Center Parcs Bike Hire – Everything You Need to Know

The best way to get around Center Parcs is by cycling. You can bring your own bike to Center Parcs or hire one from the Cycle Centre. On our most recent visit to Center Parcs (October 2023), the cost of hiring a bike from Monday to Friday was:

• Adults Standard Bike: £42
• Adults Premium Bike: £60
• Adults Electric Mountain Bike: £60
• Children’s Bike: £31
• Kids Balance Bike: £31
• Childs Bike Seat: £21
• Childs Trailer: £42
• Tag-a-long with Adult Cycle: £73
• Tandem Bike: £84
• Helmet (All Sizes): £3

The cost of hiring a bike at Center Parcs is based on a variety of factors, including:

• The Center Parcs Village
• Bike hire duration
• Bike type

As a result, the cost for you to hire a bike at Center Parcs may vary. Unfortunately, Center Parcs only provides the exact bike hire cost for your break on the activity booking page. You get access to this page once you’ve booked your break.

How to Hire Bikes at Center Parcs

There are two ways you can hire a bike at Center Parcs:

1. Online in advance using the activity booking page on the website.
2. In-person from the Cycle Centre at the Center Parcs village.

Hiring a bike at Center Parcs is on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, unless you’re visiting in the height of summer, you should be okay hiring a bike in person.

Bike hire bookings, collections and returns are all done at the Cycle Centre. The Cycle Centre is signposted clearly on every Center Parcs village map.

You can collect your bike from the Cycle Centre from 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm on the day of check-in. You will then need to return your bike to the Cycle Centre between 8:00 am and 10:00 am on the day of check-out.

Despite check-in and check-out only being on Mondays and Fridays, the Cycle Centre at Center Parcs is open daily from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. You can visit the Cycle Centre at any time to:

• Report issues with your bike
• Purchase or rent additional bike equipment
• Hire a bike for a shorter duration

On my most recent trip to Center Parcs, I hired a bike for the duration of our stay. However, my son was having trouble using the balance bike I brought.

As a result, I went to the Cycle Centre mid-week to hire a child’s bike seat. This way, he could sit on the back of my bike as I cycled around the Center Parcs village.

Do You Need a Bike at Center Parcs?

The cost of hiring a bike at Center Parcs is not cheap. Especially if you’re a family of three or four, you could easily be looking at more than £150. If you’re anything like me, this begs the question: are bikes necessary at Center Parcs?

I have been to Center Parcs several times over the past decade, and only once have I not had access to a bike. When I travelled to Center Parcs with my wife, as a couple, before we had kids.

Center Parcs villages are fairly spread out. As a result, it can easily take 15 to 20 minutes to walk from your lodge to an activity area. In most cases, kids are more entertained cycling between locations than walking. 

However, it often comes with more bumps and bruises, so be sure to add a small first-aid kit to your packing list.

With that being said, there are a few ways you can reduce the cost of hiring a bike at Center Parcs:

• Only hire one bike and share it: We did this on our most recent trip as a family of three; we had one bike with a child seat. The other person walked or jogged alongside.
• Bring your own bike: If you don’t have a bike, consider buying a cheap one second-hand for the trip. It can sometimes be cheaper than hiring one.
• Bring alternatives: If you don’t have a bike, consider bringing a scooter or skateboard instead.

If this is your first time going to Center Parcs, it’s tough to know if you’re going to want to or need to use a bike. In that case, I recommend waiting until you get to the Center Parcs village and see how you feel.

If you decide you don’t need a bike, great. However, if you want to try a bike out, you can hire one from the Cycle Centre for one or two days of your trip, extending the rental duration as needed.