Paris -- bike rental advice
 

Is anyone familiar with the self-service Velib bike rentals in Paris?

Our family would love to do a late night bike ride to see some of the monuments lit up. (It won't be getting dark until after 10pm).

I"m trying to save some euros -- a private bike ride for 4 is pretty pricy and i don't think we can fit the free friday night ride into our schedule.

Would also love to know how i can get my hands on the Carte Vélo à Paris – a free cycling map of Paris, which shows scenic routes and quiet streets to ride on. Would love to get it before the trip, but also need to know how convenient they are to find in paris.

thanks!
dina

Hi Dina4:

I am not sure that you can rent a Velib without a debit card with a "puce" (smart chip), because event the short term rentals require a deposit. Here is a link from the French tourist office:

http://www.parisinfo.com/professionnels/100313/velib-

It is kind of unclear the way they stay it, since they list AMEX etc under the credit cards with the puce:

Les cartes de crédit acceptées sont :
- cartes de crédit (VISA, Mastercard...) avec une puce
- Amex
- JCB
- Diners

I also read that you can put your Velib subscription on a Navigo, but I am guessing that isn't true with the tourist version, the Decouverte. Here is a Wikipedia entry that mentions its use with the Velib:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigo_pass

Other people might know about the card issue-we have a French card so I have never tried a US credit card.

thanks, jpie.

i've heard american credit cards can be a problem. i'm wondering if i can pick up one of those smart chip cards at a tourist office....

I don't think so-ours is a debit card from our French bank account. The Velib takes a "pré-autorisation de prélèvement (sans encaissement) de 150 € sur votre compte bancaire." That is basically a pre-authorization to take 150 Euros from your account as a deposit to use the bikes. This is true for even the short-term rentals.

The other place where you will run into a problem with US cards is at self-serve gas pumps-but that isn't usually a problem for most folks just staying in Paris.

I haven't used Velib since last summer so you should see if they have come up with a way yet for folks without the smart cards to be able to use them-like you say, maybe they have started to issue Velib type cards that you cam just buy somewhere. If you find that out when you are there, I would love to know about it, because friends are always asking-and it does seem like a drag that Velib can't be used by more tourists.

I know it's a shame.
We had the same problem in Rome last year. Bike stands everywhere, and when I called the number they told me they were only for residents, not tourists.

There's no way I'd try riding with my family at night through the streets of Paris on bicycles. They are improving on bike paths, but often there are none, or you share with the bus lane. You can rent from Velib with American Express, that is it for Americans at this time. Or, you can rent from a bike shop by the hour:
http://www.parisvelosympa.com/ (look under Locations Velos..)
Well, there was Roue Libre, don't know what happened to their website.
Fat Tire bikes doesn't seem to rent just the bikes anymore...

I just read a trip report which said Velib wasn't a problem for them. It's from late 2007 - do a search on Velib.

Here is the trip report I think jenblase mentioned which does indeed say that the couple used a US based AMEX card:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...great-food.cfm

That would be great and maybe even worth getting the card for if you don't have one!

Wow. That's exactly the info i was looking for. thanks!!
i do have a american express card. perfect.