public transport: Barcelona Card (free transport; sightseeing); Search all public transit: mou-te.gencat.cat; Metro/Bus: Tmb.cat; Tram: Trambcn.com; Light rail: Fgc.cat; Taxi: Taxibarcelona.cat

Car rentals: Autoeurope.com, RentalCars.com, Momondo.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Kayak.com

Get a sightseeing / transport pass

Barcelona has two types of sightseeing/transport passes:

Barcelona Card:
- Free entry to 20 sights
- Free, unlimited rides on all public transport
- Discounts (usually 20%) at numerous other sights, activites, shops, and shows
- A guidebook
- Comes in 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day versions
- » $45–$80
Barcelona Museum Pass:
- Free entry to seven museums (one entry each)
- » $40

There's a full description of both passes here, but in brief: The only museum covered fully by the Museum Pass that is not also covered by the Barcelona Card is the Museu Picasso (where you get only a 20% discount with the Barcelona Card).

You can also get discounts (usually 10% to 20%) on a wide range of sights, activites, and shows if you have a hop-on/hop-off bus ticket.

Barcelona tours