Lyon has an increasing number of safe cycling routes. Problematic points remain, especially when it comes to crossing major roads. Also keep in mind that there are two hills with steep slopes. A map of cycling routes is available online: .
Public bicycle service Vélo'v
Since May 2005, Lyon has also had a public bicycle service called Vélo'v which allows travellers, after registering a credit card, to pick up, and drop cycles to and from over 300 points around the city. You need a credit card (Visa/MC/French CB) to make use of the service. It is very cheap:
1-day ticket: €1, then free for the first 30 min of each ride, €1 for 30 to 60 min, then €2 every 30 min.
7-day ticket: €3, then same fares as the 1-day ticket.
30 min is generally more than enough if you stay close to the city centre.
If you have taken a bike and realize that it has a problem (broken chains, warped wheels, flat tyres or even missing pedals are commonplace), just put it back into its place and repeat the procedure to take another one. Recent improvements to the system have made this operation fast and easy.
Note that the system only works with a European credit/debit card. Otherwise the transaction is aborted, no explanations given on the terminal. It is supposed to accept all cards with a chip, but those with foreign cards could experience difficulties. Also note that you must rent a bike immediately after purchasing a temporary pass or the ticket will become inactive (this is only true for the first rental). The terminals have only limited English translation making it a rough start, but once you get to know the system, it is a great way to move around the city. There are so many bikes that it can sometimes be a problem to return them.
There is an iPhone app called Vélo which can help you find a bike or a free parking slot.
More classical bike rental service is available from:
Lyon Location, 16b rue d'Alsace, 69100 Villeurbanne (M: République), ☎ +33 4 27 46 39 39 (), . Mon-Sat 9AM-12PM/3PM-7PM, Sun by appointment. Also rents scooters and motorbikes.Adult bike €14/day, €65/week. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Lyon
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Lyon Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
