Sonar 2008, insider tip #1: hire bikes

Sonar 2008, insider tip #1: hire bikes

18 June, 2008 | 6.48AM

• Written by: Christen Reutens
• Filed under: Music News: sonar 2008

Barcelona on any normal day is a hectic city with thousands of people walking in every direction through the narrow cobbled streets, whilst cars, buses and bikes honk at them like crocodiles snapping at the edge of a river.

But during Sonar week, the city is even more intense as hundreds of thousands of electronic music fans descend on Barcelona mixing with the June summer tourist rush.

Getting around Barcelona therefore, is a pain-in-the-bleeding-ass (to put in mildly).

There are not enough taxis, the public transport system is overcrowded, hot and not easy to navigate if you’re aren’t Spanish.

Most taxi ranks have a long line, and tourists desperate not to waste any precious holiday minutes don’t blink twice at pushing in front of you and bribing the nearest free taxi driver.

Sonar veterans then, take the low road and hire bicycles.

Not only are they cheap; it cost us just 70 Euros for one week’s hire – but they’re also really fun.

Weaving through the traffic ignoring traffic lights and overtaking jams is really fun, and you get a good work out too (which is needed considering all the paella and beer we’re consuming).
If you’re really smart, you hire fold away bikes, which means you can pack them up and carry them up to people’s apartments/afterparties (bike theft is quite a big problem in Barcelona).

Bikes of course, do have a downside.

I got a puncture within five minutes of cycling and had to call the hire shop to come and deliver a replacement bike (it only took them ten minutes, but it was a little annoying).

Of course, once alcohol gets thrown into the mix it might be a different story altogether, but for now bikes are the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to get around Barcelona for Sonar 2008.

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