Cycling in Paris

Nick, I had planned to ride in Paris, however my wife ultimately was not comfortable with it, which I could understand. In researching the idea, I found there is quite a lot to know as far as what's customary when riding in traffic, knowing what is a bus lane, the turn rules, etc. Certainly the more familiar you and your companion can become with the rules of the road, the better the experience will be. I would encourage you to secure or bring helmets, and to consider travel insurance-it's not very expensive-just in case you wind up on the pavement at some point.

There are a few online sources for bike path maps, also Strava routes that others have been posted, see links below. I understand there are bike rentals available at the Bois de Vincennes, not sure if that is private or a Velib station though. You could also consider renting a bicycle locally for a few days, where you'd have some choice as to quality level and type instead of relying on Velib, though it is dependent on your accommodations and whether you can keep the bike there-hotel, apartment, etc. There is a Velib station at the Bois de Boulogne, and this area could provide hours of riding with relatively little traffic to contend with.

There are few things I would like to do more than get my road bike over to Europe and ride there! Educate yourself, and be safe!

https://www.strava.com/local/fr/paris/cycling/routes?hl=en-US

http://parismap360.com/paris-bike-map#.VvQNPXqA-po

Paris bike share:
http://en.velib.paris.fr/

Take a bike, return it where you like, Vélib’ is a self-service bike
system available 24 hours a day, all year round. To access the
service, buy a 1-day or a 7-day ticket online or at any Vélib’ station
or sign-up for a long-term subscription!

Looks like you can buy one day and/or seven day passes. If you try it out, please report back.

PS. Watching Parisian cyclist circumnavigate the Arc de Triomphe multi-lane traffic circle was spell-binding.

Note that you cannot bike in city parks. I have seen tickets issued to tourists doing this in the Luxembourg Gardens (and they were riding those twerpy little suitcase bikes, hardly a threat to anything or anyone.) It is just off limits.

You could rent a velib near the Bois de Bologne or Parc Vincennes but there is a half hour limit for the low rates. You might want to find a different rental option if you want to spend a long time riding.

Thank you for the excellent suggestions. As I will probably be cycling in the Loire, I may forego the cycling in Paris after I study the links that you sent.

I used the Velib bike share program last summer. It was quite easy to use. Go online and set up an account. There are bike stands every few blocks. We really enjoyed riding along the river.

The last post had some misinformation. You do not have to turn your bike in every 30 minutes if you are willing to pay for the rental. Be sure you know what the prices are.

It is possible to "swap out" the bike every 30 minutes and ride for free. I rode for a few hours without swapping out (on purpose- my sister didn't want to be a cheapskate. I am usually happy to be a cheapskate) and the cost was just a few euros.

We rode mainly on bike paths or in bike lanes. I think it would be easier to ride a bike in Paris than to drive in Paris.

The Velibs are part of the public transport system so the pricing is designed to assure turnover and availability. If you want a long day in the saddle, rent a bike from an agency that rents by the day. I know an American ex pat who does bike tours in the region around Paris; he can help arrange a bike and plan a trip to interesting small towns and such that are hard to see unless you bike or drive. That might be more fun that fighting traffic in Paris. www.frenchmystiquetours.com

Biking in Paris is great! I wrote about my experience last May using the Velib bikes so here is a quick recap....

I knew my wife would be hesitant to ride in the city so our first day we did a tour with Blue Bike tours (Fat Bike also seems very good). We had a great time, learned the rules of the road and how to easily navigate the busy streets. I also signed up for the Velib system before our trip and the 7 euro per person was the best investment of our trip. We road the bikes every day as our main mode of transportation and by the end of the week were navigating the city like locals.

If the only thing you do with the bikes is ride along down by the river it would still be money well spent.

My best tip is take a compass and a small cheap map (hotel freebie) folded so you can easily see the area you want to navigate. Mark the velib stations near your destination ahead of time.