We’ve Tried: Experiencing Barcelona with Ciclo Bike Tours

Activities, Groups, Tours on December 13, 2009 1:25 pm

There are many ways in which to explore Barcelona. Well here is one way to do this which lets you have a bit of fun as well as keeping you fit and healthy. So a couple of weeks ago a colleague and I were given the chance to do a bike tour with “Barcelona Ciclo Tour” and of course, I jumped at the opportunity.

It had been a while though since I had ridden a bike and it took me a moment or two before I got some confidence on it (and yes I know there’s an old English adage about never forgetting to ride a bike but I nearly managed to prove this wrong.)

The company provides you with a standard comfortable black bike and will adjust the seat to whatever height that suits you best. There is also a pouch attached to the handlebars which is handy for storing any valuables. There’s also a free bottle of water provided, an essential during this physical activity.

The tour takes you on a journey through Ciutat Vella, which is Catalan for ‘Old Town’. This is the area that could be classified as the true heart of the city. The tour company is based in Raval and as such it was the setting for the first part of tour. We cycled to the MACBA, Barcelona’s most important contemporary art gallery, where we were given a history about it and then we made our way to the Rambla del Raval.

So we swiftly made our way back towards the main Ramblas, crossed over and passed into the Gothic Quarter. Here we learnt a bit about the government buildings in Plaza Sant Jaume and weaved our way through the many winding streets. From here we cycled down towards Barceloneta beach where we stopped for a few moments to take in the Mediterranean Sea (the tour guide was also generous enough to buy us all a drink as well). After that we took a cycle through the beautiful Parc de la Ciutadella and passed by the zoo.

The last part of the tour involved the Eixample, Barcelona’s largest neighbourhood, with Sagrada Familia, Antonio Gaudí’s still unfinished church and Passeig de Gracia with Gaudí’s Casa Batllo and Casa Milá, better known as “the quarry”.

I’d certainly recommend this if you fancy a bit of exercise while getting yourself acquainted with the extraordinary city.