Paris

Just back from trip to Paris...presume I'm preaching to the converted, but it's well worth taking your bike as the city is great for getting around in with its mixture of cycle paths and roads. Some of the squares can be a little interesting (Arc de Triomphe in particular) and the pave is hard going at times but you can see so much more when you stay above ground.

Look out for the cops though, they're seemingly everywhere and look a lot more scarey than the British police. The Parisians definitely seem to be a lot more law abiding as far as stopping at red lights than Londoners. Fixed and SSers are beginning to pop up all over the place. Checked out Cyclope and l'Atelier de Velos but it was the latter that tickled my fancy - really friendly staff.

Food is great and doesn't need to cost the earth if you do the baguette et fromage routine and there's an endless list of things to check out.

Thanks for the tips mate, I'm off there in a couple of months. Going to do it geared and pack really light, can't wait!

Bump!

I'm going this weekend (without the bikes) and staying in Montmartre. It's supposed to be sunny.
Anyone got any personal recommendations of good bars, restaurants, shops, etc?
And where should we avoid?

And does anyone know if cigars are siginificantly cheaper there?

in montmartre, refuge des fondues is quite quirky, can be touristy these days now. You can write on the walls, drink wine out of a baby bottle, and eat lots of fondue.

Place des Tertres is where the painters hang out, v v touristy now. The view from the steps early in the morning is well worth it, before it gets busy. If you're looking for bars, try rue de la roquette, just off place de la bastille, v lively.

depends what you want, really...touristy or 'off the beaten track'? I highly recommend www.bikeabouttours.com, if you can get a space -- they're number 1 on things to do on tripadvisor, and are booked up weeks in advance. Little dahon folders, and a chance to see things you wouldn't normally see in paris. Declaration of interest -- a close friend runs the show, and i used to guide for him.

as for cigars, http://www.cigarsmokers.com/nevermerely/regional/paris1.html
cos they're state-controlled, prices don't vary very much. Exchange rate swings have a bigger impact.

I love Montmartre, it's just a great place to wander around. Sacre Coeur is worth going to for the view even if it will be full of tourists (obviously, you are a tourist too). It's great at sunset. There's an excellent Boulangerie just past Abbesses metro station on the Rue des Abbesses where I used to get croissants and sandwiches from. But then almost any Boulangerie in Paris is great.
You can walk down the hill to Pigalle and the Boulevard de Clichy if you want to take in the seedy side of the area or have a look at the Moulin Rouge.
For a weekend in Paris, if you have not been before, then all the obvious things are actually worth seeing/doing; walk along the Seine, have a look at the Louvre, see the Eiffel tower, cup of tea in the Tuilleries, Notre Dame, left bank etc etc. It's just a beautiful, and fairly small, city. Pere Lachaise cemetary is good too - and you could pay your respects to Laurent Fignon. Or Oscar Wilde. Or Jim Morrison if you want a laugh.

without Amelie, Paris is dead to me.

if you can be arsed to walk/metro it down to montparnasse, go here*. *good eats, lotsa locals and hand cut chips to kill a hundred hookers for.

http://www.chezjanou.com/

Awesome, pistanator recommended it to me, unpretentious food and atmosphere. Book, people were still auditing round the corner when we left at about 11pm.

^ This

They don't do bookings though as it's always busy. They do two sittings though so you have to gauge it, get there either 7/7.30ish or later at 9ish. You may have to wait a bit but the little bar inside is nice to hang out and people/food watch :-)

Any of you guys lived in Paris for an extended period of time then?

Is it more/less/comparable in terms of living costs to London? Easy to get by without any real French or is it a necessity to learn?

I'm off to paris for 3 days at the end of this month, has anyone got any advise on good cycling shops, both road and fixed?

I was in Paris a few weeks ago. We stayed in an airbnb place on Rue Tiquetonne, which is a nice area in itself, and we happened to be next door to this place - http://ensellemarcel.com/

I bought a really nice winter hat!

Pigalle, what could go wrong?

These are some round my way:

La Bicyclette - 10 Rue Crozatier, Paris 75012
My local. Small, busy, lots of useful bits old and new, plenty of old steel.
http://la-bicyclette.over-blog.com

Bicloune (showroom) - 93 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris 75003
Bicloune (workshop, parts) - 7 rue Froment, Paris 75011
New and old bikes in the showroom, accessories in the workshop.
http://www.bicloune.fr/

Cyclope - 104 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, Paris 75011
Fixed gear specialists.
www.cyclopebikes.fr

BiCycle Store Paris - 17 Boulevard du Temple, Paris 75003
Nice but expensive.
http://www.bicyclestore.fr/

Cycles Laurent - 9 Boulevard Voltaire, Paris 75011
Loads of jersies.
http://www.cycleslaurent.com/

Rando Boutique - 1 Rue Fernand Foureau, Paris 75012
Cycle touring specialists.
http://www.vintage-cycles.fr/

Vélo Vintage - 58 rue du Ruisseau, Paris 75018
Refurbed old French bikes.
http://velo-vintage.com/

Valmy Cycles - 179 Quai de Valmy, Paris 75010
Open on Sundays for repairs.
http://valmy-cycle.blogspot.fr/

Vintage Cycles - 73 Rue de Turbigo, Paris 75003
http://www.vintage-cycles.fr/

Les Petits Vélos de Maurice - 139 Boulevard Voltaire, Paris 75011
http://lespetitsvelosdemaurice.blogspot.fr/

^legend

yup, rep given. Thank you!

La bicyclette is the basement for the french fixed gear (pignonfixe.com) forumers. You might meet some of them in the late afternoon for beers, talk an sometimes nice bikes. There're some gorgeous ones inside the shop.

Cyclope was the shop of the early fixed gear hype.

Les petits vélos de Maurice is well known for low-cost bicycle repairs, the bikes they sell are not worth it if it's why you should want to go there.

Bicloune showroom is a kind of museum, beautiful bikes for unaffordable prices.
In the workshop you might find some interesting spare parts, but be careful with the opening hours, they're quite special.

one further question - where can I watch the milan san remo in Paris?

Stumped me there.
Gouache...?

If you have the bikes, why not stay further out & ride in

• 1, the weather is nice, you'll watch the San Remo later on youtube
  

Rue des Martyrs in Montmartre has loads of good things on it, but this off licence with chess boards and tables was a winner http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/people-drug-store-paris

my fellow forumengers, thought i could shout out here; i find myself in paris this weekend 19.6 till 21.6 and the apartment of the office is unfortunately occupied so cannot sleep there.. anybody up to offer me a couch and shower for either friday/saturdaynight?! im biekless and just planning on roaming the city and watch some exhibitions and buildings and drink beers, wines and eat cheese and pain. would be splendid!

in exchange i can offer a space in berlin to sweeten the deal somewhere in the future, with optional loan of my sweet fixeh beater claud!