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CYCLING


© Paris Tourist Office -
Photographe : David Lefranc
Exploring the city on a bike brings with it a sense of freedom. You can go wherever you choose and park where you like (as long as there’s something solid to lock your bike to). It also lets you get to know the parts of the city that lie between the monuments, tourist spots and metro stops.

Paris isn’t as dangerous as you might think: the cars never really go very fast and drivers are relatively prudent. Nevertheless, a little advice to help you stay safe:

- Respect the direction of one-way streets, at the end of the day the traffic as a whole moves more fluidly when everyone is going in the same direction.

- Make clear and obvious signals to motorists (for example, when you want to turn left, pass in front of the car with your left arm extended.

- If you have no choice but to go up on the footpath, go slowly as bicycles can scare pedestrians.
New works are being carried out by the city hall and bit by bit, the pavements along the big avenues are improving (except the quays of the 6th and 7th arrondissements) though not in terms of pollution. Elsewhere, the little streets do very nicely, allowing the cyclist to wander freely about (paradoxically, these streets are more dangerous for cyclists because of their narrowness. Cyclists can also enjoy paths along the canal banks and other areas that are closed to traffic on Sundays.

The map of pistes cyclables (separated and surfaced) and bandes cyclables (at the side of the road), drawn up by the city hall, can be found in tourist offices, La Mairie de Paris, around the Mairie de Paris, Paris-capital and Pariscope.

(Map of cycle paths in Ile de France, provided by the Institute of Urbanism and Improvement in Ile de France.

Associations for the preservation of the bicycle:

- Le Réseau Vert à Paris (The Parisian Green Network)

- Le MDB (who organise cycling outings around Paris)

- La Fubicy (national cycling federation).

- paris à vélo c'est sympa! (Paris by bike is nice!)

Tél. 01 48 87 60 01
22, rue Alphonse Baudin, Paris 11è
Métro Richard-Lenoir

Guided cycling visits in Paris, afternoon and evening, bicycle rental approved.

RATP improvements to encourage cycling (parking for bicycles):

"Roue libre" bicycles trips (ratp) : bike rental and organised outings.

- PARIS VELO RENT A BIKE
2-4, rue du Fer à Moulin, Paris 5è
Tél. 01 43 37 59 22
Bike rental, guided discovery trips around Paris.
Fold-up bicycles available from the Paris Tourist Information Office

- ESCAPADE NATURE
3, rue Antoine Vollon, Paris 12è
Tél. 01 53 17 03 18
Bike trips around Paris: the beautiful Paris: medieval and renaissance; the countryside in Paris, Paris at night, (easy) trips from Paris to the Ile de France region.

We’ve described the main ways of getting about in the city; all that remains is for you to choose the transport that most appeals to you. Good visit!