At Steel Donkeys our mission is to show the real Barcelona to people of all ages, from young children and teens, to senior citizens. As long as you can ride a bicycle (or fit in a child seat!) then you’re qualified to join one of our rides.
Whilst many bike tour operators in the city move around in unwieldy groups of 15-20 people, from our very beginning we decided to focus on sustainable, small group travel, riding with a maximum of 8 people per group.
The reasons behind this were because:
a) we don’t support mass tourism and clogging up the streets of the city with large groups of tourists
b) smaller groups are more manoeuvrable, allowing us to move with more freedom and go where other tours can’t reach
and
c) we want to interact with our guests, not just talk at them. Our guides don’t just reel off prepared spiels about the sights, they are your friend for the day, showing you the inside story of Barcelona.
Edu shows visitors the beautiful Parc de la Ciutadella
As well as these benefits, travelling in small groups offers another advantage: it’s easier and less intimidating for kids of all ages to join our tour.
Kids’ Bikes, Tandems and Child Seats
We have two bike hubs, the E-bike rent store in the Gothic Quarter and Ocean Bikes store in the Port Olimpic. Both our store partners have smaller bikes for children aged between 6 and 12 years available for Steel Donkey guests.
For babies, toddlers and young children up to 6 years old we can offer child seats for no extra cost, meaning your child can join the tour for free.
We also provide free safety helmets on request to anyone who wants one, which we recommend for kids of all ages.
Regular Tours
Our regular tours depart daily at 10am and 3pm and are suitable for any proficient rider. The vast majority of our tour takes place using bike lanes, and car-free zones, although some times we need to venture onto a road for a short time, whilst using the bike lanes also require understanding of traffic lights, so you should be confident that your child can stay upright on the bike at all times and has basic road awareness.
You can read more and book online via this page.
Private Tours
An even more comfortable option for families would be one of private tours, as this allows us to travel at your pace and completely avoid any roads to accommodate the needs of your family. Our private tours are very affordably priced, and it’s best to book these via email (info@steeldonkeybiketours.com). Just let us know more about your family and what dates you’re interested in.
A Happy Family
Of the many families that have already enjoyed a Steel Donkey bike tour of Barcelona, one is the Wylde Family, who had the following to say on their blog:
“Edu helped put Marley at ease by listening to her and providing her with instructions whenever we stopped and as we rode. He answered all of her questions and we can guarantee there were plenty! Marley stayed glued to Edu’s back wheel for the next 4 hours which also put us at ease with her riding around a large city as it is not something we have done ourselves either….”
The Wylde family on tour! (Copyright Wylde Family Travel).
“No matter what your fitness level is this Barcelona bike tour is suitable for everyone as you cruise along at an easy pace and there are really no big hills to climb. The kids loved it and could not stop talking about it. It was a great way to see something outdoors that mixed exercise and learning for kids and adults.”
You can read a full post of their adventures on their travel blog here.
As always we recommend that families travel with insurance. Whilst European citizens should travel with a valid EU Health Card.
