Barcelona Scooter Tour: Zip Around Like a Local

As I got settled into my Barcelona neighborhood, I saw a familiar sight – motorbikes parked on sidewalks. Barcelona is not a huge city, but it is the 2nd  biggest city in Spain with a population of 1.6 million. This was a good-sized city with a great climate and perfect for motorbikes as evidenced by them zipping along the streets. I thought to myself, if I actually lived here I would definitely own a motorbike.

Cruising around Barcelona on a scooter

Even though Barcelona has an excellent metro and transit system which will get you about anywhere, I quickly realized it would be way more fun to see the city via motorbike zipping down roads with the wind in my hair.

Viator offers a 3-hour scooter tour of Barcelona which began in the Barceloneta neighborhood at a place called Cooltra. After a very short introduction to the motorbike, we took off following our guide Miguel. There were only 4 of us so it was easy to stick together among the traffic and stop lights.

Since there are more cars than motorbikes you have to keep a pretty close watch on the road when you are riding; after all, cars are bigger than a motorbike and they will win. We made 4 stops along the tour:

• Port Olimpic and Parc del Forum
• Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia  (you don’t have time to go in, but you will get a view from the outside)
• Park Guell
• Montjuic Park

The stops consisted of quickly parking the bikes, Miguel walking us to the site, and then he told us a little about the history.  It was very short and sweet, but useful.

Park Guell

The rest of the time we drove around the city following Miguel through every light and turn. The traffic was never too bad and I found the whole driving process really relaxing. I even had time to look around me and see the sights as I zipped by. I have to admit – the real fun of this tour was being on the scooter and driving.

The morning tour of Barcelona provided a unique way to get around and be a part of the local culture. I was able to get a feel for the city outside of the metro, feel some freedom, and occasionally go fast!

Photos courtesy of Sherry Ott.

- Sherry Ott