It’s 20 years old this year and it’s still making progress… albeit at 15kph.
One of the daftest (but enjoyable) forms of leisurely transport, it feels like the Segway has been with us way longer than that.
I first got on a Segway four years ago on the island of Gozo in the Med and was immediately hooked.
And I was surprised to find that despite standing still it is a good form of exercise as the leaning forward makes your calves work.
So here’s a Segway twirl around the world. Me, I’ll always LEAN towards my first: Gozo. https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/malta-easer/(opens in a new tab)
Washington DC:
I had the chance to take a Segway tour of Washington when I visited a couple of years ago… but as you can see I was unfortunately too busy with matters of State such as by making Ireland the 51st State, by Presidential decree.
Washington is an absolute jewel with the White House and the Capitol building, obviously, and its Smithsonian but it can be tiring.
The three-hour On the Go Tours takes in those iconic buildings and the National Museum of National History, Ford’s Theatre (where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated), the National Air and Space Museum, the Washington Museum and much more.
From €68.07. Visit http://www.onthgotours.com.
Amsterdam:
Why should the angry cyclists have all the fun?
It was the one big difference I witnessed between my first time in Amsterdam in 1990 and when I returned last year… the bicycles didn’t have it all to themselves.
Segway City Tours Amsterdam offers an hour and a half ride for €59. You’ll whizz through Jordan, the Dam Square and by the Rijksmuseum and among others. Visit http://www.segwaycitytoursamsterdam.com.
Rome:
Now if you find yourself wandering aimlessly around Rome then you’re doing it right. When in Rome and all that. The Romans love to amble along.
I found myself doing just that spending a day and a night doubling back and retracing my steps around the city centre at the end of the Via Francigena and a 100km walk into the Eternal City. With CaminoWays.com http://www.caminoways.com.
Equally I could have taken any one of a number of themed Segway tours that day which would have saved on the shoe leather.
Bookmundi.com pitches among others Ancient Rome with Segway, a two-hour trip from €68 which will take you to Trajan’s Column and the Capitol Hill, the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, Aventino Hill and the Garden of the Oranges. Visit http://www.bookmundi.com.
And watch out for my Rome on €50.
Hamburg:
The beauty of Segways is that they take the strain off your feet… as does lying back on a double bed in a beach bar (really) by the dock in Saint Pauli.
Mindways Segway Citytour Hamburg is a two-and-a-half hours saunter around this buzzing port city taking in, of course, the riveting Reeperbahn.
With typical German efficiency they will ask you for your driving licence. From €64.80. Visit http://www.segway-citytour.de.
BARCELONA
La Sangria Familia… as I like to call it.
Barcelona is a sprawling old city and exhausting in the sweltering heat we had earlier this month.
Best let the Segway take the strain.
Barcelona Sun Segway has a 150-minutes Gaudi’s Works Segway Tour (12kms) with a discount from €65 now down to €59. And you’ll get entrance to the monuments too.
These, of course, are just some of my favourite cities, and you’ll have your own favourites, so tell me about them. Visit http://www.barcelonasunsegway.com.
And here’s a nod to Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway. Move slowly, my friend.
