Motorcycle Barcelona: City Tour
Barcelona isn’t the only city in Spain that’s a “must-see,” but it does offer the greatest diversity in experiences for motorcycle travelers. There’s so much to do just outside the city, from mountain rides to coastal fishing towns and some of the best beaches in Spain. Even as locals, there are endless opportunities to be a tourist here, hunting for the best tortilla or best vermouth in the city.
Ride Specs
Distance: 66 km (40 mi)
Time: 3 hours, without stops
Difficulty: Easy to intermediate
Best season: Mar-Jun, Sept.-Nov
Insider Tip: For those needing to rent a bike, a simple online search will overwhelm you with irrelevant results of bicycle and scooter rentals, here are the companies that rent motorcycles in Barcelona that are geared toward your type of exploration.
We’ve broken out the route into two main sectors: the City Sector and the Outer Ring Sector. The City Sector shows the two sides of Barcelona, the side that the locals experience and on the other side, the sites that make Barcelona globally recognizable. The Outer Ring Sector takes riders through the encircling mountain range, offering a spirited, engaging, and dynamic riding experience along with some of the best views of the city. Additionally, the route briefly enters the neighboring town of Sant Cugat, home to the upper-middle-class inhabitants of Barcelona.
First Sector: City Ride
Sector Specs
Time: 1h 10m
Distance: 18 km
Difficulty: 1/5
Recommended Stops
It is not recommended to stop at each place, or you'll extend this 3-hour ride into an 8-hour affair. However, here are some suggestions on activities, cafes, viewpoints, and other places of interest you can incorporate into the tour:
Vista (Mirador): Plaza de Carlos Ibáñez, one of the many viewpoints of the city on Montjuic. This viewpoint is along the route and easy to access from a motorcycle.
Mercat de Sant Antoni: For the foodies, grab a pack of Jamón Ibérico and a baguette for a park bench picnic later on.
Neighborhood Walking Tour of El Born and El Gotico: This is highly recommended. You could spend a full afternoon with this activity. The number of museums, plazas, and hole-in-the-wall tapas joints are endless, so they won’t be listed here.
Neighborhood Walking Tour of Gracia: Known by Barcelona locals as the neighborhood that feels like a village. A very quaint area, mainly pedestrian access with boutique shops and grocery stores. You can spend a nice morning slowly strolling the narrow streets, popping into independent bakeries for fresh pastries
Check Points and Highlights
Plaza Espana: The start point of the ride with impressive views of the National Art Museum and its regal fountains framed between the Venetian Towers.
Mercat de Sant Antoni: A beautifully restored covered market hall of fresh food and produce, representing the type of markets found in each neighborhood of Barcelona.
Arc de Triomf (Triumph): A stunning red-brick archway serving as a gateway to Ciutadella Park. It is a central location for protests, outdoor concerts, celebrations of major football tournament wins, and the party location marking the end of COVID lockdown.
El Born and El Gotico: Famous neighborhoods featuring tight alleyways, Gothic architecture, and boutique shops. These areas are must-sees and are worth discovering on foot due to the abundance of sights and activities.
Plaza Catalunya: The geographical heart of Barcelona, serving as a central hub of the shopping district, connecting the famed Las Ramblas and the high-end shopping experience of Passeig de Gracia.
Passeig de Gracia: A high-end shopping strip with flagship stores of major retail brands, often referred to as the Fifth Avenue or Champs-Élysées of Barcelona. It is also home to famous examples of Gaudí architecture, including Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, and Casa Amatller.
Second Sector: Outer Ring
Sector Specs
Time: 1h 30m
Distance: 50 km
Difficulty: 3.5/5
This part of the route is a favorite among local riders when there isn’t a desire for a full day of riding outside the city. This sector has challenging roads where you can really open the throttle, whip the frame from side to side around the chicanes, and lean deep into the switchbacks. Additionally, there isn’t a shortage of viewpoints along the road offering expansive vistas of the city to park up and stretch your legs.
This is the go-to route on a Saturday or Sunday morning if we want to take the bike out, grab a coffee or late breakfast, and be back home by the afternoon. On the way back, we take the BV-1415, which offers the best view of the city as you ride in—a visual reminder of how great a city Barcelona is.
Recommended Stops
Sant Cugat City Center: A charming town where young families move out of the city to, about 25 minutes from Barcelona. A great place to stop for a break for food or drink, approximately 2 hours into the ride.
Monastery of Sant Cugat: A 9th-century monastery with a romanesque cloister and many cafes and restaurants surrounding it. The location for Sunday outdoor markets.
Plaza de Barcelona: A quiet square on the edge of Sant Cugat’s quaint city center. A good place for a little break for a drink or lunch. L'Amagatall is recommended if you’re going for food, or any of the other options for a coffee or drink.
Parc del Laberint d'Horta: Get lost in the botanical garden maze.
Mirador de Montbau: Viewpoint along the BV-1415 country road on the way back into the city.
Checkpoints and Highlights
These checkpoints are country roads rather than touristic highlights. This is where riders get to open up and have some fun. Along the way, we stop by Sant Cugat, a good place to stop for lunch or a drink in it’s historic town center where there are still remenants of the regions medieval past. And if medieval towns are your thing, you don’t have to ride far to visit some of the most picturesque medieval villages in Spain.
BP-1417
BV-1418
BV-1468: One of the best roads around Barcelona for letting your bike run and testing your skills. The views are nice, but it’s really about the riding experience.
Sant Cugat/Plaza Barcelona: A charming town where young families move out of the city to, about 25 minutes from Barcelona. A great place to stop for a break for food or drink, approximately 2 hours into the ride.
BV-1415: Our favorite road around Barcelona, offering a great mix of challenging roadway and good sightlines so you can push your bike in a safe environment with the best views of the city from any road.
Mirador de Montbau: A fantastic viewpoint with expansive views of the city near the end of the BV-1415. Stop here to appreciate the road you just dominated and take a photo of your bike against the Barcelona city skyline.
Sagrada Família: The church in a perpetual state of construction; not much needs to be said about this landmark, as it is the defining feature of Barcelona’s iconic skyline. This is where the tour will end.
