Sachelis

I'll be flying into Barcelona in mid-June and I'm looking for a hotel where I can assemble my airline-boxed bike and store it for the night before beginning a ride through the Pyrenees. I can't tell from the multitude of hotels on the internet if I'd have bike storage, let alone if I could assemble it. I'll be heading up the coast in the morning, so nearer the sea would be better. Thanks for your advice!

znomit

Drop these fantastic bike hire/tour guys a line an ask about accommodation:
https://www.terradiversions.com/eng/index.asp
Located fairly centrally in Barcelona and can probably give you some tips for the trip too.

Machka 

Is Barcelona a good place for cycling? I'm waivering about whether I want to go there or not.

Sachelis

Thanks znomit. I wrote terradiversions a note.

Sachelis

I haven't been to Barcelona before. I'm heading up to the Pyrenees and will only be in Spain for three days, but https://terradiversions.com (suggested by znomit) looks like a reasonable starting place for information about cycling in Barcelona.

mistercharlie

Pretty much any non-posh hotel will let you bring a bike inside and most will have a place to store it. If you are planning to toss the box, then you could assemble the bike at the airport and ride into town. I could send you a route avoiding main roads if you like.

I can also store the box for you -- I live in Barcelona.

The city is compact, so it's easy to get out along the coast from anywhere. I'm on a train right now, but when I get back I'll send some more advice. Might even be able to find you a place to stay!

Sachelis

Thanks Mr. Charlie! I am planning to toss the box, but I couldn't find a route from the airport that didn't seem to use freeways. I'd appreciate it tremendously if you could send me a route from the airport. That would save me the cost of a taxi. And a recommendation on a hotel or two would be great, too.

Mucho Gracias!

Pedaleur

Barcelona/Costa Brava/Girona are great for cycling. I've personally ridden Tarragona -> Barcelona and St. Feliu de Guixols -> Girona, and they were great rides. And given all the pros that ride from Girona, I don't think you can go wrong.

Sachelis

I'm planning to ride from Barcelona, to Mataro and then Vic, then north into France, then riding west through Pyrenees (Catalanes, Anegeoises, etc), then through Baztan Spain, and up to Bayonne France. Taking the smallest roads I can find and hitting Col after Col. Self-supported and mostly camping.

Jacque Lucque

If you want to save some cash and meet interesting people, I can highly highly recommend the Barcelona Urbany hostel. A lovely modern building which was very secure. The staff were all very friendly, efficient and it cost nothing! I highly doubt they'd bat an eyelid with you bringing a bike box inside. You get a free all you can eat breakfast too (:

We stayed here for just one night as a connection before we headed further south the next day and had no problems.

https://www.barcelonaurbany.com/

Pedaleur

Yeah, that'll be fantastic. I was there in March (2008), and it was far too cold and snowy to ride up to the national park (Cadi Moixero) and Andorra. Always wanted to ride in Andorra.

Sachelis

I'll be east of Andorra, mostly because I want to go through the Pyrenees-Orientales, but it's on my list of places for a future ride if I can pull this one off.

Here's my planned route.

Ekdog

Really? Did you get a special deal or is it always free?

Jacque Lucque

Sorry, I should have been more clear. In comparison to every single other place in Barcelona, it cost practically nothing! (:

Sachelis

Thanks for the suggestion, Jacque! The Urbany looks fun, but "vibrant and trendy" isn't really what I'm looking for. Simple, clean, and quiet with bike storage would be perfect. I'll be fighting jet lag and plan to be riding at 0600 the next day.

Sachelis

Following up on this thread, a fellow crazyguyonabike blogger let me stay in his family's apartment in Barcelona. I've been writing about my adventures on crazyguy (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Pyrenees2012). It's been a fantastic trip. I started in Barcelona, spent three days cycling north into the French Pyrenees, and have been travelling west across the Pyrenees (dipping into Spain a few times). I've ridden ~15 Cols that have been in Le Tour (fully loaded--it has been a grunt) while camping in the wild most nights. It's my 4th trip to France, but the first time I've truly experienced the small French towns and villages. What a way to travel!

chasm54

Sounds absolutely fantastic. The Pyrenees are close to the top of my list for my next big tour.