6 Best Bike Rides to Take in Paris (Short, Medium and Long)

Bike rides are very nice when you’re in the countryside. But not only in the countryside! In Paris too, doing a bike ride can be an enjoyable experience, if you know where to go! That is why I put together for you a few bike rides to do in Paris with a bicycle. It’s a pleasant way to discover the city without getting caught in the crowd of the metro.

 

 

Need a Bike in Paris?

You have several options:

• Rent a Vélib, the self-service bikes: Vélib stations are available all over the capital and must be picked up and dropped off at specific stations throughout the city. This system is installed by the city of Paris. Vélib Website
• Rent a shared self-service bike: These bikes (and scooters) are in “free-floating,” meaning they can be picked up and dropped off anywhere within the service area, without needing a fixed station. Companies like Lime, Dott, Zoov, Pony, and Tier all offer their bikes in Paris. Comparison of Shared Self-Service Bikes
• Rent a bike from a shop: A good option for renting a higher-quality bike for the day. Best Bike Rental Shops

 

Short Rides (~3 miles / ~5 km)

1) Pigalle, Montmartre and Canal Saint-Martin

This ride begins near the Parc Monceau, in the 8th arrondissement. By passing through the Boulevard des Batignolles, this ride will take you to the Moulin Rouge and will get you through the neighborhoods of Pigalle, Montmartre and Barbès.

Finally, you will pass through the Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad and you will end up at the Canal Saint-Martin.

If you wish to, you will be able to continue on foot along the Canal Saint-Martin, or cross it and go for a drink on the Quai des Jemmapes, a personal favorite of many Parisians!

• Length: 3.3 miles (5.3 km)
• Duration: 22 minutes (without breaks)
• Departure: Rue des Chazelles, 8th arrondissement (Metro Courcelles)
• Arrival: Quai de Valmy, 10th arrondissement (Metro Louis Blanc)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

2) Ride in nature: from the Coulée Verte to the Bois de Vincennes

This ride starts at Rue de Lyon in the 12th arrondissement, where you will find a Vélib’ station.

You will then go through the Coulée Verte, a true vegetation sanctuary in the middle of Paris, and you will go down the Avenue Daumesnil until the Porte Dorée and the Bois de Vincennes.

There, you will be able to venture into the woods and go around the Lac Daumesnil. You will even be able to access the two islands in the middle of the lake through the Promenade Maurice Boitel!

• Length: 3.7 miles (6 km)
• Duration: 20 minutes (without break)
• Departure: 17, rue Lacuée, 12th arrondissement (metro Gare de Lyon or Ledru-Rollin)
• Arrival: Avenue Daumesnil, 12th arrondissement (metro Porte Dorée)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

 

Medium Rides (4 – 6 miles / 6.4 – 9.7 km)

3) Paris by Night: from the Moulin Rouge to Notre-Dame

Preferably done at night or in the evening, this ride gives you a tour of all the famous Parisian monuments.

Go through the Moulin Rouge, the Galeries Lafayette, the Opéra Garnier, the Place Vendôme, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre Pyramid, then the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, and finally the Hôtel de Ville.

I can guarantee that an illuminated Paris will amaze you, and you will have the opportunity to take beautiful pictures of the monuments! Moreover, there will be fewer tourists than during the day!

• Length: 4.5 miles (7.2 km)
• Duration: 49 minutes (without breaks)
• Departure: 55 Boulevard de Clichy, 18th arrondissement (metro Blanche)
• Arrival: 11 place de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th arrondissement (métro Hôtel de Ville)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click click here.

 

4) Alongside the Seine River: from the Jardin des Plantes to the Eiffel Tower

Perfect for a sunny day, this bicycle ride will take you along the Quais de Seine on the Left Bank of Paris.

You will start from the Rue Casals, near the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, and you will ride past the Jardin des Plantes.

Then you will pass by the Ile Saint-Louis and the Ile de la Cité, where you will be able to admire the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral. A little further, you will ride by the Musée d’Orsay, the Pont Alexandre III and the Invalides.

Finally, you will follow the Quai Branly and the Eiffel Tower, and you will stop at the Bir Hakeim Bridge.

My advice: In summer in the evening, you will often find outdoor bars on the banks of the Seine where you can stop to grab a drink, so keep an eye open!

• Length: 6 miles (9.7 km)
• Duration: 48 minutes (without breaks)
• Departure: 1 rue Pau Casals, 13th arrondissement (metro Bibliothèque François Mitterand)
• Arrival: 6 boulevard de Grenelle, 15th arrondissement (metro Bir Hakeim)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

Long Rides (7 – 11 miles / 11.3 – 17.7 km)

5) The Heart of Paris: from the Opéra Garnier to the Grand Palais

This ride will take you to all of the key monuments in Paris, as well as its most beautiful neighborhoods.

You will leave from the Opéra Garnier, and among others, you will ride by the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre Pyramid, the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral, the Eglise Saint-Sulpice and the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood.

But you will also see the Invalides, you will go on the magnificent Pont Alexandre III and, finally, you will stop at the Grand Palais.

This ride is very convenient if you’re not staying long in Paris and you want to see as many monuments as you can in a short time, but you don’t want to take a tourist sightseeing tour.

• Length: 7.6 miles (12.2 km)
• Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes (without breaks)
• Departure: 25 rue Louis le Grand, 18th arrondissement (metro opéra)
• Arrival: 2 rue Jean Mermoz, 8th arrondissement (metro Franklin Roosevelt)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click here.

 

6) The Water’s Edge Ride: from the Parc André Citroën to the Parc de la Villette

What is better than a relaxing time riding alongside the Seine and the other courses that run through Paris?

This ride starts at the Parc André Citroën and goes by the Seine, on the left bank and then on the right.

You will have the opportunity to go by the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Jardin des Tuileries.

Then you will leave the river banks to ride by the Bassin de l’Arsenal, and you will reach the Canal Saint-Martin then the Bassin de la Villette.

Finally, you will end the ride at the Parc de la Villette, where you will be able to see the Géode.

• Length: 11.9 miles (19.1 km)
• Duration: 1 hour 26 minutes (without breaks)
• Departure: 4 Place du Moulin de Javel, 15th arrondissement (metro Javel/André Citroën or RER C Pont de Garigliano – Hôpital Europeen George Pompidou)
• Arrival: 28 bis Avenue Corentin Cariou, 19th arrondissement (métro Porte de la Villette)

To see the map in detail directly on Google Maps, you can click click here.