HELP GUIDES

Income Tax in France

Healthcare in France

Inheritance Law and Wills in France

Visas and residency cards for France

Bike

How do I avoid scams when selling expensive bike online in France?

We look at ways goods are sold online

2025 Tour de France will start in the north

It will be the first start on French roads for four years

Telephone chargers and bikes recalled in France for safety faults

The public are being warned not to use the items

news

French man cycles length of France to promote eco-farming

He completed 1,400km over 13 days, stopping in remote villages to spread awareness

Traffic, a melting runway and Philly flights: 8 France travel updates

We also look at criticism of the UK’s payout to P&O Ferries and a new discount train offer in the South-West

Photo: House with cycling path running through it is on sale in France

The property was modified to make room for a bike path that links two villages to the north of Nantes

Cycling in France: Bike festivals and where to cycle this summer

You can get involved with the cycle hype by visiting one of France's many bike festivals

France to increase financial aids for electric bike purchases

The basic funding for a standard vélo à assistance électrique will increase by around €100, providing the owner meets the eligibility criteria

Frenchman, 85, reunited with bike his parents gave him when he was ten

The bike was traced back to him by a fellow villager after a junk dealer asked him to help him identify the name on the identification plate

Reader question: Do I need insurance to use quad on my land?

Your question answered: I want to use a quad bike on my own land in France. Are there any rules related to this and do I need insurance? J.W.

Mont Ventoux: Tour de France 2021 climbs the 'Bald Giant' today

As the riders prepare to summit the infamous peak, we explore its history and other ways to visit the redoubtable region

Tour de France spectator who caused 50-rider pile-up turns herself in

30-year-old woman in custody - she is accused of involuntarily causing injury and putting the life of others at risk

Tour de France: Police search for woman who caused 50-rider pile-up

The unidentified woman who held the sign blocking the path of the riders risks a fine of up to €1,500 and may be sued by race organisers

Paris cycle cafe combines beverages and bikes

The 15-seat, purpose-built ‘bike’ enables customers to cycle round the streets of the capital while enjoying drinks and snacks

Motorbike riders protest against France’s lane weaving 'ban'

The practice has been definitively banned nationwide since February 1 after a trial on certain roads showed an increase in accidents

€500 help for electric bike buyers in France

If you buy an electric bike in France you can, under certain conditions, be eligible for subsidies to get money back on your purchase.

Nabila Ramdani: Paris' cycle city plan 'dangerously chaotic'

Turning Paris into a cycle city might make it cleaner but it won’t make it safer, says Connexion columnist.

What is the virtual Tour de France?

Professional male and female cyclists are currently competing in a virtual race with six stages, prior to the real-life Tour de France, which is scheduled to start later this summer.

France invests €20m in a post-Covid bike revolution

A €20 million plan has been launched to encourage people to get on their bikes as a safer way to travel post-confinement.

France to increase fund for repairing bikes

More than 62,400 bikes have been repaired thanks to France’s new cycling plan ( plan vélo ), which offers €50 towards repairs for old bikes.

France tempts people back on to bikes after lockdown

Government offers to cover €50 of repair costs for everyone who wants to get back on their bike after the coronavirus confinement period is eased

Tour de France 2020 postponed due to Covid-19

The start of the 2020 Tour de France has been postponed to August 29 due to the coronavirus epidemic, although the route appears to be unchanged.

Thief-proofing your bike in France

How do I get an anti-theft marking on my second-hand bike – the marking which traces it back to me if stolen and then recovered? What’s the cost of this?

French engineer creates flying motorbike

Is it a bike, is it a plane? It’s both!

€600 grant to buy e-bikes in France

A grant up to €600 is on offer in one department to help fund electric bike purchases.

€600 available off new e-bike to beat Paris strikes

Residents of Ile-de-France are being offered up to €600 off a new electrically-assisted bike to help them cope with the transport strikes.

Tour de France director defends ‘south-focused’ route

The director of the Tour de France has defended the famous cycle race route against criticism that it focuses unfairly on the south, after the 2020 route was revealed yesterday (October 15).

Tour de France 2020 route includes ‘crazy’ new summit

The route of the Tour de France 2020 has been officially revealed today (Tuesday October 15), and is set to include the first “crazy gradient” summit to the Méribel station (Savoie) in almost 50 years.

France to spend €43m to improve cycling paths

France is to dedicate €43 million to create more cycling paths in 111 areas, as part of a wider project designed to encourage people to triple daily push bike use by 2024, from 3% to 9%.

Mountain bikers alerted as man finds ‘invisible trap’

Mountain bikers and hikers are warned to be on high alert after a biker in Isère reported an invisible “trap” on a trail in the mountains that he said could have “beheaded” him had he been going at speed.

Stunt at Tour de France ahead of yellow jersey 100th

A mountain bike rider has performed a stunt jump over the peloton of the Tour de France, in the same week as the famous yellow jersey celebrates its 100th anniversary, today (Friday July 19).

Handcrafted bicycles enjoy renaissance as works of art

Some of the bicycles in this month’s Tour de France are likely to have been hand-built by a frame-builder, a cadreur in French.

French lottery boost for chapel dedicated to cyclists

Notre Dame des Cyclistes listed among 121 French monuments to get restoration funds from this year's Heritage Lottery

Helmets optional on bikes or scooters, France votes

Helmets will continue to be optional for riders of push bikes and electric scooters in France, after the Assemblée Nationale voted this week against making them compulsory.

No to carte grises for bikes in France

Cyclists will have to ensure their bicycles are correctly ‘marked with a unique code’ in a bid to cut down on crime, under new government plans.

France bike plan aims to triple cycling trips by 2024

A new “bike plan” for France that aims to triple the use of push bikes for daily journeys by 2024 and invest €350 million in infrastructure, is to be presented by the government today (Friday September 14).

France’s first long-term bike hire scheme launches

A bike hire service launching today (Friday September 7) in Nantes is to give users “medium and long term” access to bikes - a departure from the usual “single trip” services usually seen in France.

Frenchman triumphs in France-China solar bike race

A Frenchman has come 8th out of 60 participants in a 12,000 km race from Lyon in France to Canton in China, using only an electric bike entirely powered by solar energy.

Families warned on French bike rules to avoid fines

As summer continues and families take to their bikes for days out, cyclists in France are warned to pay attention to the state of their bikes and rules of the road to avoid fines of up to €375.

Women cycling ahead of Tour de France demand parity

A group of female cyclists is gaining in popularity after once again completing this year’s Tour de France one day ahead of the famous male peloton, to demand equivalent recognition for their sport.

'10,000 Vélib bikes in Paris at end of August'

Consortium that took over bikeshare scheme has 'until September' to solve problems

What's on in France - June 2018

What to do, where to go and what to see in France

Quoi de neuf: shopping in June 2018

New products, designs and ideas from around France

Confident new bike hire scheme arrives in Paris

A Danish bike hire scheme has installed new bikes in Paris, in an attempt to succeed where other companies have failed.

New bike-share scheme fills Gobee void in Lyon

Indigoweel - which operates in Tours, Bordeaux and Metz - has launched in southeast city

Paris authorities step in to rescue Vélib' scheme

Just 300 stations operational two months after Smovengo took over bike-share service

Bike-share start-up shuts down after four months

Gobee.bike blames 'minors' as it ends operations in France

Tips to buy an electric bike

Change to government aid system

New app-based bike hire scheme comes to Paris

A new generation of bikes for hire is expected to appear across Paris in direct competition to the established “Vélib’” scheme.

Smart bikes for hire

Free-standing bikes for hire are appearing in more cities in France.

Brexit biker arrives in Downing Street

Biking Brexit campaigner Paul Hearn has just arrived in Downing Street to hand in a petition to UK Prime Minister Theresa May after riding hundreds of kilometres up through France.

Can cyclists legally ride on the pavement?

Are cyclists allowed to ride on the pavement? Also, I notice they generally do not stop for red lights – is that legal? G.I.

Reader sets off on 600km Brexit bike ride

A reader from the Charente will set off on a bike ride of more than 600km this weekend to deliver a print-out of his 15,000-name Brexit petition to PM Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Westminster.

Velib' celebrates ten years

Ten years after its launch, Velib’ boasts 23,600 bikes and 1800 stations - one every 300 metres - across Paris. The service has 300,000 subscribers and almost 100,000 daily users

SNCF installs self-service scooters at train station

French train company SNCF has installed self-service scooter terminals in the Saint-Denis train station, as part of a new trial.

Couple’s epic cycle ride in memory of granddaughter

Grandparents of a baby born prematurely are cycling almost 1600km to fundraise for charity

Save 25% on a new bike in Lille

European Metropolis of Lille is offering big grants for cyclists

Security mark your bike

TO GIVE yourself the best chance of getting your bike back if it is stolen, you can now have it security-marked.