| In-line skating has become so popular in Paris that it takes over the streets most Friday nights from 9.45pm, when expert skaters – up to 25,000 on fine evenings – meet on the esplanade of the Gare Montparnasse in the 14e (M° Montparnasse) for a demanding three-hour circuit of the city; check out www.pari-roller.com for details. A more sedate outing – and a better choice for kids – takes place on Sundays, departing at 2.30pm from the Place de la Bastille (www.rollers-coquillages.org). Three good places to find more information and hire blades (around €10 for a half day) are: Vertical Line, 60bis, av Raymond Poincarré, 16e (tel 01.47.27.21.21, www.vertical-line.com; M° Victor Hugo); Nomades, 37 bd Bourdon, 4e (tel 01 .44.54.07.44, www.nomadeshop.com; M° Bast- ille); and Bike 'N Roller, 38 rue Fabert, 7e (Mon–Sat 10am–7.30pm, Sun 10am–7pm; tel 01.45.50.38.27, www.bikenroller.fr; M° Invalides); all hold their own roller events. The main outdoor in-line skating and skateboarding arenas are on the concourses of the Palais Omnisport, Bercy (M° Bercy) and the Palais de Chaillot (M° Trocadéro). The flat areas just beside the place de la Bastille and place du Palais-Royal are also very popular, as well as the central quais of the Seine on Sundays.
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