A Segway tour: a different way to discover Palma

Are you looking for a different way to discover Palma? Right from Hotels VIVA, how about this idea: take a Segway tour!

Segways are a lightweight, gyroscopic mode of transport, with two wheels and an automatic balancing system that keeps the driver upright. More informally, it’s similar to a skateboard that’s placed longways and that allows you to move about the city safely.

Hiring a Segway to discover Palma has a lot of advantages when you compare it to other vehicles: Segways are electric, clean and green. They also require little power (with a recharging time of 15 minutes you can travel about 1.6 km, and with a full recharge, more than 30 km) and don’t take up much space.

Do you know how a Segway works?

Segways are a type of vehicle appropriate for all kinds of people, regardless of their age or physical condition. Also, since they work with an electric battery, you can travel around Palma and its surrounds without getting tired, while you’re comfortable and out enjoying the sun.

Using a Segway is both simple and intuitive (even kids can use them from 12 years of age and upwards). You just have to get on and lean your body forward or backward to go forwards or backwards.

In fact, one of the strangest things about this kind of vehicle is that it doesn’t have either an accelerator or a brake. Rather, it responds to changes in body posture. What they do have is a handlebar to steer right or left. And if you want to stop, you just have to stand up straight.

The dynamic stability control on a Segway is almost perfect. Why? It’s thanks to the closed cycle of the vehicle as well as other advanced technology such as inclination sensors, high-speed microprocessors, and powerful electric motors that make driving a Segway safe even on rough roads or on slight inclines.

Are you thinking of doing a Segway tour in Mallorca?

You’re sure to love this idea since it’s a tourism activity that’s both interesting and fun.

In Mallorca, you’ll find many companies where you can arrange a Segway tour. You can rent conventional Segways as well as all-terrain ones which have taller, thicker wheels for getting around forest floors and irregular terrain.

At the start, the first kind of Segway will be fine for getting around the capital on two wheels.

For your first time on a Segway tour, we recommend you go around the historical centre of Palma. The route is about 5 kms and you’ll be able to do it in an hour. You’ll visit such spots as the Sea Park, the Dalt Murada, the Arabic Baths, the Palma Cathedral, the Palace of Almudaina, the Santa Eulalia Church, the Plaza Mayor, the Mallorcan Patios, and the Palma Museum of Modern and Contemporaneous Art, known as “Es Baluard”.

Some companies also offer the option of travelling a different route on a Segway, where, apart from the historical centre, you’ll also go to the Palma Port. After the historical route, you’ll drive your Segway to the Maritime Promenade, the zone of Portixol, or Palma Beach.

If you already have experience driving a Segway, you might like the option of hiring a Segway to visit Palma’s surrounds, specifically the bay area. On this tour, a little over 3 hours long, you’ll travel to the Maritime Promenade, the City Garden Beach, or Cala Gamba.

From Hotels VIVA, we want to give you some useful tips before hiring a Segway tour:

• Look for an approved company that includes liability insurance in the price.
• Remember that companies usually give their customers a short course to teach them how to drive a Segway.
• If you want to do a private Segway tour or a tour for a small group, hire it in advance, since, during summertime, Mallorca receives many visitors.
• Wear comfortable shoes. The best shoes for a Segway tour are trainers or closed shoes. Avoid wearing sandals or flip-flops.
• Protect your skin by applying sunscreen before your Segway tour.