Valencia
Little by little, the bicycle continues to conquer urban space and the big cities are a good example of this. In fact, In the main capitals of the world, bike lanes and public bike rental stations are rapidly gaining ground.
Such is the cycling boom that even mobile map applications, which help users to get around in any means of transport, have begun to take into account the world of pedals. This is the case of Moovit, the app for Android and iOS devices that, since one of its latest versions, offers information to users in 110 cities (including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Zaragoza) about these bike-sharing services, such as where they are available or where there is room to leave them.
Although one of the Spanish experiences, that of Madrid, has a long history of failures, errors and bad experiences behind it, the truth is that these systems are postulated as one of the best ways to get to know the world. To do this, there is nothing better than knowing in which tourist destinations it is easier to get around with one of these public bicycles.
London
THE EUROPEAN LEADERS
Currently, and except for the failed case in Madrid, the best bicycle rental services are found in the Old Continent. One of them is London, where Santander Cycles and its rental system via app have reversed the situation: if before the traffic in the British capital made it impossible to get around by bicycle, now the kilometers of bike lanes and their price (the first 30 minutes are free) make London a perfect place for sightseeing on two wheels.
Where tourists can also enjoy half an hour of free pedaling is in Paris. The city of light has more than 20,000 bicycles spread over almost 2,000 stations.
In the French capital, they are trying to promote coexistence between bicycles and other vehicles by limiting the speed in some downtown areas to 30 kilometers per hour, which will help to enjoy the Eiffel Tower and the surroundings of the Seine by bike.
For its part, Berlin is committed to offering a safe service. The capital is one of the German cities in which the main railway company, Deutsche Bahn, rent bikes. With a single phone call, the user receives a 4-digit code with which to unlock the bike. In addition, there is a route planner and the prices also make the Berlin bike a competitive transport option: half an hour is worth only one euro (although in Stuttgart and Hamburg, where Deutsche Bahn also operates, the first half hour is free).
Back in Spain, Seville has been chosen as one of the ten best cities in the world to get around by bicycle. The Andalusian capital 's cycling network has multiplied the use of this means of transport by eleven in just five years , something to which the efficient municipal rental service has undoubtedly contributed .
Barcelona
AROUND THE WORLD PEDALING
However, there is life for urban cycling tourism beyond Europe. In fact, across the pond pedal lovers can find in Montreal a reference . The Canadian city's bike lanes have been in operation since the late 1980s.
As good pioneers, in Montréal They know that the bicycle can be a perfect complement for tourists, and those users who access one of the bikes from their public rental service, Bixi, for just one or two days. They have the first 30 minutes free.
The first 30 minutes are free
For its part, New York It is quite a titan when it comes to bike rental: last year it offered ten million trips. The New York service, Citi Bike, has its own application with which users can find out the location and status of the different stations in the city that never sleeps.
However, the real leader in bike rental is on the other side of the planet: nine of the ten largest services in the world are located in China. Thus, many of the cities of the Asian giant (such as Hangzhou , which offers about 80,000 public bicycles) are the perfect candidates to do some exotic tourism at the stroke of a pedal. You dare?
Hangzhou offers nearly 80,000 public bicycles
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