6 Best Bicycle Rides To Do With A Velib’ in Paris (Short, Medium and Long)

Bike rides are very nice when you’re in the countryside. But not only in the countryside! In Paris too, doing a bike ride can be an enjoyable experience, if you know where to go! That is why we put together for you a few bike rides to do in Paris with a Vélib’ (or a bicycle). A new way to discover the city without missing anything.

velo
Credits : Campus France, Flickr, under Creative Commons 2.0

 

 

About the Vélib’, a self-serving bike service

I hear you saying “bike rides are nice, but what do I do if I’m a tourist and I obviously didn’t bring my bike with me?” Don’t worry; Paris offers a bike-rental service: the Vélib’. There are stations everywhere around Paris where you can pick a Vélib’ and you can put it back in any other station around Paris! The price range is also very accessible.

Prices: The Vélib’ costs 5€ for the day. The first 30 minutes are free, then every half-hour costs 1€.

For more information about the Vélib’ subscriptions, you can check the official website.

To find a Vélib’ station near you, you can check the official Vélib’ website.

To easily find a Vélib’ station on your smartphone, you can download the Official App on Android or Iphone (pages in French)

A velib station in Paris – Credits : Daniel Stockman, Flickr, under Creative Commons 2.0

 

 

The short rides (~3 miles)

1) Bicycle ride in the North of Paris

canal st martin
Credits : Ferdinand Harmsen, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons 2.0

This ride begins near the Parc Monceau, in the 8th arrondissement. By passing through the Boulevard des Batignolles, this ride will take you to the Moulin Rouge, and will get you through the neighbourhoods of Pigalle, Montmartre and Barbès. Finally, you will pass through the Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad and you will end up at the Canal Saint-Martin. If you wish to, you will be able to continue on foot along the Canal Saint-Martin, or cross it and go for a drink on the Quai des Jemmapes, a personal favorite of many Parisians!

Length: 3.3 miles

Duration: 22 min (without breaks)

Departure Vélib’ station: Rue des Chazelles, 8th arrondissement (Metro Courcelles)

Arrival Vélib’ station: Quai de Valmy, 10th arrondissement (Metro Louis Blanc)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

2) Ride in nature

bois de vincennes
Credits : Cristian Bortes, Flickr, under Creative Commons 2.0

This ride starts at Rue de Lyon in the 12th arrondissement, where you will find a Vélib’ station. You will then go through the Coulée Verte, a true vegetation sanctuary in the middle of Paris, and you will go down the Avenue Daumesnil until the Porte Dorée and the Bois de Vincennes. There, you will be able to venture into the woods and go around the Lac Daumesnil. You will even be able to access the two islands in the middle of the lake through the Promenade Maurice Boitel!

Don’t hesitate to stop to take a picture from the Coulée Verte. You can also make a small picnic and eat it on the banks of the lake at the end of your ride!

Length: 3.7 miles

Duration: 20 min (without break)

Departure Vélib’ station: 17, rue Lacuée, 12th arrondissement (metro Gare de Lyon or Ledru-Rollin)

Arrival Vélib’ station: Avenue Daumesnil, 12th arrondissement (metro Porte Dorée)

To see a more detailed map on Google Maps you can click here.

 

 

The medium rides (4 – 6 miles)

3) Paris by night

hotel de ville
Credits: Benh Lieu Song, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons 3.0

To do preferably at night or in the evening, this ride gives you a tour of all the famous Parisian monuments. Go through the Moulin Rouge, the Galeries Lafayettes and the Opéra Garnier, the Place Vendôme, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre pyramid, then the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral and finally the Hôtel de Ville. We can guarantee that an illuminated Paris will amaze you and you will have the opportunity to take beautiful pictures of the monuments! Moreover, there will be a lot fewer tourists than during the day!

Length: 4.5 miles

Duration: 49 min (without breaks)

Departure Vélib’ station: 55 Boulevard de Clichy, 18th arrondissement (metro Blanche)

Arrival Vélib’ station: 11 place de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th arrondissement (métro Hôtel de Ville)

To see a more detailed map on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

4) Alongside the Seine river

seine
Credits: Leo Gonzales, flickr, under Creative Commons 2.0

Perfect for a sunny day, this bicycle ride will take you along the Quais de Seine on the Left Bank of Paris. You will start from the Rue Casals, near the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, and you will ride past the Jardin des Plantes. Then you will pass by the Ile Saint-Louis and the Ile de la Cité, where you will be able to admire the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral! A little further, you will ride by the Musée d’Orsay, the Pont Alexandre III and the Invalides. Finally, you will follow the Quai Branly and the Eiffel Tower, and you will stop at the Bir Hakeim Bridge! Our advice: In summer in the evening, you will often find outdoor bars on the banks of the Seine where you can stop to grab a drink, so keep an eye open!

Length: 6 miles

Duration: 48 minutes (without breaks)

Departure Vélib’ station: 1 rue Pau Casals, 13th arrondissement (metro Bibliothèque François Mitterand)

Arrival Vélib’ Station: 6 boulevard de Grenelle, 15th arrondissement (metro Bir Hakeim)

To see a more detailed map on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

 

The long rides (7 – 11 miles)

5) The heart of Paris

louvre
Credits : Benh Lieu Song, flickr, under Creative Commons 3.0

This ride will take you to all of the key monuments in Paris, as well as its most beautiful neighbourhoods! You will leave from the Opéra Garnier, and among others you will ride by the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre Pyramid, the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral, the Eglise Saint-Sulpice and the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood. But you will also see the Invalides, you will go on the magnificent Pont Alexandre III and, finally, you will stop at the Grand Palais! This ride is very convenient if you’re not staying long in Paris and you want to see as many monuments as you can in little time, but you don’t want to take a tourist sightseeing tour!

Length: 7.6 miles

Duration: 1 hour and 20 min (without breaks)

Departure Vélib’ station: 25 rue Louis le Grand, 18th arrondissement (metro opéra)

Arrival Vélib’ station: 2 rue Jean Mermoz, 8th arrondissement (metro Franklin Roosevelt)

To see a more detailed map in Google Maps, you can click here.

 

6) The water’s edge ride

bassin de l'arsenal
Credits : Moonik, Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons 3.0

What is better than a relaxing time riding alongside the Seine and the other courses that run through Paris? This ride starts at the Parc André Citroën and goes by the Seine, on the left bank and then on the right. You will have the opportunity to go by the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Jardin des Tuileries. Then you will leave the river banks to ride by the Bassin de l’Arsenal, and you will reach the Canal Saint-Martin then the Bassin de la Villette. Finally, you will end the ride at the Parc de la Villette, where you will be able to see the famous Géode!

Length: 11.9 miles

Duration: 1 hour 26 minutes (without breaks)

Departure Vélib’ station: 4 Place du Moulin de Javel, 15th arrondissement (metro Javel/André Citroën or RER C Pont de Garigliano – Hôpital Europeen George Pompidou)

Arrival Vélib’ station: 28 bis Avenue Corentin Cariou, 19th arrondissement (métro Porte de la Villette)

To see a more detailed map in Google Maps, you can click here.