Costa Brava bike rental

Want to easily get around while on holiday in the Costa Brava? Bike rental is low-cost, environmentally friendly and healthy too.

Why rent a bike?

Just imagine you’re taking a holiday on the Costa Brava at the moment. You need to nip to the supermarket to grab something to eat tonight. Or you want to get a loaf of oven-fresh bread for breakfast. Maybe you’re after a bottle of the local plonk. And it’s a little too far to walk comfortably in the heat.

You could always drive. But what about jumping on a bike instead, get your heart pumping as you feel the cooling breeze against your face and through your hair?

Cycling can be fun, exhilarating even. It’s ecological and a great form of exercise. And if you cycle to the beach instead of driving you don’t have the fuss of finding parking at the beach. What a sense of freedom!

That’s a great advantage to have. It’s win win win. But you don’t have a bike there. You’re on holiday after all.

That’s no problem though as many coastal towns have a bike hire shop. There you can rent a bike for hours, days, or for a week or two. The longer you rent for the better the deal you get. You can also rent a protective helmet and other accessories such as a child seat.

Price guide for Costa Brava bike rental

You may have to pay a refundable deposit (around €120) and the rental price varies depending on the particular shop you hire from.

In summer 2017 prices are typically as follows:

  • €4.00/hour
  • €8.00/3 hours
  • €12.00-€18.00/day
  • €30.00/3 days
  • €72.00/week

Prices are indicative only for a basic bike and can vary depending on where you stay, the price policy of each individual shop and the type of bike you hire.

You won’t get a high end bike, but it’ll be sturdy and should be well maintained. Perfect for the job of getting you around town.

While some shops rent bikes for an hour, others require a minimum rental period of 3-4 hours or even a full day. Typically they’ll provide you with a mountain or city bike, but many shops also offer electric bikes too, although these are much more.

Safety first

Now you’ve got your bike and you hit the road. It is absolutely essential to cycle well for your own safety. If you are involved in an accident it isn’t the car driver who will be worst off – whoever is at fault.

Safety tips for cyclists

Many people from the UK have passed the Bikeability or old Cycling Proficiency Tests. The same rules generally apply on the Costa Brava, although you’ll be cycling on the opposite side of the road.

  • When you hire a bike make a quick check to make sure it is in roadworthy condition. If not, ask for one that is or have them put it right.
  • Be aware of other road users at all times. As well as in front of you, check behind you and any cars approaching junctions and be aware of their blind spots.
  • Anticipate what other road users are going to do. This particularly applies at junctions and roundabouts when cars may not indicate their intentions.
  • Check traffic and give a clear signal before turning. This is particularly important if you’re planning a left turn as you’ll move across the traffic.
  • Never cycle in the wrong direction. Drivers don’t expect bikes to be heading towards them, so don’t put yourself in that position.
  • Use cycle lanes where available.  Sometimes pedestrians use them too, so use your bell to make them aware you’re there.
  • Be aware of cars that have just parallel parked. So many people open their car door to check whether there is any traffic.
  • Wear a helmet. If you do get knocked off your bike a cycle helmet will protect you from suffering a head injury.
  • Don’t wear headphones. You need to use your eyes AND ears when cycling on the road.
  • Keep an eye on the road surfaces. Uneven tarmac, potholes or dirt road can all help cyclists come a cropper.
  • Always ride in single file. Many people cycle two or three abreast and while it makes you more visible, drivers  help up by you may get frustrated and attempt to overtake unsafely.
  • Use lights at night. While most bikes these days are fitted with reflectors, it isn’t enough to be seen by other road users.

I ride a mountain bike off-road and appreciate things from both a cyclist’s perspective and as a driver. And while on holiday both sets of road users can get sloppy.

Drivers drive too fast, don’t indicate, stop suddenly or just seem completely unaware of other road users. The latter is often accompanied by driving extremely slowly, which isn’t usually associated with dangerous driving. It’s something to be aware of though.

On the other hand I’ve had cyclists pull out in front of me after ignoring a stop sign. They freewheeled at high speed down a hill right into my path, forcing me to make an emergency stop.

I understand the feeling of cycling downhill at high speed, but that was just stupidly dangerous. To sum up, do everything you can to keep safe on the road.

As well as rent out bikes, hire shops also offer maintenance and sell spares if you have your own bike. And if you’re planning on serious road cycling and can’t bring your own for some reason, some also offer decent road bikes.

So if you do fancy that fresh bread in the morning or want to get to the beach without all those parking hassles, seriously think about hiring a bike with all the great advantages it brings.

Getting out of town

So you’ve got your bike sorted out, what now? You’ve explored the town, but what do you actually want to see and do on the Costa Brava?

The province of Girona has four “greenways” used exclusively for hiking and cycling. Once railway lines running from Girona, the greenways provide fairly flat paths that are relatively easy on a mountain bike or tourer. You won’t make it with the skinny tyres of a road bike though.

Or maybe you want to get completely off-road and need something more challenging than the greenways? Here we look at where you can find some great trails for mountain bikes and lose yourself in the mountains of Costa Brava and Girona province.

Cycling the Costa Brava’s “greenways”

If you want to avoid roads but don’t want a full off-road experience then you might want to consider the vies verdes, or “greenways”. These are the four disused railway lines in Girona province exclusively designated for cycling and hiking. Although off-road and requiring a mountain bike or tourer, these are relatively easy with shallow inclines. Some of the old stations are now cafes too.

The two that we’re most interested in on Costa Brava Lifestyle are the routes between Girona and Sant Feliu de Guíxols and between Palamós and Palafruguell. The other two are further inland and run from Girona to Olot and Ripoll to Ogassa. You can download a PDF brochure about all the routes here.

The Girona-Sant Feliu route is 40km and follows the route of the old narrow gauge railway. Although some parts are mountainous, the railway was designed to be as flat as possible. The route instead curves around peaks.

Along the way there is plenty to see, so its ideal for anyone wanting a leisurely day cycling. This route variously passes through Girona’s old town, rural areas and medieval villages before arriving at the coast.

If that sounds too much to do in one day then the route between Palamós and Palafrugell might be more your cup of tea. While short, it branches off towards the beach of La Fosca and inland to Vall-llòbrega in the south, and to Mont-ras in the north. Along the short route there are various things to see and even if you haven’t been on a bike for years, this is an option for you.

Mountain biking in the Costa Brava

If you didn’t realise before you probably now know that Catalonia is pretty mountainous. And that makes Girona and the Costa Brava ideal for mountain biking!

There are a number of natural parks perfect for proper off-road work. With construction completely prohibited, these mountainous areas are perfect to explore nature, just you and your bike. Take a look of the video below for some of the trails in the Cap de Creus natural park.

As well as Cap de Creus the other coastal park is Mongrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter. The Montgrí massif is located between Torroella de Montgrí and L’Escala, while further inland you can cycle up Montseny. Further afield there are the volcanoes near Olot and, of course, the Pyrenees proper.

A word of warning: Let someone know where you are going and take a GPS and phone. It can be easy to get lost, particularly when it starts to get dark. Believe me, I’ve done it.

But often you don’t have to go far to find a good MTB route, with dirt tracks into the forest that covers much of the terrain. The Cadiretes massif has dozens of trails criss-crossing through the forest, some of them farm tracks also used by cars, others only accessible to a 4X4 or tractor and yet others accessible only to hikers and mountain bikers.

There are guided tours that take you off-road, but I’m not sure how useful they really are. The best thing to do is get out on your bike and explore the area. You’re bound to find something!

Costa Brava Lifestyle

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