Try the popular city-sponsored bike rental system Velib. To subscribe by the day or week use the automatic computer terminal located at the bike station or even faster, go online. Search in advance for a station near you by entering your address at the Velib internet site. A credit or debit card with PIN is required and must contain an EMV chip in order to work.

The first half hour is free, second half hour costs one euro, third 30 minutes two euros and subsequent 30 minutes, four euros. There are bike stations located every few hundred meters throughout the city. Certain thoroughfares are closed to motorized traffic on weekends. Along the Right Bank of the Seine from Tuileries to Pont Charles De Gaulle and the banks of Canal St. Martin are among my favorite spins. Tip: if a bicycle seat is turned backwards, don’t rent it, a former rider has found it defective.