Where to Cycle in Barcelona (and Meet People)

One of the first things newcomers ask us about cycling in Barcelona is where you can actually ride without weaving through traffic. The good news: the city and the land around it are full of car-free tracks, protected lanes and signed loops. Here are the specific places we point people towards, whatever kind of rider you are.

Carretera de les Aigües (Collserola)

If you only try one thing, make it this. The Carretera de les Aigües is a flat, panoramic dirt track running along the Collserola hills right above the city, following the line of an old water conduit, which is why it stays so level. It draws something like 2,000 walkers and cyclists a day for the open views over Barcelona and out to the Mediterranean. It is free, outdoor and easy to reach (the FGC train to Peu del Funicular, or ride up from Sarrià), and because the gradient is gentle it suits a hire bike or an e-bike just as well as a mountain bike.

Velòdrom Municipal d'Horta

For something more structured, the Horta velodrome is a genuine public cycle track, opened in 1984 and set inside Collserola Park. It is home to the Catalan Cycling Federation and the Municipal Cycling School, and there is an adjoining BMX circuit too. It is the rare venue here that works whatever the weather, and a good place to find coached sessions and other riders rather than going it alone. Up in the Horta-Guinardó district, it pairs naturally with a spin along the nearby Carretera de les Aigües.

The Llobregat delta and Parc Agrari

South of the airport, the Baix Llobregat agricultural park is the flattest, calmest riding near the city. A well-signposted loop of roughly 31 km winds through farm fields, riverbank and coastal wetlands, past lagoons and beaches, with barely a hill in sight. From there you can carry on along the coast to the wide beaches of Gavà and Castelldefels. It is outdoor, free and completely beginner-friendly, and it feels a world away from the Eixample grid even though it starts on the edge of town.

The Ronda Verda

When you are ready for a proper day out, the Ronda Verda is a signed circular route right around Barcelona, about 79 km in total, stitched together from six green sections: Collserola, the Besòs riverside park, the Serralada de Marina, the seafront, Montjuïc and the Llobregat. Most people ride it in chunks rather than all at once, picking a section that suits the day. Because it is waymarked throughout, it is an easy one to follow without a guide, and a satisfying way to learn how the city's green spaces connect.

The city's own bike lanes

You do not need to leave the streets to ride safely, either. Barcelona has built out its protected cycling network to around 263 km of bike lanes, with the wider metropolitan Bicivia corridors linking neighbouring towns on top of that. The seafront lane from Barceloneta up to the Fòrum is the classic flat, scenic warm-up, and the segregated lanes along big avenues like Diagonal make it realistic to cross the city without touching heavy traffic. If you are still finding your feet, the shared Bicing bikes are an easy way to test a route before committing to your own.

The part that makes it stick

Barcelona makes it genuinely easy to ride. The harder part, when you are new here, is finding people to ride with, which is most of the fun and a lot of the safety. That is where we come in. Keep Calm is a free, volunteer-run, English-speaking community, and riding somewhere like the Carretera de les Aigües or the delta loop is far better with a few others who already know the turns and the coffee stop at the end.

We keep things relaxed and welcoming, whether you are on a road bike, a hire bike or a Bicing. The simplest way in is to join the community and hop into the WhatsApp group, where you can see when the next ride or meet-up is happening and just turn up. New in the city and not sure where to start? Come and say hello, and we will help you find your wheels.