Barcelona Waterfront & Ciutadella Park Guided Segway Tour

The Arc de Triomf and the Passeig de Lluís Companys

The ride begins near the Arc de Triomf, a red-brick monument built in 1888 as the gateway to the Universal Exhibition. Its Neo-Mudéjar style, with carved reliefs celebrating the exhibition's themes, makes it unlike the triumphal arches of Paris or Rome, and the wide, tree-lined promenade that leads from it is ideal for gaining confidence on your Segway.

Your guide uses this first stretch to explain how the Segway works and to point out the history of the neighbourhood, including how the 1888 fair changed this part of the city. If you want to know how to get to the Arc de Triomf, the metro stop of the same name is next to it.

Ciutadella Park

Ciutadella Park is Barcelona's central green space. It was built on the site of a military citadel that was demolished in the nineteenth century, and it hosted the 1888 Universal Exhibition. Inside you find the Cascada fountain, a boating lake, palm-shaded avenues, and the Parliament of Catalonia.

On a Segway the park's smooth paths are relaxed and fun, and you cover far more than you would on foot in the same time. The guide stops at the best viewpoints and tells the stories behind the fountain and the pavilions. Ciutadella Park is a good answer to the question of where to escape the crowds in the city centre.

Port Vell and the Barcelona waterfront

From the park the route heads to the sea and Port Vell, the old harbour that was reopened to the public for the 1992 Olympic Games. You ride along a wide promenade with yachts on one side and the city on the other, and you see the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla and the Old Town skyline behind it.

This is the part of the tour where Barcelona's relationship with the sea becomes clear. The guide explains how the port shaped the city's trade and how the waterfront was redesigned. It is also one of the easiest places to take photographs from the saddle.

Barceloneta beach front and the Olympic Port

The last section follows the beach promenade of Barceloneta, the old fishermen's neighbourhood, and continues to the Olympic Port with its marina, the twin towers and Frank Gehry's giant golden fish sculpture. Riding beside the sand with the sea breeze in your face is why many people choose this tour over a walking one.

The pace is gentle and rules for shared paths are explained beforehand, so you always ride safely around pedestrians. A Segway tour of Barcelona is a fun way to see the beach front in around two hours, and it leaves you free to return on foot for a swim or a meal afterwards.