Bicing in Barcelona

One of the most important things in the well planned urban area is transportation. Barcelona has it all, extensive network of buses, metro / subway lines, rail connecting suburbs and surrounding cities and now over 100KM of bike lanes covering the entire city. The last addition was accomplish in the recent years, encouraging the population as well as tourists visiting the city to be more eco-friendly! So there is no surprise when the city of Barcelona introduced Bicing or the Public Bike network. As the map below shows, there are 100 stations and 1500 bicycles available though out the city for public use. 

The cost is minimal, you pay a membership of €24.00 a year or €1.00 a week (perfect for a visiting tourist), the first 30 minutes are free after that you pay €0.30 per half an hour for maximum of 2 hours per rental. You can drop off the bike at any of the stations though out the city once you reach your destination. It is brilliant concept which has recently found its niche in other cities in Europe like Paris. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of those bikes on the streets, they are extremely popular among both residents and visitors. If you are thinking about holidays in Barcelona, you should give them a try. More information both in English, Spanish and Catalan can be found here - www.bicing.com