Cycling on the Costa Brava: Day and Week Rates, Bike Types, Deposits
Bicycle rental in Costa Brava costs from €20 a day for a mountain bike taken for three days or more, and up to €50 for a single day on a carbon road or gravel bike. A full week runs from €155 to €260 depending on the type. Below: how the daily rate falls with each extra day, which bike suits which ride, where bikes are collected, what the summer does to prices and how large the deposit is.
Day rates from €20 to €50, and what sets the figure
Across the market, a one-day bicycle hire on this stretch of coast and inland around Girona sits between €20 and €50. The spread is 2.5 times for the same unit of time, and almost all of it is explained by two things: the type of bike and the number of days you book.
Market rates by bike type
| Bike | One day | Lower daily rate | When the lower rate applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road or gravel, Girona | €50 | €37 | 7-day rental (€260) |
| Carbon road or gravel, Lloret de Mar | €50 | €45 / €40 | 2–6 days / 7 days or more |
| Mountain, Girona | €40 | €28 | 7-day rental (€195) |
| Mountain, Lloret de Mar | €25 | €20 | 3 days or more |
| Trekking or city, Girona | €30 | €22 | 7-day rental (€155) |
Why a road bike costs twice a mountain bike
The top of the range belongs to carbon road and gravel bikes. On the coast these come with Shimano Tiagra, 105 or Ultegra groupsets on the road side and Shimano GRX on the gravel side; in Girona the same €50 buys named models such as the Bianchi Infinito road bike or the Bianchi Impulso Comp GRX gravel bike. These are machines built for long days on tarmac and forest tracks, and their price reflects it. A mountain bike on the coast starts at €25 for a day, half the road rate, and a trekking or city bike in Girona costs €30. So the first decision is not the shop or the town but the ride you plan: a coastal road loop and a gentle ride along a greenway are different products with different prices.
Same type, different town
The type does not fix the price on its own. For a single day, a road bike costs €50 in Girona and €50 in Lloret de Mar, so on the dearest bikes the two towns agree. Mountain bikes are where they part: €40 for a day in Girona against €25 on the coast, a difference of €15, or 60 per cent. In my view the honest comparison is to set the same type and the same number of days side by side, because the cheapest figure in a list is usually a different bike, a longer rental or both.
One day, three days or a full week
Every rate on the market falls as the rental gets longer, but the steps come at different points. Some shops cut the daily price from the second or third day, others only for a full week, and the step you land on changes the total more than the town does.
What a rental costs by length
| Days | Carbon road, coast | Mountain, coast | Road or gravel, Girona | Mountain, Girona | Trekking, Girona |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €50 | €25 | €50 | €40 | €30 |
| 2 | €90 | €50 | — | — | — |
| 3 | €135 | €60 | — | — | — |
| 6 | €270 | €120 | — | — | — |
| 7 | €280 | €140 | €260 | €195 | €155 |
A dash means there is no fixed rate for that length on that bike: in Girona prices are set for one day and for seven.
The cheap extra day
The most useful figure in the table is hidden in the last two rows. A carbon road bike on the coast costs €45 a day for two to six days and €40 a day from the seventh, so six days come to €270 and seven to €280 — the seventh day adds just €10. The mountain bike works the same way earlier in the week: two days at €25 cost €50, while three days at the lower €20 rate cost €60, so the third day adds €10. If your plans sit one day short of a step, it is almost always worth booking the extra day and returning the bike early rather than paying the higher rate for the shorter rental. Ask before you return early, though, because the market rates say nothing about refunds for unused days.
How much a week saves
Measured against seven single days, the weekly prices take off between a fifth and almost a third. A road or gravel bike in Girona would cost €350 at the one-day rate and costs €260 for the week, a saving of €90. A mountain bike there drops from €280 to €195, which saves €85, or about 30 per cent. A trekking bike goes from €210 to €155, saving €55. On the coast the week saves 20 per cent on both types: €70 on a carbon road bike and €35 on a mountain bike. The cheapest full week on the market is the coastal mountain bike at €140; the dearest is a carbon road bike on the coast at €280, with Girona's road and gravel week €20 cheaper at €260.
Road, gravel, mountain, trekking or folding
Five kinds of bicycle make up the market here, and each answers a different kind of day. The prices above only make sense once you know which of them you actually need.
Road bikes for the coast road and the hills
A road bike is the dearest option and the one most riders come for. Inland from the coast, Girona is a well-known base for road cycling, and search interest for road bike rental on the Costa Brava shows it. The bikes on offer are carbon, with Shimano Tiagra, 105 or Ultegra groupsets, and in Girona the Bianchi Infinito. Expect €50 for a single day on either side, €45 a day for a rental of two to six days on the coast, and €37 a day when a Girona road bike is taken for a week. A road bike rewards long distances on good tarmac and punishes gravel paths, so if your route mixes the two, look at the next type.
Gravel bikes for mixed surfaces
Gravel bikes cost the same as road bikes here: €50 for a day, with the same multi-day steps. They have wider tyres and a more relaxed position, and they are built for routes where tarmac turns into compacted tracks. The market includes the Bianchi Impulso Comp GRX in Girona at €50 a day, a carbon gravel bike with Shimano GRX 11 on the coast, and the Wilier Rave SLR2, a gravel model offered in Girona with the price on request. If you are unsure between road and gravel and your plan includes even one unpaved stretch, gravel is the safer choice at no extra cost.
Mountain bikes for trails and the cheapest day
A mountain bike is the budget option: €25 for a day on the coast, €20 a day from three days, and €40 for a day or €195 for a week in Girona. It is the right tool for forest trails and rough tracks in the hills behind the beaches, and a sensible pick for riders who want a sturdy bike for short, steep rides near the resort rather than long road distances. On a smooth coast road, though, a mountain bike is slower and heavier work than a road bike, so the low price only pays off if the terrain matches.
Trekking, city and folding bikes
A trekking or city bike costs €30 for one day and €155 for a week in Girona, €22 a day over seven days. It suits relaxed riding on flat greenways and around town, with an upright position that is easier on the back than a road bike. A Brompton folding bike is also offered in Girona with the price on request; it fits riders who want to combine cycling with trains or buses. If you want help on the climbs, electric bikes have their own section on this site, where day rates start from €25.
Girona or the coast: where the bikes are handed over
The bicycle market of the Costa Brava has two centres. One is Girona, the inland city that serves as the main base for road and gravel riders; the other is the beach resorts, with Lloret de Mar the clearest example. Where you sleep decides which of the two price ladders you are on.
Girona as the base for road and gravel riding
Girona is where most of the specialised supply sits. For bike rental in Girona, the market offers road, gravel, mountain, trekking and folding bikes, named Bianchi and Wilier models, and weekly prices for every type. One Girona base also delivers bikes along the Costa Brava, which matters if you stay on the coast but want a road or gravel bike of that level. When comparing a delivered bike with a pick-up in a resort, ask what the delivery adds to the price, because the market rates in the tables above are for collection.
Lloret de Mar and the beach resorts
On the coast the offer is narrower but cheaper for longer rentals. In Lloret de Mar the market covers carbon road bikes, carbon gravel bikes and mountain bikes, with daily rates that step down after the first or second day rather than only for a full week. That is why a three-day rental of a mountain bike costs €60 on the coast. For a rider staying in a resort for a few days and planning two or three rides, the coastal ladder is usually the better fit; for a full cycling week built around long road routes, Girona's choice of bikes is wider.
Matching the base to the route
A simple way to decide is to start from the first ride. If it begins with a climb into the hills or a long road loop, collecting the bike where the route starts saves a transfer with a bike in the car. If the plan is a greenway between the inland towns and the sea, a trekking bike from Girona and an easy ride towards the coast is a natural day. And if the bikes are only for short rides from the hotel, a mountain bike in the resort costs the least and needs no transport at all.
High season, low season and the price gap between them
Prices on the coast move with the season, and the gap is wider than most visitors expect. Market estimates for the area put a basic city bike at €3–10 a day in the low season and €15–30 in the high season.
How far the summer lifts prices
At the bottom of each range the high-season rate is five times the low-season one: €15 against €3. At the top it is three times: €30 against €10. For road, gravel and electric bikes the same estimates give €25–45 a day in the high season. The rates in the tables above — €40 to €50 a day for a carbon road bike — sit at the upper end of that band, so they are best read as summer prices for good bikes rather than as typical year-round figures.
What the season means for planning
The market data does not name the months of each season, so I would not plan a budget around a particular week. What it does show is that the season matters more for simple bikes than for carbon road bikes, whose rates were already at the top of the range. If your dates are flexible and you only need a basic bike for riding around town, travelling outside the peak can cut the daily cost several times over. If you come for road riding, the €50 day rate is already a summer-level price, so the season changes your budget less; what it can change is the choice left on the day, so fixing the bike and the dates in advance is the safer move for summer.
Deposit, accident cover and the helmet rule
Two conditions shape a bicycle rental here beyond the price: a security deposit that every rental requires, and a helmet rule that depends on where you ride.
How large the deposit is
| Bike | Deposit | With accident cover (€8 a day) |
|---|---|---|
| Road, gravel or electric | €500 | €100 |
| Mountain or trekking | €300 | €100 |
A €500 deposit equals ten days of a €50 road bike, so the money held during the rental is usually larger than the rental itself. On a mountain bike at €40 a day, the €300 deposit equals seven and a half days; on a trekking bike at €30 a day, ten days. Plan for the deposit in your card limit or cash before you arrive at the counter.
When the accident cover is worth it
An optional accident cover at €8 a day lowers the deposit to €100 for every type of bike. For a week that adds €56: on a Girona road or gravel week of €260 the total rises to €316, while the deposit held falls by €400. On a mountain bike week of €195 the total becomes €251 and the deposit drops by €200. So the cover costs about a fifth of a road bike week, and the question is less about price than about how much money you are willing to leave blocked for seven days. Read what the cover includes before you buy it, because the market rates only state its effect on the deposit.
The helmet rule
In Spain a helmet is compulsory for cyclists on interurban roads at any age, and in town it is mandatory only for riders under 16. In practice that means anyone riding between towns — which describes most road and gravel routes here — needs a helmet. Ask whether a helmet is included with the bike or charged separately, and bring your own if you prefer a fit you know. For children under 16 a helmet is required in town as well, so a family ride along the seafront needs helmets for the younger riders even if the adults go without.
Key points before you pick up a bike
Five figures to keep in mind
- Day rate: €20–50 across the market; €25 for a coastal mountain bike, €50 for a carbon road or gravel bike.
- Week: €155 for a trekking bike, €195 for a mountain bike and €260 for a road or gravel bike in Girona; a week saves 20–30 per cent against single days.
- The cheap extra day: on the coast the third mountain-bike day and the seventh road-bike day each add only €10.
- Deposit: €500 for road, gravel and electric bikes, €300 for mountain and trekking bikes, €100 with accident cover at €8 a day.
- Helmet: compulsory on interurban roads for everyone, in town for riders under 16.
Four questions to ask before you pay
Before you settle on a bike, line up four facts for each quote. First, the type and the groupset or model, because a mountain bike at €25 and a carbon road bike at €50 are different products. Second, the number of days and the step it falls on — two days, three days or seven — since one extra day can cost as little as €10. Third, the deposit and whether accident cover changes it. Fourth, whether the price is for collection or includes delivery to your hotel. A quote that answers all four can be compared with any other; one that leaves a gap is not yet a full price.