Renting a bicycle is the best choice when traveling around European cities. It’s so nice to ride a bicycle along flowery boulevards and embankments; you can use it to explore the narrow streets of old cities, where neither cars nor buses travel, and renting is often cheaper than public transport. We will tell you how and where to rent a bike in an unfamiliar city.
Rules and types of rental
The easiest way is to rent a bike in the city bike sharing network. To do this, you need to register on the website, in the application, or in a special machine at the bicycle parking lot. When registering, a credit card is required on which the deposit is blocked (100-150 €),
and the phone number to which an SMS with an access code will be sent.
Then you pay for a subscription (about 1-3 € per day or 7-10 € per week) and the cost of renting a bike. In many countries, the first 30 minutes of rental are free. If you return your bike to the parking lot on time, you can take a new one and ride for another half hour for free. If you do not return, the second half hour will cost 1 €, the third and subsequent ones will cost 2 €. When you return your bike, make sure that you see confirmation on the bike or terminal screen that the bike has been accepted. The deposit will be released 5-10 days after the bike is returned, depending on your bank.
Renting rules at private bike rental point are almost the same – the deposit amount is about 100 €, a passport is needed for registration. We advise you to carefully inspect the tires, brake, bell and lock – many private companies have large fines in case of breakdown. Also check how much an extra hour will cost if you don’t manage to return the bike on time – the amount can be from 5 to 50 €, it is set by the owner.
France
Large cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice have convenient bike sharing networks with hundreds of kilometers of bike paths. Velib bicycles are the ideal way to get around Paris, from the Seine embankment to the skyscrapers of La Défense and the Champs-Elysees. In each city hall you can pick up a plan of cycling routes in Paris, or download it here. Bordeaux and Lyon, the wine and gastronomic capitals of France, are very bike-friendly cities. Bicycle paths are laid along embankments, squares and medieval quarters.
The deposit in France is 150 €, prices across the country are almost the same – the first 30 minutes are free, the second 30 minutes are 1 €, the third and subsequent ones are 2 €. A daily subscription costs 2 €, a week – 5-8 €. After registration you will receive a four-digit number, remember it – you will need it when returning or exchanging your bike. The main rule is to change your bike every 30-60 minutes and download a map of parking lots – many of them are busy during lunch.
If you prefer private rental points, we advise you to choose those that are part of the “Accueil velo” association – all of them have undergone strict quality control. Renting a bike for half a day costs 10-15 €, for a day 15-20 €.
Spain
Madrid – wide avenues with alleys of plane trees, palaces in huge parks, the never-sleeping Salamanca quarter. The Spanish capital has an excellent urban bike rental network BiciMad. Deposit is 150 €, there are passes for 1, 3 and 5 days (from 2 to 8 €). The first hour of rental costs 2 €, the second and subsequent hours – 4 €. The fine for being two hours late is 4 €. Here is a detailed map with routes and a rental guide.
Barcelona— beaches, palm trees, fabulous Gaudi architecture. Unfortunately, the city’s bicycle network is only available to local residents. But there are hundreds of private bike rental shops in Barcelona. In the old town, in the Gotico district, there is a Green Bikes Barcelona point, open from 10 to 20 hours every day. The rental price decreases depending on the rental period: 2 € per hour, 10 per day and 45 per week. On the seafront, in the Barceloneta area, there is Born Bike, with prices of 10 € for 5 hours, 15 € per day and 25 € for 2 days, the third and subsequent days will cost 7 €.
Netherlands
Bicycle is the most convenient and cheapest way to get around Amsterdam. The city has 400 kilometers of bike paths, beautiful views and perfectly flat terrain. Deposit for a bicycle is 50 €. If you are a beginner, then contact Yellow Bike Amsterdam – the point is located next to the train station, all the bicycles are bright yellow – a sign to the locals that you are a tourist and do not know all the nuances of behavior on the road. The largest bicycle rental company is Mac Bike, three hours of rental costs 7 €, a day – 10 €, every next day – 6 €. Bike City offers standard bikes that will allow you to blend in with the crowd of cyclists. Minimum rental period – week (65 €),
insurance – 2 € per day. In other large cities in the Netherlands, the cost of a deposit and rent is almost the same.
Italy
In Italy, bicycle rental services are developed in the north of the country – in Milan, also in Florence and Naples. Milan has an urban bike rental network, BikeMe, with two thousand bikes and 135 kilometers of bike paths. Deposit – 100 €, daily subscription – 2.5 €, weekly pass – 6 €. The first 30 minutes are free, the next half hour is 0.5 €, after two hours of continuous rental the price rises to 2 € per hour.
In the historical center FlorenceThere are hundreds of pedestrian streets, but even where cars are allowed, parking is impossible to find, so a bicycle is the most convenient means of transportation. The city’s rental network Mille e una bici offers bicycles for 2 € per hour or 10 € per day. Florence by bike has the widest selection of bicycles, equipment and excursions.
Russia
Moscow. In 2017, there were almost 400 rental stations in the capital, with 3,900 bicycles. In the largest bicycle rental network, Velobike, a subscription costs 150 rubles for a day, 600 rubles for a month, and 1200 rubles for a season. The price of the subscription includes trips of up to 30 minutes. The minimum interval between free trips is 15 minutes. If you do not return the bike within half an hour, then the next hour will cost 30 rubles, two hours – 100 rubles, 3 hours – 400 rubles, and a day – 1500 rubles. Many Moscow parks offer hourly bicycle rentals. Deposit for a bicycle is 2000-4000 rubles, an hour of rental costs 150-200 rubles.
St. Petersburg. There are 90 rental stations in the city, most of which belong to the Velogorod network. A subscription for 24 hours costs 129 rubles, for a month – 599 rubles, the first half hour of the trip is free, the second costs 35 rubles, 2 hours – 105 rubles, 4 hours – 505 rubles. There are also many private rental points in the city, where, after making a deposit of 3-5 thousand rubles, you can rent a bicycle for 150 rubles for an hour or for a day for 500 rubles.
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