Has anybody ever used a segway in Madrid?

I have never tried but I found this website www.madsegs.com and it seems a good way to spend an afternoon and have some fun. :jump:

never been in one but they are reliable as i work as consultant in the tourist industry
here is what one had to say about them

"On my last trip in Jan 06 I saw a tour like I've never seen before and thought you may want to have a look at as there is nothing about it on your website. I stopped the chap and asked ....ended up going on a tour of the city centre on a Segway. Its brilliant, the best expierience I've had in a long time."

hope it helps you

Segways might be perfect for Madrid because they work on a gyroscope system which might/should keep you upright after being bumped by so many pedestrians. Plus, those whom are looking forward while walking would definitely see you coming, being much taller than everyone else.

HOWEVER, I can't imagine using one in, say, Puerta del Sol or wherever there are a lot of pedestrians what with all the baby strollers and older persons with canes or arm-in-arm with walking assistants.

If you try a segway in Madrid please to tell us of your experience. Thanks!

Saludos, MadridMan

Personally, I am not impressed at all. I have never been on one, but I just enjoy walking. Bumping into other people in Madrid is a part of living there and does add a certain character to living in the victorious city.

I have seen people on Segways in Opera and even on the Castellana. Call me old-fashioned, but I just prefer walking to being on a Segway. I don't think that they are innovative at all and they certainly didn;t catch on in the US as people hoped they would. Americans are not giving up their cars.

Shawn

I would not use a Segway. One, I just think they look weird, rolling around on a two wheeled scooter dealy in a crowd of people.

Also, think of others around you. Would you want a rolly dealy breathing down your neck while you were walking?

Personally, when I travel I try to fit in as best I can. A Segway SCREAMS tourist, and from a practical aspect, can make you more suceptible to scams and pickpockets.

El torero,

We agree on this point. The Segways that I have seen in Madrid have been used by tourists. I hope that it doesn't catch on at all in Spain.

If one really wants to enjoy and savor a city, the best way to do that is by walking and stopping from time to time to enjoy the richness that the city has to offer.

Shawn

I just returned from 10 days in Madrid yesterday. On Saturday, my family and I took the Segway tour. The posters that refer to preferring walking as a mode of transportation have missed the point. This is not meant to be general transportation in this situation, it is a fun activity and a different way to see the city. Antony, the tour guide and company owner, takes his tourers around the city on smaller side streets and wider spaces for the most part. We did make our way around Plaza Mayor which was crowded, but Antony minimized how much we were among the crowds. We went up to the Egyptian Temple, around the Palacio Real, through Plaza del Oriente, and up small streets to Plaza Mayor. The tour included a stop for drinks and tapas and a chance to rest our feet. Antony takes photos throughout the experience and presents you with a CD at the end. We all enjoyed this activity very much. Yes, it brands one as a tourist (for about 3 hours), but it is a way to see the city from a different and novel viewpoint.

Don't condemn it out of hand without trying it first!

Eve

Eve,

Thanks for your wonderful comments. Let's take a look at the word CONDEMN according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary.

If you go back and read what I have said, I am not condemning anything. Let's take a look at definition 3. I have never said that people shouldn't use them. I simply stated that I prefer walking and getting in good exercise.

If others want to do it and enjoy it, such as you have, by all means please do. I, personally, am not impressed with it at all and have no interest in trying it out.

DISCLAIMER:

I am not condemning Segways, nor am I saying that they are unfit for use. Please drive safely and always obey the speed limit.

Shawn

Shawn,

I am saddened that you took my use of the word "condemn" so literally. I believe that these boards are a wonderful way to exchange information and have learned a lot from them. My point, which I've apparently not conveyed clearly above, is that a Segway tour is a nice activity for an afternoon and does not replace walking and touring the city in-depth as we did during the other nine days we were in Madrid.

Please forgive me for not being clear in my original post. Hopefully I did not offend you as you did by quoting Webster's dictionary in response to an offhand and, I thought, light-hearted, comment.

Eve

Eve
i am glad you enjoy your trip of Madrid and had fun in sedways;indeed another way to see a city. The choice is there.
anyway it seems the ride took you to some lovely places that i remember so well and missed. Maybe you should tell us where you ate tapas?
thanks