I've been asked quite a bit about whether it's possible to find one-way bike hire for Paris-London, or vice versa. i.e pick up in Paris and drop off in London. The short answer is 'no'. Here's the long answer, including a summary of all your options (other ideas welcome!)
Westminster pictured from the London Eye, the starting point for the Avenue Verte London to Paris bike route on the north side of the Channel. Photo: Aedo Pultrone
Whether it's possible to hire a bike in Paris, ride the Avenue Verte and drop it off in London (or vice versa) has become a regular query here at Freewheeling France. I've had the same question posed several times, so I've collated some options below to help make this trip easier (and more attractive) for people who need to hire a bike to make this happen.
Usually these queries come from people from countries other than France and England – Australian or American tourists who want to ride this iconic route while they're over but who aren't for the most part taking a 'cycling holiday', or cyclists from other European countries who don't want the hassle of shipping their own bike to Paris/London and then home again. Often they also require panniers, child seats, trailers or other accessories to help make the trip happen.
For shorter distances, this isn't usually a problem as there's a great network of bike delivery companies in France that will drop bikes off to you at one location and collect them from another, as long as both spots are in their catchment area. And there's the rub with long-distance routes like London-Paris.
So, for everyone out there who's wondering if it's possible to arrange one-way bike hire to or from Paris or London for an Avenue Verte ride (or indeed any other London-Paris bike route), here's what I've come up with so far.
Option 1: Ride your own bike and have it shipped back
A number of shipping companies offer door-to-door delivery services that cater for bikes (and all sorts of other luggage). See this page for more advice. Note you will need to use a hotel and not an airbnb in case the bike arrives before you do or is picked up after you leave. See our Paris accommodation listings for bike-friendly options.
Option 2: One-way hire
One-way hire is possible via very select number of bike hire companies, depending on your dates and the season. We can help you via our bespoke bike hire service.
Option 3: Buy then sell at the other end
Chris @ http://velodocteur.eu suggested via our Facebook page that buying a bike in France to sell in London might be a good option if you're riding from Paris. The French bike chain Decathlon usually has some good deals on affordable and sturdy bikes, while this bike shop in London buys second-hand bikes, meaning you could arrange any sale in advance if you were to take this option. Doubtless this could also be achieved in reverse if riding from London. I'd love to hear about other bike shops in London or Paris who would be able to handle these sorts of enquiries from cross-Channel riders.
Option 4: Go one way on public transport
Another option would be to fly or catch the train to London (or Paris if you're riding in reverse), hire a bike there and then catch the train to Paris/London and ride the bike back via the Avenue Verte, returning it to the hire shop yourself. See here for the Eurostar bike carriage policy. There is more information on catching the train to/from France with bikes here, while we have flying with bikes information here. See here for ferries.
Option 5: Get someone else to ride it back for you
Social media is a great thing, as are the various cycling forums that bring ridesr from all over the place together: try our own Facebook group, CTC, BikeRadar and Cycle Chat, for starters. If you're lucky, you might just find someone who wants to ride the Avenue Verte in the opposite direction to you. Align your dates so that the other rider departs London/Paris after you arrive and, voilà!, problem solved. It's an interesting option – I'd be interested to hear if anyone's tried it for London-Paris or any other one-way ride.
Are there any other options?
Have you ridden the Avenue Verte one way on a hire bike? It would be great to hear how you arranged it, if you used any of the above options or came up with a different solution. An open invitation too, to other cyclists and bike hire firms to offer workable suggestions. Comments are welcome below.
More on the Avenue Verte London to Paris bike route
See our Avenue Verte information page, as well as our overview of the official guidebook from Sustrans.
Bike hire contacts in Paris
See our bike rental listings for contacts for bike hire shops in Paris.
