Biking through Barcelona

In a flash of brilliance last month, I decided that on our first day in Barcelona, we were going to do a family bike tour since all four of us have now had extensive bike riding experience. So after an all-too-short rest in the afternoon, we readied ourselves for the 4:30 pm tour.

It turns out that there are 3 or 4 different companies that offer bike tours here - we ended up picking Barcelona Ciclo Tour, primarily because they departed from Plaza Catalunya, which was right next to our apartment.

Fortunately, they had a bike just my younger daughter's size (8 yr old) so we were all set. We were on a tour with 12 others, 8 of whom were American. The tour was billed as being appropriate for all ages. I have to admit that my little one was quite wiped by the end (there was a bit of an uphill stretch) - but overall, she did wonderfully well.

We rode all around Barcelona, spending a good part of the time on pedestrian-only streets. We biked for about 90 minutes, then stopped at a beachside cafe for a drink and a rest. Then biked on for another hour or so - it was great way to get an overview of the city, since we went by all the major sights. It was also relaxing. Well, it was until we spent a few miles on congested city streets in the evening rush hour. Then it wasn't quite so relaxing for a while trying to keep track of the kids.

I highly recommend this as a great way for a quick overview of the city. It also helps to burn off all those tapas and fried dishes that you'll be eating...