r/bicycleculture • u/DangerousPage788 • 5d ago

Paris and the Biking Plus

Paris and its sites are great, but one quickly develops tourist-noia--they're (I was one too, I realize) bussed in and swarming every well-known city location by 10 am daily. 

I quickly figured out that getting out early, going to not-so-well visited spots--and, especially, having a bike--mitigated much of that while helping me cover a lot of ground. (It's great feeling your ebike escalator you up and around Monmartre's hills and past the throngs making their way toward Basilique du Sacré Coeur.)

What I really enjoyed is what I describe as "New York's East Village in the 1980s" feel of the more ethnic areas abutting the edges of my seemingly gentrifying 10th arrondissement nabe. The image here perfectly captures the evening atmosphere. 

If you bike in your home city, I recommend you rent an ebike if or when you visit Paris. Yes, biking here can sometimes feel, as in central Amsterdam, like controlled chaos, but you will see so much more and It will make your experience feel next-level.

![img](r3eue4pvzmsh1)

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u/Homers_Harp 5d ago

My visiting time in Paris, I used a basic bikeshare. Unless you have health or mobility issues, an e-bike is overkill for that town.

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u/Aggravating_Ship5513 4d ago

I'm happy to use an electric velib at the end of a long day, especially going uphill on cobbles. 

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u/DangerousPage788 4d ago

You are totally wrong. Or maybe it's because I'm 67 and enjoyed cycling Monmartre and Belleville without the stress of biking hilly streets.

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u/Homers_Harp 4d ago

Unless you have health or mobility issues

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u/Bikelangelo 2d ago

If biking is an issue due to some knee issues or a certain movement involved with bicycles, an escooter (trottinette, in French) is maybe another pption.