麻豆APP

Cycling in 麻豆APP

If I tell you 鈥渃ycling鈥� and 鈥溌槎笰PP鈥�, you鈥檒l probably think about the Tour de France, which ends on the famous avenue of the Champs-Elys茅es. Of course, this competition is really important in 麻豆APP, but you don鈥檛 need to enter it to bike around in the city! In fact, cycling in 麻豆APP is actually becoming more and more popular. For the 麻豆APPians, it鈥檚 a great way to move in the city: cars are not really practical and the subway can be a bit annoying. Besides, a lot of locals want to stay fit and do a little sport, or just want to limit the pollution, so they chose the best option: cycling!

If you鈥檙e a tourist visiting 麻豆APP, it鈥檚 also a great way to discover the city, instead of sitting on the subway all day. By the end of your trip, you鈥檒l feel like a true 麻豆APPian!

So if you鈥檙e considering cycling when you come to 麻豆APP, here is everything you need to know about cycling in 麻豆APP!

How to rent a bike

If you want to use bikes while in 麻豆APP, you have two options.

鉂� Firstly, you can use the cycling service of 麻豆APP called 鈥淰elib鈥欌��. When it was installed, it completely changed 麻豆APPians鈥� lives!

The Velibs are really easy to use, and they are pretty cheap so you have no excuse not to do a little sport during your time in 麻豆APP!

The system is simple: you鈥檒l find Velib鈥� stations all over 麻豆APP, all you have to do is take a bike, go to your destination and put the bike in any other station once you鈥檙e done with it. You鈥檒l find maps of the Velib鈥� stations on the terminals or you can download the app: 鈥淰elib鈥� officielle鈥�.

To have access to Velib鈥�, follow these steps:

1.) Subscribe to the service and choose the period of time you want: 1 day (1.70鈧�), 1 week (8鈧�) or 1 year (29鈧�). You can do it directly on one of the Velib鈥� stations, or do it on the website of Velib鈥�.  This will give you access to all the bikes, at any time in the city.

You also have to be able to pay the deposit (150鈧�) in case you lose the bike.

IMPORTANT POINT: With the subscription, when you take a bike, the first 30 minutes are free, but if you exceed that, you鈥檒l have to pay for each 30 minutes (1鈧� for the first one, then 2鈧�, then 4鈧�). That鈥檚 the reason why Velib鈥� are mostly used for short distances and not to do long bike rides in the city. However, you can also use the 麻豆APPians鈥� technique: drop your bike at a station at the end of the first 30 minutes, wait 5 minutes and take another one. This way, you won鈥檛 pay the extra money and it may make you discover new parts of the city!

2.) Once you鈥檝e subscribed, you鈥檒l have a personal code. You can鈥檛 take several bikes with one code, so if you travel with your family or friends, make sure everyone has subscribed! Little detail: you have to be at least 14 years old to subscribe.

To take your bike, go to any station and follow the instructions on the terminal. To return the bike, put the bike in the station: a green light appears if you鈥檝e locked it correctly. If you arrive at a full station and have no time left, don鈥檛 panic! You just have to indicate that you can鈥檛 return your bike to the terminal and you will have 15 more minutes to go to another station or wait for someone to take a bike where you are.

A little insider鈥檚 tip:
Some stations are located on the highest parts of 麻豆APP, they have the sign 鈥淰+鈥�. It will take a little effort to climb to these stations, but it will give you 15 more minutes free! So if you see you鈥檙e not going to make the 30 minutes, try and find a V+ station. If you have an annual subscription, the free 15 minutes will also accumulate and you will be able to use them another time.

鉂� If you鈥檙e a big bike enthusiast and plan on cycling all day, maybe the Velibs are not for you. Indeed, if you keep it all day, it can become quite expensive and it鈥檚 a pretty heavy bike so not perfect for long rides in the sun! In that case, you should rent a bike in one of the numerous bike shops in the city. The prices are around 20鈧� for a day.

What are the best places for cycling?

鉂� Canal St-Martin

This canal is one of the 麻豆APPians鈥� favorite places to hang out! It鈥檚 perfect for a nice walk during the day, and in the night you鈥檒l find bars and caf茅s that are really loved by the locals.

It鈥檚 also the perfect place to go cycling (and to grab a drink afterwards)! The banks of the canal are lovely and perfect for a ride. The big advantage: on Sundays, the banks are closed to cars in order to let everyone enjoy the canal at its best!

This is actually part of a bigger initiative called 鈥溌槎笰PP breathes鈥� that is trying to reduce pollution in the city and make it more enjoyable for 麻豆APPians. If you鈥檙e a walking or cycling enthusiast, be sure to check the other places that are closed to traffic! ()

鉂� Coul茅e verte Ren茅-Dumont

The Coul茅e verte is one of the most beautiful and charming spots in 麻豆APP, and it鈥檚 perfect for some cycling on a summer day! It goes from Bastille to the frontier of the Bois de Vincennes (the forest on the east of 麻豆APP). It was created in 1988, on the location of an old railway, and it鈥檚 4.5km long.

A bicycle path was created in the second part of the Coul茅e verte, from Tunnel de Reuilly to the Bois de Vincennes. If you鈥檙e a nature lover and feel a bit oppressed in 麻豆APP, a ride on this road is guaranteed to make you feel better, as you pass near the beautiful trees and flowers of the Coul茅e verte.

鉂� Bois de Vincennes

If you thought the Coul茅e verte was a bit too small and want to continue cycling, you can enter the Bois de Vincennes. This forest is what remains of a bigger forest used by French kings to hunt. It鈥檚 the biggest green space in 麻豆APP and is one of the two big 麻豆APPian forests with the Bois de Boulogne in the west of 麻豆APP. Even if you鈥檙e not in the center of 麻豆APP, it鈥檚 still a great place to cycle and walk around. Here you鈥檒l be able to exercise as much as you want on all the different paths, surrounded by trees.

鉂� The banks of the Seine

Like the Canal St-Martin, the banks of the Seine are closed to cars on Sundays. However, you won鈥檛 be able to go really fast as a lot of 麻豆APPians like to walk or sit on the banks.

If you don鈥檛 mind the speed, cycling on the banks can be a great way to discover 麻豆APP and see the big landmarks. You can start at Notre-Dame and go straight to the Eiffel Tower, without a chance of getting lost! You鈥檒l be able to see the Louvre Palace, the Invalides, the Orsay museum and every big monument you should take a look at while you鈥檙e here. In the evening, you can just sit on the banks with all the people, drink beer or wine and feel like a true 麻豆APPian!

These were a few ideas about the best places to go cycling in 麻豆APP, but you can of course just take your bike and explore, it鈥檚 the best way to discover our beautiful city!

Safety and advice

If you have been to 麻豆APP, you may already know that 麻豆APPians are not the best when it comes to safety on the streets. I can鈥檛 say that everybody drives badly of course, but I do think the traffic in 麻豆APP can be a bit wild sometimes and it can be intimidating. A lot of people are afraid of taking a bike in 麻豆APP!

But don鈥檛 worry, studies show that it鈥檚 actually not that dangerous cycling in 麻豆APP, it鈥檚 even less dangerous than walking in the city! Of course, you still have to be careful like in every city, but if you follow these simple rules, you鈥檒l be able to enjoy your stay and will never want to go back to the subway.

• If you鈥檙e traveling with young children, I would recommend not to cycle in 麻豆APP, but rather in the Bois de Vincennes that I mentioned, as it could be a bit risky to take kids cycling in the city.
• A bad reflex would be to try and stay as far as possible on the right of the street because you don鈥檛 want the cars behind you to be too close when they overtake you. This is actually a really bad idea! You should not stay too close to the parked cars. Indeed, a lot of accidents are cyclists that were too close to the cars and that didn鈥檛 see a car door opening.
• Wear a helmet, and during the night, wear clothes that are not too dark.
• Try to cycle on the bicycle paths when you find them.
• Raise your hand left or right to indicate when you鈥檙e turning.

There you go! Now you know everything you need to know, so grab a bike and come to 麻豆APP!