Upon finding out that I would participate in a tour by segway I felt a little torn; part of me had always wanted to try it, but on the other hand I felt somewhat afraid as it only has two wheels and I could perhaps fall off. All in all, I didn’t know what to expect…
The Segway office is located in one of the Barrio Gotic’s little streets, and therefore turned out to be quite difficult to find. However, don’t worry- if you book a guided tour, the meeting point will be Plaza Sant Jaume, in front of the town hall. You will recognise your guide straight away, as they will be next to the segway. From there you will be taken to the office where you will be given your own.
The tour begins with training upon how to use the segway. And once the group is familiarized with how to go up and down, to drive, turn and brake, we depart. It is advisable to bring shoes with a certain amount of grip, since flip-flops or sandals can be uncomfortable when going uphill or downhill.
Once the first hurdle of getting on the segway has been overcome (which is very easy), you will move solely according to your own personal dynamic of equilibrium. By shifting your weight forward, you will begin to move, and the opposite in order to go backwards. To break, you simply have to stay still. Using your own weight, you can maintain the stability of the segway, which weighs almost 50 kg. When you have come to a stop, you can take the opportunity to listen to your guide, take a few photos or simply to rest. In order to turn, you use a switch on the left handle.
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After training, we began our tour. At first, we went at a speed of 8 Km/h through the Barrio Gotic; enough to start off with and perhaps more than enough considering the narrowness of the streets. Your guide will be the one to decide the speed, and you won’t be allowed to determine it yourselves. It starts at 8 Km/h, and once everybody feels comfortable the speed establishes itself at 16 Km/h.
After we have left the narrow streets behind us, we head towards the statue of Columbus, passing the curious glances and camaras of tourists. Once next to the statue, our guide explains a few details about it and takes a couple of photos of the group. Afterwards, we continue onwards in the direction of Maremagnum, along the beach, towards the ‘Zona Olimpica’. Bit by bit, I come to feel so secure that I even manage to take some photos en route during the tour.
Recommended Segway tours in Barcelona – book online
We made another stop and our guide explained a few things to us about the area, its history and some selected monuments. After 2 hours discoving Barcelona on wheels we return to the Barrio Gotic, not wanting to be separated from our rolling platforms.
The segway tour is a wonderful opportunity to discover the city from a different perspective and ‘cruising’ along the beach at high speed turned out to be great fun. I promise you that you’ll find the experience excellent fun. One big advantage, for example, is that you don’t wear out your feet walking.
Some advice: go prepared with well-fitting shoes, drinks (especially in summer) and above all don’t forget your camara. If you follow this advice you can’t go wrong. With the segway, you can also store your belongings in a cloakroom. As a momento, you will receive the photos that your guide has taken, making your experience an unforgettable one.
Birte
