Whilst walking near the Palacio Real last week I came across a group of German tourists trying to making their way towards the Plaza de Oriente. This wasn’t the first organised group of cyclists I had seen in the City centre – it looks like there is an upward trend in tourists using bikes to get around the city either for a day or for a week. Bike Tours Spain is one of the organisations, along with the City Council of Madrid, that offers self-ride or guided tours of the city.

Having come across a leaflet for them in the Madrid Tourist Centre, I decided to fire off an eMail to Pablo Muñoz to find out more. Bike Tours Spain are located near the Puerta del Sol and  “organize guided excursions in and around Madrid and bicycling tours around Spain.” In addition, they also “rent cycles to ride the city at price of 15 euros, giving a map and all necessary accessories like a lock, helmet and panniers with the information of how to ride by the city and where to go.”

A popular tour is The Madrid City Tour, which includes the historic and monumental Madrid.

An interesting tour that will guide you through the "Madrid de los Austrias", the "Templo de Debod", an Egyptian temple with incredible views of the forests around Madrid, the Royal Palace, the gardens of Plaza de Oriente and the Opera of Madrid, the Almudena (Madrid’s cathedral), and the remains of the Moorish walls which once protected Madrid. Then we will ride to the medieval quarter by some amazing narrow streets towards the "plaza de la Villa" or the town-hall, the famous "Plaza Mayor" (Main Square), where we could have a drink sitting in a terrace enjoying the sunshine. By the pedestrian street of Huertas we go down to the Prado Museum, the Botanic garden, and the Retiro Park, an incredible and very romantic park with some interesting buildings. By the "Puerta de Alcalá", and the Cibeles square we ride to the cenrte of the city "the Puerta del Sol", where we finish the tour. The city tour is offered twice a month, on Satrudays, at a cost of 9.10 Euros.

Bike Spain is also Madrid Tourism’s Council Official Partner for its city tours. For more information, visit the Bike Spain site or send Pablo an eMail.