Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You'll see many bike-rack stations throughout Paris. The city's
Vélib'
program (from
vélo
+
liberté
or
libre
= “bike freedom” or “free bike”) gives residents access to more than
20,000bikes,whichtheycanunlockfromthenearly1,500stationsscatteredaroundthecity.
You can use the Vélib' system, too, but only if you have a certain kind of credit card (Amer-
ican Express or a chip-and-PIN card—see
here
) or if you buy a subscription online (€1.70/1
day, €8/7 days,
http://en.velib.paris
.fr—click on “Subscriptions and Fees,” tel. 01 30 79 79
30). The first 30 minutes of any trip are included with your subscription; after that there's a
fee for each additional 30 minutes.
By Rollerblade
Inline skaters take to the streets Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings. It's serious skaters
only on Fridays (they meet at 21:30 and are ready to roll at 22:00), but anyone can join in
on Sundays (at 14:30). Police close off different routes each week to keep locals engaged,
but the starting points are always the same. On Sunday, skaters leave from the south side
of Place de la Bastille (for the route, see
www.rollers-coquillages.org
); on Fridays it's from
Place Raoul Dautry (Mo: Montparnasse; see route at
www.pari-roller.com
). You can rent
skates near Sunday's starting point at Nomades (€5/half-day, €9/day, Tue-Fri 11:00-13:30 &
14:30-19:30, Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, closed Mon, 37 Boulevard Bourdon, near
Place de la Bastille, Mo: Bastille, tel. 01 44 54 07 44,
www.nomadeshop.com
)
.
By Scooter
LeftBankScooters
willdeliverandpick-uprentalscooterstodaringtravelersover20years
old with a valid driver's license (€80-100/day, price depends on size of the scooter and how
long you keep it, mobile 06 78 12 04 24,
www.leftbankscooters.com
)
.
To sightsee on your own, download my series of free audio tours that illuminate some of
Paris' top sights and neighborhoods, including the Historic Paris Walk, Louvre, Orsay, and
Versailles Palace (see
here
for details).
Bus Tours
Paris Vision
(also called Cityrama) offers bus tours of Paris, day and night (advertised in
