We know that Strasbourg is the most “bike-friendly” city in France. With more than 16% of bike routes, the city is the fifth in the Copenhagenize world ranking, which indicates the cities with the highest use of bicycles in the world (see here ).
Visiting Strasbourg by bicycle is a very pleasant and simple alternative, without depending on the common transport (or the quality of your shoes). And who doesn't live here is not deprived of a bicycle! Did you know you can rent a bike?
As in Brazil, there are also “free service” bikes here. You can rent for a day, a week, a month or more! And the company that takes care of that is Vélhop ( it says “see lop”). You create a contract with them and rent a bicycle for the period you choose!
They have several types of bicycles, for the most varied tastes! There is the children's bike, the Tandem bike (the one for two people), the classic adult bike, the cargo bike, the electric bike and the street station bikes (see here bikes from the Vélhop line).
But, how do you rent a bicycle?
Well, you have 3 options: free service stations on the street (available 24/7), in stores (during business hours) or online. And I'll explain everything to you.
To rent a bicycle at free service stations:
* it is a little tricky to rent a bike at free service stations, and you need to understand a little French for this, so give preference to physical stores or the internet, it is much simpler *
To use a Vélhop station bike for short-term rentals, you must first obtain a Vélhop code .
For this you can go directly to a station equipped with a credit card reader, or by calling 09 69 39 36 67.
A code valid for 7 days, allowing you to rent and return a bicycle, you will be communicated by phone and SMS. To unlock the bicycle, simply enter the code at the station terminal and you can collect your bicycle. At the end of use, remember to bring your bike back to its original station.
To rent a bicycle at stores:
You will need your passport / identity card.
Arriving at the store, you will ask for a bicycle rental, and indicate which type of bicycle you will want to rent and for how long. Then you pay a guarantee deposit. You can pay by cash or check (some stores do not accept cards). Do not worry! The deposit amount will be returned as soon as you return the bike! In addition to the deposit, you also pay the bicycle rent.
After signing the contract (yes, everything is very formal here!), they give you the bike, show you how it “works” and, c'est I left! You can already walk!
To rent online:
Nothing simpler! On the Vélhop website, simply create your account, by clicking on the option “Louer un vélo en ligne” or “Hire a Velhop online” in the top bar of the site. And yes, the site has its English version as well.
After creating your client account, you will click on the “Location en ligne” tab and then respond to the information. Everything is very simple.
After validating the demand for a bicycle, you must give your credit card information to pay the deposit and the rental of the bicycle.
After validating the payment, you receive the documents and codes that you must present in the selected store. And then just show up at the store on the day and time agreed and voilà!
Deposit amount guarantee:
€ 150 for a classic bicycle or for children, € 300 for a tandem bicycle, € 650 for an electric bicycle, € 800 for a cargo bicycle (cash, check in the name of Strasbourg Mobilités, bank pre-authorization).
Bicycle rental fee:
For children's and classic bikes:
1 day– 6€
2 days – 12€
7 days– 18€
1 month– 23€
For electric bicycles:
1 day-12€
7 days– 42€
1 month– 49€
For those who do not do well in English or French, I advise to rent online. It's simpler and you have more time to search for the translation of the information they ask for on the site!
And a tip: anticipate the bike rental! Sometimes Velhop is a victim of its success, and some bicycles (electric ones, for example) run out!
Good ride!
A bientôt and, perdoe o meu francês! 😉
