Bloggin’ la vida loca

So how does your average IESE MBA get around Barcelona and travel between home and school?

By bicycle? Only daredevils will face the challenge of getting with a bike through Barcelona rush hour and commit to pedaling uphill to IESE every day.

By bus? It is the choice of transport for some since there are plenty available bus routes and the tickets are fairly cheap (EUR 1.50 for a single ride, if you buy more tickets at once or purchase a monthly ticket, it gets even cheaper). But, the bus ride can take a long time and the schedules are not too reliable (although still better than in the United States).

By metro? No! IESE (and for that matter ESADE as well) are both located in Pedralbes - an area which unfortunately does not host any metro stations. The closest station is Maria Cristina on Avinguda Diagonal. Getting of there requires a 25-35 minute walk uphill.

By cab? Only one of my fellow students chose this option. You need deep pockets if you ride by cab everyday. As you can see in the picture above, there is an abundance of cabs in Barcelona and the rates are what I consider acceptable compared to other cities. Still, I think this solution should only be used in emergencies - and it is not always fast as the cabs get stuck in traffic as well - despite designated cab lanes on the main roads.

By scooter or motorcycle? No we are talking! The majority of IESE students gets around via scooter (and some who have the proper license via motorcycles). It is really the only way of getting anywhere in the city within a relatively short time, it is an affordable means of transportation and you maintain your independence. But most importantly, riding two motorized wheels is a LOT of fun!

Buying, renting or importing your wheels

I imported my motorcycle from Germany, because the second-hand market in Germany is much more active and offers better value-for-money than in Spain. I had to pay a specialized firm close to EUR 500,- to ship my bike to Barcelona, but it was worth it since they also included a couple of heavy boxes containing my books and other things. Even with the added 500, I felt it was worth it. I would not do the same, if I had bought a scooter or came from a country, where prices lie above those in Spain. To get an idea about the prices you can expect, look at eBay Spain or some of the local specialized online markets.

Moreover, every year scooters are passed on from leaving students to the new incoming students. Some are good deals, some are bad ones. Try to look at the moto only and ignore “special offers” that include locks and helmets. Most of the times, the helmets are not worth their money and a decent lock is available for less than EUR 30.00. Alternatively, there are numerous offers from dealerships (Peugeot has a good deal for instance) which allow you to purchase brand new (low-end) models. If you are price-sensitive you should check out some of the Chinese brands that I have never seen before outside Spain. Most students drive Peugeot, Piaggio (Vespa) or Honda scooters.

You can also rent a scooter, just to see if you can handle riding a scooter. It also is a cool way to discover your new city Barcelona. A former IESE alum has started the scooter rental company Cooltra which has special relations with IESE. Other scooter rental companies include MondoRent or Barcelona Rent A Scooter. Cooltra allows clients to purchase the scooter for a discount after the rental period. While this might sound enticing, you should talk to IESE students on the discussion board, since not everyone was too pleased with the quality of the scooters.

One final pointer: most 2nd-year students leave in April/May. This is when you can get the best deals within the IESE community since sellers are abundant and buyers are non-existent, because 1st-year students already purchased their vehicle and the new students have not yet arrived. So if you buy early, you might get a sweet deal.

This post is getting quite long, so I will split it up in several parts. I will follow up and write some more about safety and security as well as the annoying issue of getting a new or keeping your old driver’s license.

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Barcelona, IESE, MBA