A Guide to Bike Rental in the Metro Boston Region

Bluebikes is the city’s public bike-sharing program. Comprising 3,500 bikes spread out over 330 stations throughout Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Everett and Somerville, Bluebikes makes it easy to find and rent a bike whenever and wherever you need one – all you need to do is download the app, and the first 45 minutes of each ride is free if you sign up. Looking to rent a bike near a university? Bluebikes has rental stations near Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College and Boston University. Pro tip: You can buy a single pass for a 30-minute ride, a 24-hour pass or an annual membership.

Located in downtown Boston near Faneuil Hall, Urban Adventours is a convenient place to rent a bike. It has a wide variety of bikes (including kid’s bikes, e-bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes) for rent at affordable prices. Rental periods range from two hours to one month, should you fancy embarking on a longer trip. The shop also offers both private and group bike tours of Boston.

Want to get around the city and also try out a cool new bike you’re thinking about buying? Landry’s rents out high-performance road bikes (as well as bike travel cases and even triathlon wetsuits if you need them). You can easily reserve a bike on Landry’s website and pick it up at any one of its locations which are conveniently located in Boston, Braintree and the suburbs. Bring your own clipless pedals or use the loader platform pedals which are provided with rentals.

Staying north of the river? Cambridge Bicycle is the best place to rent a bike in Cambridge if you want to explore hot spots like the Harvard campus or Kendall Square. The shop offers Linus Dutchi and Roadster Sport three-speed bikes that are equipped with flat-resistant tires, u-locks, helmets and a rear rack. The community-focused bike shop’s rental rate is an affordable $35 per 24 hours.

Based in Jamaica Plain, Ferris Wheels Bike Shop offers easy access to the nearby Southwest Corridor, a 4.7mi (7.5km) off-street bike path that runs all the way from Jamaica Plain to Back Bay. Ferris Wheels Bike Shop rentals include Jamis Allegro city bikes, a helmet, u-lock, basket, bell and map so you have everything you need to get riding safely.

With locations in Back Bay, Boston and scenic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Papa Wheelies makes it easy to rent a bike for both a spin around downtown Boston or a peaceful ride along the water in Portsmouth. The Back Bay location is conveniently located near the popular Charles River Bike Path and both shops feature a huge variety of accessories in case there’s anything else you need.