Readers often ask me whether they should consider giving the Paris bike rental scheme, Velib', a chance. I usually tell them that it's a great option for experienced urban cyclists who feel totally confident in their capacities to react to unwieldy behavior from cars and pedestrians, or for those who want to take a spin on bike trails in the vast city parks known as the Bois de Vincennes or Bois de Boulogne. Otherwise, I tend to advise against it as a means of getting around. If you're considering giving the Velib' a whirl on your next trip, make sure to learn about how it all works and read my notes on safety ahead of time.
More: How to Use the Paris Velib' Bike Rental Scheme
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Image credit: LWY/Some rights reserved under the Creative Commons License.
Biking in the city among traffic can be dangerous. Here in Nice, the VeloBleu bike rental is used mainly to ride up and down the Promenade des Anglais, which has a designated biking lane, so not quite the same as in Paris. That being said, accidents still occur – best to wear a biking helmet too.