I have read the reviews and they look pretty good... but I am still unsure. We have 3 days in Paris in early April and we like a fairly leisurely pace. This looks fun, but I am not sure. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Which tour is it? "Electric Bike Tour" yields many results.
I didn’t take a tour, but I did use the Paris bike share program to ride along the Seine. It is quite easy to use. https://wanderlustcrew.com/how-to-use-velib-paris-bike-share/
I found Paris traffic a bit intimidating away from the river paths, and mostly rode by the river.
I took an electric bike tour with a then teen daughter in 2007 with ParisCharmsandSecrets. I hadn't been on a bike in years but even after 3 or 4 hours I could have done it again.
We had an excellent guide and rode from Place Vendome to the Arenes du Lutece in the east to the Eiffel Tower in the west and all kinds of stops in between. We were extra lucky in that there was only one other person on the tour so it felt really personalized.
Yes, I was looking at ParisCharmsandSecrets. They have great reviews. I am hesitating because 1) I haven't been on a bike for a while but like the thought of it being electric and I think it would be fun for my 18 yr old son and 2) we are going in early April and I wonder about the weather.
As I mentioned, aside from teaching my daughters to ride, I hadn't ridden a bike for 20 years or more. The electric assist made it really easy. We've been back to Paris several times since and I keep meaning to do it again.
Oh, if you haven't been on a bike in a while, then no, don't have Paris be the place where you ride again! Especially an electric bike, which is faster and less nimble. Biking infrastructure and driver awareness has improved a lot, but it still takes some practice to bike here.
This said, a tour creates "critical mass" that makes it easier. Still, not sure if you'd be comfortable unless you can practice again before you go!
"Oh, if you haven't been on a bike in a while, then no, don't have Paris be the place where you ride again!"
I totally disagree. Our group was just my daughter and me plus one other client, aside from our guide. So hardly a large "mass" of riders. At no time did we feel the least bit unsafe as the route chosen seemed to have safety in mind. And this is from someone who, as I said, had not ridden a bike in over 20 years and my then 15-year-old daughter was born and raised on a farm on a gravel road and had never been on a bike in a city before. And no, the bikes were not fast at all. But the electric assist made them easy to use. The bikes needed to be pedaled, they didn't just whiz along on their own.
Super. Thanks, everyone. I went ahead and booked it. So, we shall see! The reviews were really good, they have been very responsive, I am older but athletic so I am not really worried about biking (altho I haven't been on an electric bike -- sounds fun!) -- I just hope the weather holds out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I will definitely keep safety in mind. I think this will be fun for my 18 yr old son who is traveling with me.
There's a company that offers evening bike tours - Paris by Night, with Fat Bike tours. Decent reviews. I haven't done it yet, but plan to when in Paris this April. (This is despite NOT having been on a bike for at least 15 years!)
Have fun, and bring rainwear!