What's the best way to see paris for $2? On a bike! One of my Paris highlights were this bikes! Though they may look clunky and hideous, they are great way to get you anywhere. After a couple days of walking everywhere my legs were dying. As much as I wanted to see everything paris had to offer my legs were telling me NO! Good thing we decided to try these bikes out because they saved our legs and took us to places faster than our two feet ever would. The website makes renting these bikes simple enough. You register online and pay with card and create a PIN. An email is sent to you with user numbers, that you'll need to enter in the kiosk to get a bike and don't forget your pin. As long as you return the bike to a station within 30 minutes you're guaranteed a $2 paris excursion all on two wheels. Most of the station are available on most popular areas and around the corners in big intersections. You can always rent the bike from the kiosk if you don't have time to register online. When you return your bike make sure to see a green light appear on your stand. If not, you can go to the main kiosk and troubleshoot from there. My light went orange in one instance because I shoved it in the wrong angle and the kiosk released it, so I could retry sliding it in. It was fun biking around like a local because even the locals use them. It was super scary biking on crowded roads with cars, but compared to America, french drivers are totally aware of their surroundings. The insurance you have with these bikes are they are heavy and big enough to keep you stable and withstand a lot of beatings. The fenders on the bike also come in handy for those spontaneous mother nature drizzles. read more

Beware of this company! I am very familiar with bike shares and scooter shares of many varieties from many brands across many cities around the world. This brand is the scariest! 1. They have bikes in unsafe riding condition all over the city! Do they inspect or repair ever? 2. Several of their bikes have dubious connections with the server - so you may not be able to start a ride. AND you might think you're parking a bike and ending a ride, but in fact it is just locked to the rack but still running. 3. If (or should I say when) the ride malfunctions there is NO METHOD of getting in touch with customer service for help. So not only will you get overcharged and have to fight to remove the charge after the fact, but you will also be locked out of using any other bikes. That means that, if you purchased a subscription service for an entire day, but a bike won't log out of your app after you lock it up, you will not be able to use your subscription again with a new bike that day (since the old bike is still running). 4. There is no way to reply to a conversation or see your conversation history with customer service - so, no matter how many times you talk to them (or try to report problematic bikes), there is never a record to reference to indicate the problem you are having, if it is an ongoing one (or you are trying to point out that you did try to contact them over a broken bike). 5. You can't view your GPS history of the rides, so you can't argue where you did or did not ride when the service inevitably charges you for a 29-day ride that you did not take. I attempted 8 rides with this company over 4 days and only got 5 to work - and of those 5, it took trying several bikes before one was functional. This is almost a 100% error track record. This company will deliver you a questionable product and then charge your credit card for errors that its own server makes. I recommend you use literally any other rideshare program for your own peace of mind. read more

Velib was super easy to use. I bought a 1-day use ONLINE for $1.70 euro or $2.12 USD. (The first 30 minutes of each bike use is free and then you get billed 1 euro for every 30 additional minutes.) After buying online, it was super easy. All I had to do was enter in my account number, which was sent to me in my confirmation email, enter the PIN number I created online and then select the bike number I was going to use. Done! Most of the bikes are in good shape with quick release seat, bike light, bike lock etc but a few needed a quick tune-up. If you find yourself returning your bike to a full station, you can enter your PIN number into the machine and you get 15 minutes to find another nearby station. What is amazing is that there are over 20,000 "community" Velib bikes across 1,500 different stations that are located all over Paris! There is even a smartphone app that you can use to find out where the closest Velib station is at so you can return the bike and which station has available bikes to use. It was a great way for us to see Paris from a different perspective. Most of my friends that saw our Paris pictures said, "Wow, that's so cool that you rode bikes in Paris." read more

Vélib' Paris - Velib bike in Ile Saint-Louis - Bike Sharing Near Me

If this were a comment on Facebook you would find a resounding "LIKE" from me! As a cyclist there is nothing more delightful than to be able to enjoy my favorite city in the world on a bike. And who am I kidding, it also makes me feel so Parisian! Its such a brilliant, simple, easy and effective system I cannot wait to experience it here in Miami. If you want to enjoy Paris this is a wonderful way to do it. Try it, you will be hooked! read more

Vélib' does a great job with multiple stations, so really easy to find a station. The bikes are beach cruiser types. Not top of the line, but very useable. HOWEVER; if you use an ATM card they reserve $300 from your account EACH TIME until they verify the bike is returned which can be several days. Found out the hard way when I checked my account and saw $1400 reserved (2 people, a few days). Luckily I kept return receipts and called customer service and was able to confirm return and so they credited deposits within a day. Be forewarned!! read more

I was in Paris for ten days and used Velib three or four times. It was easy to buy one day tickets on line, but for some reason the one time I tried to buy one at the kiosk, I was declined. It's marvelous to have so many stations around the city. It was easy to pedal to another location, return the bike, walk a bit, and then find another station. Truly convenient. The only downside was the kiosks weren't always cooperative and some of the bikes were trashed. But mostly, it was marvelous and just what I wanted. read more

Vélib' Paris - Bike Sharing Near Me

HAWFUL DON'T USE VELIB. I am just one of the many victims of this huge scam Velib. Classic story of being told that my bike hasn't been return properly (while i made sure i plugged it correctly because i actually read the reviews saying to be careful with that!) and now receiving a huuuuge unfair bill that they are able to take away because i had to give my banking infos. Things get even more worse when renting an electric bike. The low battery will just make the bike stop like that. I had to carry it by myself (super heavy) until the next return spot. As the bike was turned off, the machine wouldn't recognize it and kept counting minutes, considering i never gave it back the whole time it was off. The bill i received because of this enormous technical issue is just huuuuuge. The company denied the whole story and rudely told me that they won't do anything... read more

HINT 1- Buy your ticket online beforehand- The machine didn't take my visa. (Plus when you buy online, you have access to your account code, instead of having to keep up with the paper ticket. There are different ticket choices depending on your length of stay. HINT 2- MAKE SURE YOU INSPECT THE BIKE BEFORE YOU CHECK IT OUT! HINT 3- Download the app so you can find the station closest to your end destination. Keep your rides under the 30 min mark and the ride is "free." Unfortunately a helmet is not included, FYI...Overall, velob is so easy to use, convenient, fun and way cheaper/easier than a taxi. The heavily trafficked streets of Paris have nice bike lanes. I'm an amateur cyclist- the bike isn't too technical. Work for your baguette! Feel the burn! Obey all traffic laws and fill your basket up with wine, cheese and corny Eiffel Tower key chains for all your friends at home! read more

This is just about the most perfect way to see the city. The Mr and I biked at night. And let me tell you hunni, Paris at night, on a bike...is wondrous. The system is fairly easy to navigate. True indeed, most American credit cards will not work. It seems most of our cards lack the chip thingy that the machine reads to validate the validity of the credit card user--I think that's how that works. But never mind that, just sign up online. Our bike ride was totally spontaneous. I made reservations on my iPhone. Easy peasy. Friendly advice: Be sure to inspect the bikes thoroughly before checking them out! The Mr. learned that lesson the hard way, with not one but two wobbly-riding bikes. I picked a winnah from the start, but in our one night escapade we saw broken chains, busted tires, and even a one pedaled bike (although someone thoughtfully placed the broken off pedal just beside the bike). Despite this, I give it 5 stars. It really is as good as it gets. With a bit of savvy and 1euro and 70 cents, Paris is yours.... read more

Excellent! I formerly made my way around Paris by Metro or on foot -- both of which can be tiring. For Euro 1.80 for 24 hours I managed to get everywhere I wanted to go at my convenience -- no hanging out in Metro stations, getting stuffed on to overcrowded Metro trains & worrying about pickpockets or walking the maze of tunnels for Metro connections. Only downsides would be: - the need to dock the bike every 29 minutes or pay the Euro (not a huge budget buster). - bike rack may be full when you want to return the bike (in which case you get a 15 minute grace period to go to a nearby rack). - not for those opposed to physical exertion and Paris traffic (even if you use caution, you may see your life pass before your eyes a few times) read more

I visited Paris and tried to rent these bikes. Swiped the card, walked to 2 station but didn't find a single working bike. Called Velib and complained, they assured me for the refund which I never got. The worst experience of France was Velib Bikes. read more

The Bike sharing system in Paris has been a resounding success, despite the well publicized incidents of bicycles being stolen, destroyed or thrown into the Seine river, figures continue to point towards a great story to be told. Recently featured in Bicycling magazine and touted as the first large scale project of its kind, it clearly shows that it has improved cycling conditions in Paris, as well as promoting healthier and less polluting habits. This is simply a fantastic way for tourists and visitors to get around the city and it has also shown some great success in local cycling as well, the numbers reflect that there is now a 17% increase in bicycling commuting even by people on their own bikes. So not only the VELIB has become a worldwide symbol for successful bike sharing programs but it has also made Paris a one of a kind world class city that is showing other cities in the world who to do it right. read more

I am a complete biking novice (having only learned a few years ago while in my 30s!) and seeing these bike stands all over town was a bit intimidating. My boyfriend encouraged me to sign up so I could ride a bike with him around Paris. It was extremely easy to do online and is a snap to get a bike from each bike stand. You just take one - use it for a half-hour - return it at the next stand you see (they're roughly every 300m) and pick up another one. Of course you can keep the same bike the entire time, but then you might start racking up the euros. Doing it every 30 minutes makes it free! Biking around Paris isn't the easiest but it's not too bad either. Any time I get a bit scared, I just walk my bike across the street. :) read more

Most intelligent bike-sharing system. If your American, get an account online, your neanderthal card du credit has no shmancy chip-whatever! Nonetheless, riding in Paris is wonderful, easy and incredibly convenient. Cheaper than a taxi and far more scenic than that seedy metro. Coming from LA, Ive never ridden alongside more courteous drivers. Even when I made the most annoying left turn, I was never honked at. WORDS OF WISDOM: if you ride up to Montmarte, make sure you drop the bike off before getting to Sacrecour or whatever. Trust me, the bikes are heavy and even harder to bring back down the hill. read more

Worst experience ever, nothing like in the US. Issues with the bike, 600€ still missing from our credit card, and no customer service. Use an electric scooter instead, but do not make the same mistake as us. read more

A little scary ridding around rush hour traffic. Yes but there were some crashes and scary moment not to mention getting lost and one way streets. But a lot easier since I can't walk. And a great way to see and learn the city. Great program as its free for the first half hour. The challenge is to input the user numbers and PIN numbers and have system not crash so you have re-input. Because to the input system I would actually give it 3.5 stars. read more

Great idea if you can get it to work. Beware, the dispensers are tricky to use and often don't work properly. One BIG PROBLEM is that the check-out switches from English back to French about halfway through the checkout process. Although I registered online before my trip to Paris when I went to my first stand the software said that all of my four ID numbers were invalid! Hence, no bikes one the one day we had set aside for a bike road around Paris. When I called to ask for a refund the Velib representative told me they couldn't reverse the charge to my credit card. I also tried to help a Scandinavian couple buying a ticket but inexplicably that station wouldn't that their chip-based credit card. Finally, keep in mind that many stations seem to be full and that it may not be easy to deposit your bike around popular destinations. Thus, I ran into a whole German family trying to leave their bikes near the Louvre who kept finding the stations totally full leaving them no place to return their bikes. I'm sure that theoretically the system should balance out but Velib will need to work out the algorithm eventually but for now the system has glitches. However, when I did finally get a bike I found it was the single best way to get around Paris. read more

It Worked! Yes, there were a couple times when there weren't any functioning bikes available, but for the most part we were able to bike around Paris whenever and wherever we wanted. Perhaps we were lucky, but it is definitely worth trying. Hint #1: set up your account in advance, so you're not fumbling around at the bike rack. Hint #2: have a back up plan (another bike rack, metro, etc.), just in case there are no bikes available. read more

This is the worst service I have ever used. After 5months of numerous calls and promises on velibs behalf I still have not received the 150 euro that it cost to hire the bikes. read more

Tried to rent 3 bikes at 2 different locations. Each time one of the "available" bikes wouldn't unlock. After numerous times entering the online number and choosing the only bike left it would nOT work. And many of the stations don't have a kiosk for anyone who doesn't have a card. So the day passes don't work. Ended up walking a mile home at midnight instead of biking as planned. Not reliable. Not happy. Kids were disappointed. read more

Biking is a great way to see Paris. The Velib is a city-wide bike rental company sponsored by the city of Paris. It is a great idea and I wish more cities in the United States would embrace this idea or biking in general. The cost is cheap or even free for a short ride. They only take certain credit cards, so check it out before you go. read more

Vélib' Paris - Bike rental kiosk. - Bike Sharing Near Me

Fantastic way to get around Paris. Although most American credit cards don't have the right chip and won't work, the American Express Blue for Business card works in the machines on the street. I believe that most or even all credit cards work when you buy your pass on line at www.velib.paris.fr/ read more

It's a scam! They are taking more than 30 days to return me the security deposit of two bikes - that's 300 euros!!! And every time I call them, they can't tell me the reason or when the money will be returned. I'm starting to think they will NOT return the 300 euros... Which is a lot of money to rent 2 bikes for a few hours... So, yes, be very careful!! Or simply don't use it! read more

I subscribed to a 1 day pass for 2 people. We then tried to access bicycles using stations that had bikes available according to the mobile phone App. We tried FOUR different stations and then just gave up without having got access to one bike that worked. Every single bike was either mechanically out of order, or there was an error on the control panel. Total waste of time, money and effort. read more

First, DO NOT get confused by the high ratings of the past Velib (Velib-1 by Decaux, the grey 'clunky' bikes) system: Velib-1 is gone, and its replacement (Velb-2 AKA 'Velib-Metropole by Smovengo) does not even deserve one star ! Unfortunately, the misinformation campaign by Velib Metropole is still going on. What we need is a grassroot driven status of the network, not empty words by the operator or the city (and 3rd district) transportation officer. You can all fill an actual spreadsheet with street-level data and compare it to the empty claims of the operator and the city! Here is a street view of the sorry state of the Velib Metropole network mid-july 2018 around the 3rd district city hall. Station Filles du Calvaire on Bd du Temple: 20 slots, no 'red-pinned' slots, working screen in kiosk, no bike. Station Mairie 3eme: 32 slots including 7 red-pinned, screen shows 'error 404', 1 bike -disabled- Station Rue Filles du Calvaire: 21 slots, no pin, kiosk screen working, 1 bike -disabled- Station Crussol: 50 slots including 3 red-pinned, no working screen on kiosk, no bike. Station Jackard: 16 slots, no pin, no screen, no bike Station JP Timbaud: 36 slots all red-pinned, no working screen but a sticker 'we are working to fix the problem', no bike. Station Temple-Charlot: 36 slots all red-pinned, no screen, no bike. In summary, 7 stations with only 2 working kiosk screen, 201 slots including 72 pinned, no bike but 2 disabled ! The new system Velib-2 (Velib-Metropole) is a disaster compared to the marvelous Velib-1 (Decaux) that worked flawlessly for 10 years from July 15, 2007 to December 31, 2017. Just look at the yelp photos showing all these Velib-1 grey bikes at various staions in 2017 ! The worst part is that the defective system (and its stooges at the city halls) has already killed a thriving bike culture in Paris that bloomed from 2007 to 2017: it only took a bad move from the mayor! read more

DO NOT USE THIS HORRIBLE SERVICE. Vélib is a nice idea but the bikes are terrible, heavy and clunky and not at all fast. When I realized this after my first ride, it was too late to cancel my subscription as there is no refund or trial period. When I figured that I might as well put it to use, I used velib to get home one night and was not able to print a receipt when my bike was returned, as they recommend doing in case they have any problems and you need evidence. They say that if your bike is not properly returned, you will be able to check on the computer and it will not allow you to take out a new one. There was no option to print a receipt, but the computer was allowing me to take out a new bike and the bike that I returned was locked into place and I could not move it if I wanted to, without taking out a new bike. Some days later, velib emailed me that they were charging me $150 for a missing bicycle. I returned with an email telling them when and where I left it, and called the number on the email. The customer service was horrible. The person on the phone did not really speak English though I asked to speak to an English speaker (1st person working in customer service in Paris I encountered that didn't speak English). She told me that I would just have to reply to the email and wait. Nightmare. Some days after that, they emailed again saying that the bike was "found" (what???) and that for this reason they would charge me $100. Obviously the bike was "found" exactly where I left it and their system failed to recognize this. DO NOT USE VELIB AS THEY WILL TAKE MONEY OUT OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT FREELY AND WITH NO PERMISSION. Horrible service and experience all around. read more

Excellent system for bike rentals. For the cost of a one-way metro ticket (1.70 Euro), you can subscribe for 24hrs of access on a bike. Trips of 30 min or less are included in the subscription then 1 Euro for each 30 min longer. So, ride from the 4th Arr. to the Louvre...included. Pick up a new bike and head out to Eiffel Tower...included. You're regularly checking out and checking in bikes...it keeps the system moving. Inspect the bike you intend on checking out, to ensure: 1) tires have air, 2) breaks work, 3) there are 2 pedals , 4) shift lever works (there are 3 gears). The only pain with the system is when a rack is completely out (and you want a bike) or the rack is completely full (and you have to return it). Luckily, there's typically another rack around the corner. There also appears to be a truck that drives around balancing out the bike racks. Would be 5 stars, easy. Deducted 1 for a single bad experience trying to return a bike and had to wait for someone to check out a bike (10-15 min) because all the racks around were completely full. Seems some of the machines hiccup as you're entering in your short term subscription...just try again. And again, if needed. read more

Terrible time today finding active bikes, docking and account problems. Will not use these again.

The bikes are in very bad shape, and the return stations often malfunction. I'd give negative stars if it were possible. We learned about this from Rick Steves, but this recommendation was horrible. I've followed his tips for 23 years and they're usually beautifully spot on, but this company, Velib, is just terrible. They didn't follow-through with fixing major billing issues, and they seem to have trouble keeping up with huge problems with many of their bikes (missing pedals, broken pieces, seats missing, charging stations malfunctioning). I was charged charged close to 250 Euros over the course of 10 days (used them only on 4 short occasions with my family of three), when my total should not have been over 30 Euros! I called after I noticed the first error, while still in Paris, and was told on the phone and over an email that they would refund me a portion of that amount. I trusted them and complied with all their requests, but they never did follow-through because they said they could only do a refund if I provided an IBAN account number, which I did not have (my bank could not help me either). I kept sending messages asking for an alternative to refund my money, but they never responded again. I tried multiple ways to reach them, but they never responded. I had even filled out their form with every detail needed. The errors were so annoying and the bikes were so unreliable that I would not recommend these bikes. I'd recommend walking if you prefer to not take the metro. Distances really aren't too far, and the hassle from Velib is not worth it. Something is wrong with this company. I hope they fix things. read more

i'm already familiar with the concepts of these bikes being a londoner who uses boris bikes on a fairly regular basis. when my boyfriend and i were in paris we went to bois de vincennes and decided that cycling round the park would be more enjoyable than walking, so we hired out some bikes. the system is really easy to use - make sure you find a station where there are a few bikes to choose from, use your card to make your payment (there is a £150 deposit required, so bear this in mind!), choose your bike, cycle, have fun! if you want to keep costs down, return your bike every 30 minutes and pick up a new one, and you shouldn't go over the 1.70euro fee per day if you do it this way. paris has some really great cycling paths, so if, like me, you're a bit nervous about cycling on the roads, i think this is a pretty great city for trying it out - drivers are really very courteous to you, and like i said, the bike lanes are pretty extensive. such fun - will definitely be making full use of the velib system again when i next return to paris! read more

Heavy bikes with poor steering and Terrible customer service. English instructions were unclear, so in the process of trying to figure out the system, my credit card was charged 3x for 2 rentals. Velib acknowledges that I did not rent 1 out of the 3 charges but refuses to help me by issuing me a refund. Be warned, like other reviews have indicated, many bikes are not in working condition. We walked over an hour before finding 2 working bikes at the same station. Also difficult to return 2 bikes to the same location. Overall, what a headache and a terrible experience. read more

Do this. It's brilliant. I signed up online beforehand. I directed my questions to their FB and actually heard back. Once we had everything squared away using the system was a breeze. Sure, you have to return the bike every half an hour to avoid a one euro charge and be forewarned sometimes the stalls at busy locations fill fast. Finding the bike return locations is really easy, they even offer an app. I didn't want to use my phone while I was traveling so I simple brought up the closest return locations on the machine and took a picture of the map. Super simple. If you reach a full machine it will tell you where the nearest locations are. Be sure to check all bikes and tires before you leave the station. Occasionally you will find a broken bike but it is rare. All of the seats are adjustable. Seriously, do yourself the favor or experiencing Paris by bike. It's life changing. I only took one taxi ride in a week because of this amazing service, it saved me so much money! Side note: if you're a little apprehensive about bike riding in a foreign country do the Fat Tire Bike Tour first! They give you a good feel for the flow of traffic before you take off on your own. read more

Terrible experience!!!! After returning to Canada there was a charge of 100.00 to my account due to my bike not being "engaged properly" when I returned it. I called Velib three times and the first two agents were terrible. The third agent finally was able to find the discrepancy. There was a glitch in the system though he said he was unable to do anything. "This happens all the time" he said. He directed me to velib.paris.com to put my complaint in, though the only page for a complaint is on the french site. The english site just has a phone number. It makes it very difficult for visitors to the city to have a positive experience when you are told "you need to pay attention" after I told them I confirmed visually that it was engaged correctly. It was locked!!!!!! Even though there was a glitch in the system, and he apologized (though that doesn't help the situation) he STILL couldn't return my money or at least find a win win situation for the customer. I would NEVER recommend this service for anyone. Especially because their customer service is so brutal! I basically had the too bad so sad story slapped to my face. It was absolutely disgusting in how they treat their customers. read more

Awesome, and so cheap! For the price of one bus or metro ticket you can take unlimited rides for 24 hours! Bikes are generally in decent shape (a few duds) and the stations are everywhere and well stocked. You can easily buy a 1-day or 7-day pass online at http://en.velib.paris.fr/ Kiosks only accept chip+pin credit cards; it didn't accept my American chip+signature card or swipe cards. Paris is not the greatest city to ride in with the heavy traffic and one-way streets but Velib is a fantastic resource for resident and tourist alike. read more

Ok so it's pretty amazing to be able to ride around the city on bikes but these bikes aren't in the best shape so make sure to check out your bike before you take one out. Some times the breaks don't work super well other times the seats are loose and move around while you riding the bike...just be careful! But enjoy it it's sooo much fun to ride around Paris! read more

What a fantastic deal. Navigating the city is hard (for me) but it was still an amazing way to see Paris?

Velib is brilliant, what a fun way to get around Paris. The city is really made for biking, traffic is terrifying but if you have the stones for it the distances lend themselves perfectly to exploration on two wheels. You can buy a week pass online for EUR 8-9 or if you have a Navigo card you can add an annual subscription to that and easily grab a bike by touching the card. Living in Chicago I use Divvy all the time, this is the system that inspired Mayor Daley to implement it. read more

Got the service for the summer... surprise! hardly any station worked! getting a bike was miracle, now in october, still many stations are "under construction" so it ended up being a bad service for me. When I called to end my subscription, (first, it was hard to get a hold of them), I was told that I couldn't, or that "I could but I will still be paying" even if the subscription was cancelled, this after 30 min on the phone because the customer service was poorly informed and would put me on hold every 5 min to ask someone else about my questions... in general the new service of Velib offers poor information and bad service. Awful experience. read more

When you buy a ticket they let you know that they will charge you 150 euros if you do not return the bike. What they do not tell you is no matter what they will debit your account for 150 per bike even if you do return the bike, then they give you the money back in 7-10 days (MAYBE). We are in paris on our honeymoon and they took over 300 from our account and said they won't give it back to us until after we leave our trip. Not only this but we only used the bikes for 10 minutes because the machine was broken and charged us without allowing us to actually take the bikes away. We were finally able to remove the bikes from the station and then put them back immediately because they were both poor quality. Do not use this service. They will take your money, and if you are on vacation they will keep it until you return home. read more

Great system, as bike rentals go, as far an convienence. However, there are many areas which are not great to ride bikes in Paris, as there is too much traffic. Not good with children. read more