I was slightly nervous about gliding a Segway through the narrow, cobbled streets of Barcelona. But, these dogs were barking from traipsing through the roads of London and I was happy to not be hoofing it for the next few hours, instead we were riding in luxury with Barcelona Segway Glides. Ok, maybe not luxury. But, at least I wasn’t walking.
The Segway is a self-balancing, electric-powered transportation. Sounds dangerous.
We met our trusty and very patient guide, Edgar, at Plaça Sant Jaume. And our 2 1/2 hour tour began.
It all started with a 30 minute training session, to make sure pedestrians and ourselves were safe. Good idea.
Lean forward, go forward. Lean back, go back. Throttle left and right. Okay, I’m ready, let’s go.
Learning to ride this two-wheeler was fairly simple, weaving in and out of the small streets of the Gothic Quarter proved to be a bit more challenging. For me.
But, no pedestrians or puppies were run over. Phew.
We made a quick stop for a history lesson of the Roman Tower, a round tower that was used to defend the Eastern part of the roman wall of Barcino.
Edgar was a wealth of information about Barcelona history, worthy attractions and even the best tapas in town.
Enough history, lets keep gliding.
We headed towards Barceloneta, the beach neighborhood in Ciutat Vella. As we waited at the crosswalk for a green light we noticed words painted on the street.
It translates to “In Barcelona 1 out of 3 dead people in traffic accidents was walking. Warning! All of us are pedestrian.”
That’s not scary at all. Nope. Not at all. Tell that to my shaky hands.
We hit a large sidewalk, the open road so to speak, yearning to be taken advantage of with the speed of my device.
Unfortunately, there are Segway rules and regulations that prohibit cruising at high speeds. I may have broken the law. Once.
We continued the trek through Barceloneta and the 197 foot Christopher Columbus statue pointed the way. Can’t really miss him.
Hoards of tourists hovered around the Nao Victoria replica which reminded me that there were other modes of transportation if so desired.
This replica sailed around the world, a journey of 26,000 miles. It needs a well deserved rest. Continue gliding.
There was some concern that we would look like a herd of dorks Segwaying through the streets, but in reality, other people were jealous. Their dogs must be barking too.
We made it safely to the beach which features unique structures, Spanish restaurants and uber-sexy W hotel.
One of the most striking structures was the Frank Owen Gehry’s shimmering Gold Fish (Peix) in front of Hotel Arts which was built for the 1992 Olympics.
It didn’t really look like a fish upon first glance, but from a different angle the curvature of the tail and fins were evident.
After a couple of hours, and an overload of Catalonia facts whirling through my brain, we headed back to our starting point.
I was sad to have to return my new rolling limbs, but happy that I chose to see the Barceloneta on wheels. Saved me a blister.
Note: Segwaying through Barcelona…priceless. But, it reallys costs €60.
This post was provided in a partnership with Barcelona Segway Glide. All opinions my own. This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I earn a commission that helps to keep this blog running—at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure here.
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this is awesome! I've always wanted to do a Segway tour
It was fun and pretty easy to learn!
Looks awesome! Have never gotten to ride a segway but have always wanted to. Also didn't make it to Barcelona when I was in Spain, so that's two things on my to do list that could be killed with one stone :)
Definitely put it on your Barcelona list! And do it early in your trip so you time to revisit any of the really cool places you see :)
That really looks like fun! I would have wanted to break all the rules though!
Agreed! It was killing me to have to go so slow!
I've looked at Segway tours before but… they are just so nerdy! haha Also, I'm so accident prone that I don't know if I could trust myself on one of those bad boys.
LOL! I did feel slightly nerdy, but was so freakin’ happy about not having to walk!
Segway tours our a blast, I can only imagine how fun in Barcelona…great stuff…
fun, fun, fun!!! We got to see a lot & not have to hoof it while doing it!
When I saw that Christopher Columbus statue I said to my local friends, "It's Christopher Columbus!" They said, "No no, that is Cristóbal Colón." Same dude, just totally different name.
Ummm…and I would have probably gotten a ticket for going too slow…I'm more anxious about hitting people than being hit.
LOL! I love Christophers Spanish name. I wonder what mine would be?
I am sure there are a lot of people who would want to experience a great tour on Barcelona.. Anyway, I just love the photos you have shared here.. Thanks a lot!
A tour is as much about the local as it is about the tour guide and our guide waws awesome!
I'm too scared to test out a Segway when people are about – congrats on surviving it
It was a bit frightening with all the people, but no problem after you got the hang of it!
Love a good Segway tour – we did one in San Francisco a few years ago and it was awesome! Will have to look at this one when we visit Barcelona in a couple of months.
A San Francisco Segway tour would be fun! Did they have enough power to make it up those steep SF hills?
Oh my, what an awesome way to experience Barcelona!!!
Definitely got to cover a lot of ground in a shorter period of time!
I have often thought about trying a segway, but I'm not the most coordinated person in the world. A couple of nasty bike wrecks have proven that. But maybe I'll give it a try. Your "no blisters" comment got me rethinking the idea.
I’m actually quite clumsy on any mobile transportation (especially skate boards), but this was pretty easy.
Haha the Segway rides look so cheesy, and I would giggle at the tourists who chose to do them… then later I'd re-think my decision to walk when I would hobble into my hostel. It certainly looks like fun!
I was actually surprised by the number of people who stopped our guide to get information on the Segway tour. I would do it again if I went back to Barcelona!
Hi Annette :) Thanks for the awesome review :)
Thank you for a great time!!
haha! Segways- gotta love them! Some of the malls in my neck of the woods have the security officers riding them. This always makes me laugh- all you have to do to escape security is take the escalator upstairs!
I’ve seen the “Segway security” too! Funny!
On my list too!! I think it would be such a fun way to learn about a city…I really wanted to do it in Philadelphia as there's so much to see there but with my little one things like this will have to wait. I would have loved to strap her in a baby carrier and done it but I'm sure that's not allowed!!!
Taking a baby on a Segway ride probably is not allowed, but they should create some sort of contraption that makes it possible!
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This is so awesome! It’s true, segway tours can look dorky, but who cares how you look when you get to ride around and explore pieces of a beautiful city in a way that allows you to see more! Absolutely fun adventure you had, hopefully one day I’ll be able to take my own adventure like this!
Riding this two-wheeler around the streets of the town is fun and helps you explore around without getting tired.