I was looking for an active, fun and interesting way of discovering the city of Barcelona. Luckily, I found what I was looking for- Barcelona CicloTour, the official tour of the city by bicycle. Although Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a large metropolis, it is nevertheless possible to get around by bike, a way of getting some physical exercise whilst at the same time giving you the possibility of finding out new things about the city, such as the monuments and meeting points…without doubt, it’s

an unforgettable experience. Thanks to the tour, I discovered that Gaudí was familiar with Sudoku and I saw Barcelona’s skyline without leaving the city centre. Does this seem impossible to you? Well, you should give the CicloTour experience a try, so you can see for yourselves what I’m talking about.

Other recommended bike tours in Barcelona

The meeting point

Participating in the tour is easy. All you need to do is to get to the meeting point: in front of the main entrance to the very famous Hard Rock Cafe in Plaza Catalunya, so getting lost is impossible. There are 2 tours every day, at different times. I went for the later tour, which kicks off at 16.30. Our guide, Elisabeth, was waiting for all of the participants at the meeting point. It was very easy to recognise her, given that she was wearing a dark red t-shirt with the words ‘Barcelona Ciclotour’ on it. Before starting the tour, we paid and collected our bicycles.

The equipment
The bicycles are black, with an adjustable saddle, a bell, gears, and a small but convenient storage compartment, just large enough to put your wallet, camera and mobile telephone, as well as the indispensable bottle of water which is included in the price of the tour. The guide tells us how to deal with tricky situations and gives us some basic instructions, such as giving way to pedestrians, when to use the pavement if there aren’t any bicycle lanes or when to change gear to prepare for an uphill climb.

The course: the first part

Our first stop is the CCCB (Barcelona’s Centre for Contemporary Culture) and the MACBA (Barcelona’s Contemporary Art Museum), which are situated in the colourful and multi-ethnic Raval. We ride along the Rambla del Raval, which leads us to the very famous Ramblas, from which you can access Plaza Real. From here onwards the streets become much narrower, a sign that we have reached the Barrio Gótic, with its numerous squares (plazas), including: the melancholy Sant Felipe Neri, Plaza del Rei, Plaza de Sant Jaume, Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de Sant Just with its street musicians. Soon afterwards, you could smell the scent of the sea, and we pedalled along the bicycle lane that runs the length of Barceloneta beach.

Break

In this lovely setting, we had half an hour’s break. We sat down in a bar and ordered a drink, which is also included in the price of the tour. It’s an excellent opportunity to relax, share our impressions and find out a bit more about all of the participants. There are about ten of us and although we’ve been pedalling for an hour and a half nobody seems to be tired.

Elisabeth knows how to adapt the speed according to those participating in the tour, and also to the fact that the route includes a lot of stops, allowing us to take photos, observe commemorative monuments at a leisurely pace and listen to the guide’s explanation in English. It’s not a surprise then that the majority of the participants are from the U.S.A., England or Australia. However, Elisabeth tells me that if you aren’t able to understand something, she can also translate into Spanish, German or Italian.

The tour: the second part

Once again we get on our bicycles and head to the Villa Olimpica, crossing Ciutadella park and the park of Estacion del Nord. We see the Arc de Triumf, and the Agbar tower at a distance. We then head through the easterly part of Eixample to see some of Gaudí’s Barcelona (the impressive Sagrada Familia, the Casa Batlló and Casa Milà) and buildings such as the Casa de les Punxes.

The course finishes in Plaza de Catalunya, and once again we go down the Ramblas and return to 45, Tallers Street, where the CICLOTOUR Barcelona’s offices are located.

For more information, visit CICLOTOUR Barcelona’s official Webpage:

Also if you would like to see more photos of my experience, then please Click Here.

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