TEXT/PHOTO: Judith Alberth
As travellers we are always interested to see the environment around us. We maybe should try not
to destroy it with too much pollution. How to do so as a traveller? As we always need to go from
one point to an other we should try not to use that much of cars or maybe travel even without buses.
That's the reason why I tried to explore Thessaloniki by bike.
To be honest, Thessaloniki is not a city which is made for riding a bike. The traffic is not just awful
at rush-hour it is hell. Driving on the streets by bike can be quite dangerous. The first time I heard
about renting a bike was at the bike marathon in autumn. The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) was
helping the students to rent the bikes and follow the marathon, which was supposed to be a sign for
the city to improve more bicycle routes in the centre.
Today I finally did some research and rent a bike with one of my friends. I went to the BikeIt rental at the seaside, to the left of the white tower.(http://www.enjoythessaloniki.com/travel/travelling-around-thessaloniki-by-bike/) On the way there we already saw a lot of people on this special bikes on which you can sit with three, four or six people. You don't need a reservation for a bike, they have a lot of them. We paid eight euros together, four euros each. For this prize you can rent it for an hour. When we started I was wondering how you ride a bike like that but it was very easy. I felt good because we did some sports but actually you don't have to move that much and when your partner is not looking at you, you can even stop to pedal and he maybe don't get it.
If
you are in the mood I can appreciate to drink a small cold beer during the one hour drive. Because
your are going on the lines next to the seaside you have a great view for the whole time. We did a
small brake at the concert hall to watch the sun going down and coloring the sea purple. The bigger
bikes are very nice for families, we saw a lot of them on the road. Moreover it is good for people
who have difficulties with walking. On the bike you can see very much of the seaside and the port
which is one of the most important environment in Thessaloniki.
I thought these bikes are maybe an alternative for the tour-bus but I have to admit that the bicycles
are not working like that. You can just use them for the seaside on the routes they marked for you,
the bus isn't going that way anyway.
Still I have to say it was worth it. If you want to have a funny one hour, doing a bit of sport and
watching the seaside, renting a bike is perfect for an afternoon-activity. At the BikeIt rental you can
also rent single bikes for doing real sport. If you stay in Thessaloniki for longer you can rent a bike
at Thessbike (i-bike) for six month. (http://ibike.thessbike.gr/en/charges-en )You can get a card to charge and when you need a bike you just
go there and you can use it for a day or a few months.
Coming to a conclusion, the city is pretty hard to explore by bike because of the traffic and the hill but if you are brave enough you can see spots out of the centre without using the bus and destroyingthe environment you want to admire. For a fun activity it is really nice to rent one of the specialbikes and drive a long the beautiful seaside of Thessaloniki.
Today I finally did some research and rent a bike with one of my friends. I went to the BikeIt rental at the seaside, to the left of the white tower.(http://www.enjoythessaloniki.com/travel/travelling-around-thessaloniki-by-bike/) On the way there we already saw a lot of people on this special bikes on which you can sit with three, four or six people. You don't need a reservation for a bike, they have a lot of them. We paid eight euros together, four euros each. For this prize you can rent it for an hour. When we started I was wondering how you ride a bike like that but it was very easy. I felt good because we did some sports but actually you don't have to move that much and when your partner is not looking at you, you can even stop to pedal and he maybe don't get it.
If
you are in the mood I can appreciate to drink a small cold beer during the one hour drive. Because
your are going on the lines next to the seaside you have a great view for the whole time. We did a
small brake at the concert hall to watch the sun going down and coloring the sea purple. The bigger
bikes are very nice for families, we saw a lot of them on the road. Moreover it is good for people
who have difficulties with walking. On the bike you can see very much of the seaside and the port
which is one of the most important environment in Thessaloniki.
I thought these bikes are maybe an alternative for the tour-bus but I have to admit that the bicycles
are not working like that. You can just use them for the seaside on the routes they marked for you,
the bus isn't going that way anyway.
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