Choosing a hire shop
For a whole day
Choose a shop that displays its prices, supplies a sturdy lock and a helmet, and gives you a number to call if you get a puncture. Ask whether the insurance covers theft, and with what excess.
Practicalities · Practical · checked on 06/11/2026
Two wheels in Barcelona
Barcelona has added cycle lane after cycle lane, but most two-wheel services are not meant for you. Bicing is for residents only, shared kick scooters do not exist, and dockless bikes disappear on 1 January 2027. Here is what remains, and for whom.
An example: a couple in town for three days, without a motorcycle licence. They hire bikes for the day they ride along the seafront, and walk or take the metro the rest of the time.
A day on a bike, without hassle
Day-hire shop
The simplest option for a visitor: a bike or e-bike hired from a shop, with lock, helmet and map. Price and deposit agreed in advance.
A few short trips, before the end of 2026
App-based shared bike
Bird, Bolt, Cooltra, Donkey Republic, Lime, RideMovi or Voi, by the minute. Avoid for a whole day: the meter keeps running. Service withdrawn on 1 January 2027.
Car licence held for three years
Shared electric scooter
Yego, Cooltra or Acciona, 125 cc equivalents, two helmets in the top box. Quick for crossing the city; pointless if you have never ridden a two-wheeler.
You live in the city (DNI or NIE)
Bicing
Annual subscription of €35 or €50, mechanical and electric bikes, 24 hours a day. Closed to tourists.
Castelldefels, El Prat, L’Hospitalet
AMBici
The public e-bike scheme of 15 municipalities in the metropolitan area, with a one-day pass at €5. Check registration conditions before relying on it.
Kick scooter
Only your own
There are no shared kick scooters in Barcelona. Your own requires a helmet, insurance and a minimum age of 16. It is banned on the metro, buses, trams and FGC.
Dockless shared bikes disappear on 1 January 2027.
The city council is not renewing the 3,500 licences held by the seven shared-bike operators. From 1 January 2027 the only shared bike in the city will be Bicing, for residents only. The operators hope for a reversal after the municipal elections of May 2027; the council says the decision is final.
Bicing is not for visitors.
Registration requires a DNI or NIE, and the card arrives by post in about fifteen working days. The service itself directs tourists to hire shops.
Kick scooters, insurance compulsory since 2 January 2026.
Every electric kick scooter must have third-party liability insurance. The national register of personal mobility vehicles (DGT) is being set up. Tourists who bring their own are affected just like residents.
- Fine for riding a bike or kick scooter on the pavement.
- €500
- Shared bikes withdrawn from service on 1 January 2027.
- 3,500
- Shared electric scooters authorised in the metropolitan area, across three operators.
- 5,950
- AMBici one-day pass, e-bike, outside Barcelona.
- €5
Sources : Ara, 27/09/2026 · Bicing, terms of use · betevé, 06/10/2025
The services, one by one
| Service | Who can use it | Price | Until when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day-hire shop bike, e-bike, scooter | Any visitor; licence needed for a scooter | Set by the shop, often with a deposit | Lasting |
| App-based shared bike Bird, Bolt, Cooltra, Donkey Republic, Lime, RideMovi, Voi | Any visitor with a smartphone and a bank card | By the minute, depending on the app | 31/12/2026 |
| Shared electric scooter Yego, Cooltra, Acciona | Car licence held for 3 years (125 cc equivalent); licence checked on registration | By the minute, depending on the app | Metropolitan licences in progress |
| Bicing municipal service | Residents aged 16 and over, with a DNI or NIE | €35 or €50 a year, then a few cents per trip | Lasting; extension announced |
| AMBici metropolitan service, 100 % electric | In 15 municipalities around Barcelona; registration conditions to be checked | 1-day pass €5, 2 days €9, 3 days €12 | Lasting |
| Shared kick scooter | No one | – | Refused by the city since October 2023 |
App per-minute prices change often and vary with time of day and plan. Compare them in each app when you set off, including the unlocking fee and the out-of-zone parking charge.
Bicing, for those who live here
| Plan | Per year | Mechanical bike | E-bike |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | €50 | First 30 min included, then €0.81 per 30 min | €0.40 for the first 30 min, then €1.04 per 30 min |
| Pay as you go | €35 | €0.40 for the first 30 min, then €0.81 per 30 min | €0.63 for the first 30 min, then €1.04 per 30 min |
| Bicing + AMBici, flat rate | €65 | as flat rate | as flat rate |
| Bicing + AMBici, pay as you go | €53 | as pay as you go | as pay as you go |
Beyond 2 hours, each hour costs €5.75. The service runs 24 hours a day, all year round; you must wait 10 minutes between two rentals. For a student or employee settled in Barcelona, it is by far the cheapest way to get around.
Sources : Bicing, prices
The rules that cost dear
The municipal by-law in force since 1 February 2025 applies to everyone, whether on a hire bike or not. The Guàrdia Urbana issues fines, tourists included.
| Offence | Bike | Kick scooter |
|---|---|---|
| Riding on the pavement (except exemptions for children) | €500 | €500 |
| Not dismounting in a crowded pedestrian street | €100 | – |
| Locking the bike to a tree, traffic light, bench or bin | €100 | – |
| Riding without a helmet | Not compulsory for adults | €100 |
| Riding two-up | – | €100 |
| Riding without lights | – | €100 |
| Rider under 16 | – | €200 |
| Riding on a street with a 50 km/h limit | – | €500 |
- Maximum kick-scooter speed: 25 km/h, 10 km/h on cycle lanes marked on a pavement.
- Kick scooters and other personal mobility vehicles are banned on the region’s metro, buses, trams and FGC. The ban has been extended indefinitely since October 2023.
- In Ciutat Vella, hire vehicles other than bikes (Segways, kick scooters, cycle taxis) have been confined to two peripheral routes since 2017.
- A shared scooter is parked where the app allows. On the pavement only where the by-law permits, and never at the entrance to a school or hospital.
Sources : Nació Digital, 31/01/2025 · 3Cat, €500 fine · betevé, 20/10/2023 · Ara, 09/08/2017
What to remember
The guide’s view
For a visitor, a bike hired for the day, or nothing
Barcelona is best explored on foot and by metro. Two wheels only save time over long, flat distances: the seafront, the Diagonal, Poblenou. For a day like that, hire a bike from a shop. Known price, helmet and lock supplied, no surprises on the meter.
The per-minute shared bike is in its final months and only suits a one-off trip. The shared scooter is quick, but Barcelona is a hard city on a motorised two-wheeler if you are not used to one. A kick scooter is not worth bringing: banned on public transport, it forces you to ride it home.
Using an app well
For a 10- to 30-minute trip
Photograph the parked vehicle before ending the rental: in a parking dispute, it is your only proof. Check the drop-off zone on the app’s map; outside it, a penalty is added.
Before you go
- If you travel after 1 January 2027, do not count on app-based shared bikes. Only day-hire shops will remain open to visitors.
- For a shared scooter, bring your physical driving licence: the operator checks it on registration.
- Walk your bike in Ciutat Vella, on La Rambla and in the lanes of El Born. It is often compulsory, and always quicker than a fine.
- At night, front and rear lights; hire bikes have them, so check they work.
- For longer trips, the page TMB tickets in Barcelona explains which ticket to buy.