Across France By Harley

What makes Paris different from other European capitals is the contrast. One minute you’re filtering carefully beside a delivery van on a six-lane boulevard. Twenty minutes later, you’re beside the Seine with the engine ticking as it cools. The motorcycle gets you to Paris; walking lets you enjoy it.

Parking the Harley and Riding Paris’s Best Routes

First, the practical bit. Paris introduced a paid-parking system for motorcycles, and street spaces are marked with motorcycle symbols. A petrol motorcycle generally pays around €3 per hour in central districts, while electric motorcycles may park free if registered correctly. Enforcement is serious. Don’t leave the Harley on a pavement just because scooters are doing it.

For a larger touring Harley, use a garage. Saemes Parking Madeleine-Tronchet, 3 Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, 75009, operates 24 hours and usually costs about €4 - €6 per hour, with daily rates around €35 - €45. Indigo Paris Louvre Carrousel, Avenue du Général Lemonnier, 75001, is central and open 24 hours, but its low-clearance sections can feel awkward with tall luggage. Call ahead if your bike is heavily loaded.

Paris also requires an environmental Crit’Air sticker for motor vehicles entering the low-emission zone. Order it before leaving home through the official French government site, certificat-air.gouv.fr. Allow several days for delivery. The sticker costs about €4 including postage. A foreign-registered motorcycle still needs one.

Once parked, these are the rides worth keeping the Harley for:

1. Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe The avenue itself is open all day, and the Arc de Triomphe is open 10:00-23:00 from April through September, with shorter winter hours; entry is about €16, and allow 45-60 minutes. Ride the Champs-Élysées early, before traffic thickens, then avoid entering the Arc’s roundabout unless you’re completely comfortable with Paris lane changes. For the best photograph, stop near Place de la Concorde rather than trying to park beside the monument.

2. Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars The tower generally opens from 09:30 until 23:45, though lift and summit times vary; summit tickets cost roughly €36, while the second floor is about €23, and you’ll need 2-3 hours. Ride along Quai d’Orsay and cross the Seine at Pont de l’Alma for clean tower views. The insider move is to visit after 21:00, when the crowds thin and the tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of each hour.

3. The Seine from Île Saint-Louis to Canal Saint-Martin The riverside paths are mostly free and accessible around the clock, but allow 2-3 hours for a slow walk and coffee stops. Motorcycles cannot simply use every pedestrian quay, so park near Pont de la Tournelle and continue on foot. From there, cross to Île Saint-Louis, then ride north toward Place de la Bastille and the Canal Saint-Martin. Sunday mornings are especially calm before the cafés fill.

4. Père-Lachaise Cemetery Open daily from about 08:00 to 18:00, with later closing in summer, this free cemetery takes 1.5-2 hours if you want to find Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Edith Piaf. Enter at 16 Rue du Repos, 75020, where motorcycle parking is easier than at the main western gate. Bring water; the paths climb, and the cobbles can be slippery after rain.

5. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont The park opens around 07:00 and closes between 19:00 and 22:00, depending on the season; entry is free, and 60-90 minutes is enough. It’s one of Paris’s best overlooked viewpoints, with steep paths, a lake, and the Temple de la Sibylle above the water. Leave the Harley near Rue Botzaris, then walk - riding inside the park is not allowed.

6. Rue Crémieux and the Bastille back streets Rue Crémieux is a short, colorful residential street near Gare de Lyon, open to view from outside but not a public attraction with set hours or an entry fee. Allow 20 minutes, and keep your voice down; residents have had enough of photo shoots. Instead of blocking the street, park at Parking Indigo Lyon Diderot, 10 Rue de Lyon, then ride the quieter lanes around the Bastille before lunch.

7. Montmartre before breakfast The Sacré-Cœur basilica opens from roughly 06:00 to 22:30, with free entry; the dome costs about €8, and allow 90 minutes. Ride up via Rue de Clignancourt before 09:00, when coaches and crowds arrive. Leave the Harley near Parking Clichy Montmartre, 12 Rue Forest, and walk the final slopes - Montmartre’s cobbles and steep turns are no joke with a loaded bike.

Skip These Tourist Traps

• The Moulin Rouge dinner show: Tickets often start around €125 and the meal is rarely the highlight. Have a drink at Le Très Particulier, 23 Avenue Junot, instead. - Café terraces on Place du Tertre: You’ll pay heavily for a mediocre meal. Walk ten minutes to Le Relais Gascon, 6 Rue des Abbesses, for a filling salad or duck dish. - Driving around the Arc de Triomphe at midday: It’s stressful and adds no real sightseeing value. Photograph it from Avenue de Wagram, then take the Metro or walk.

Where to Stay, Eat, and Refuel

Paris changes block by block. The Marais is central and lively, but garages are scarce. Bastille gives you better access to the southeast and plenty of casual food. Montparnasse is practical for riders approaching from the south. For a quieter stay with easier road access, look toward Bercy or the 13th arrondissement.

| Budget Tier | Recommendation | Area | Price/Night | Best For | |---|---|---|---:|---| | Budget | Generator Paris | 10th arrondissement | $75 | Secure-style hostel storage and social atmosphere | | Mid-range | Hôtel Oratio | Latin Quarter | $190 | Walkable sights and compact rooms | | Luxury | Hôtel Lutetia | Saint-Germain-des-Prés | $650 | Full-service comfort and central location |

Confirm motorcycle parking before booking. “Parking available” can mean a public garage two blocks away, not a locked space at the hotel.

Bouillon Pigalle (Montmartre) - Traditional French. Order the steak-frites ($18). It’s fast, busy, and far better value than the postcard cafés nearby.

Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (Saint-Germain) - Steak and fries. Order the entrecôte with secret sauce ($35). There’s no broad menu, so the kitchen does one thing repeatedly and does it well.

Chez Janou (Le Marais) - Provençal. Order the chocolate mousse ($12) after a plate of duck or ratatouille. The mousse arrives in a giant bowl, which is exactly as excessive as it sounds.

L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais) - Middle Eastern street food. Order the falafel pita ($10). Take it away and eat in the nearby Square du Temple rather than waiting for a table.

Frenchie Bar à Vins (2nd arrondissement) - Small plates and natural wine. Expect about $45 per person with drinks. Book ahead, or arrive at opening around 18:30 for the best chance of a seat.

Street Food to Try

• Crêpe jambon-fromage: $8 - $11 from a stand near Montparnasse. - Falafel pita: $9 - $12 in the Marais. - Croque-monsieur: $8 - $13 at a neighborhood café. - Churros or waffles: $6 - $10 near the Eiffel Tower, though prices rise sharply beside the main viewing areas.

A Rider’s Paris Checklist

Paris is easier when your kit matches the city. You’ll be walking more than riding, and the weather can change between the ring road and the river.

Packing Checklist

• Crit’Air sticker ordered before departure. - Waterproof motorcycle cover for overnight street parking. - Disc lock and compact chain. - Reflective vest for roadside stops. - Thin waterproof layer for sudden Seine-side rain. - Comfortable walking shoes for cobbles and cemetery paths. - Phone mount with offline Paris maps. - USB power bank; some older cafés have few outlets. - Small tank bag for garage tickets, gloves, and coins. - Earplugs for long rides and Paris’s constant traffic noise.

Useful Phrases

1. Bonjour, avez-vous une place pour une moto? - “Hello, do you have a motorcycle space?” (bon-ZHOOR, ah-vay voo oon plass poor oon moh-TOH?) 2. Je voudrais payer le parking. - “I’d like to pay for parking.” (zhuh voo-DRAY pay-YAY luh par-KEENG) 3. C’est ouvert aujourd’hui? - “Is it open today?” (say oo-VAIR oh-zhoor-DWEE?) 4. L’addition, s’il vous plaît. - “The bill, please.” (lah-dee-SYON, seel voo PLAY) 5. Un café allongé, s’il vous plaît. - “A long coffee, please.” (uhn kah-FAY ah-lon-ZHAY) 6. Je peux laisser mon casque ici? - “Can I leave my helmet here?” (zhuh puh lay-SAY mon KASK ee-SEE?)

Money-Saving Tips

1. Use Paris Visite only if you’re making several paid transit journeys; otherwise, individual Metro tickets or a Navigo day pass can cost less. 2. Eat the prix fixe lunch menus, often $20 - $30, instead of ordering dinner à la carte. 3. Book major attractions online, but compare the official site first; third-party “skip-the-line” sellers often add $10 - $25. 4. Fill a bottle at public Eau de Paris fountains, including the one near Jardin du Luxembourg. 5. Park the Harley once and walk. Repeated short garage charges can cost more than a day pass and leave you too tense to enjoy the ride.

Common Mistakes

• Riding into the center during 08:00-10:00 or 17:00-19:30: Cross the Périphérique before 07:30 or after 20:00. - Assuming hotel parking is included: Get the garage address, height limit, opening hours, and daily price in writing. - Following scooter riders through every gap: Keep your lane and expect buses, cyclists, and delivery vans to change direction without much warning. - Leaving luggage on the bike: Use the hotel or garage lockers, even for a ten-minute coffee stop.

Paris asks you to ride with patience, then rewards you with scenery no car can match. Get across the traffic, secure the Harley, and let the city unfold at walking speed. That balance - engine noise on the boulevard, quiet footsteps beside the river - is the real Paris ride.

End of chapter one. 7 more chapters and about 16,147 words in the full book.