Bicycling in Paris: Estylo Velib

Many of our adventures begin on a bicycle. The absolute best investment we made upon arriving in Paris, France was a annual subscription to the Velib shared bicycle program.

3AM. Riding home from the Canal Saint-Martin over the train tracks on Rue Riquet.

The Deal: The annual subscription is ONLY 29 Euros! And with a little savvy, that's all you'll ever pay using the system as much as you want for a full year.

Ride Like a Local: Each time you remove a bike from a stand, you have 30 minutes to ride free of charge. Before the 30 minutes ends, check the bike in. Wait one minute. Catch you breath, check your map, apply lipgloss. And voilá! You are ready to check out again for your next 30 minute cycle (literally). Although bike stands are located very close to each other across the city, you may miss a check-in time by a minute or ten in an unfamiliar neighborhood when you first get started. Don't worry, you'll only be charged 1 additional Euro (that's less than a single macaroon or shot of espresso) as long as you park it within 1 hour from your check out.

Discover the Real Paris: When you're on the Metro, you can't experience the very Parisian street life above or below the Metro that attracted you to the city in the first place. You can't just jump off whenever you see an amazing dessert or a beautiful bouquet of flowers, much less when you catch the glimpse of the barely there smile of a potential new friend. On a bike you have the opportunity to see, hear, smell and sometimes even accidentally bump into Parisian daily life as you transverse the city. Crossing through diverse neighborhoods is the best way to find you favorite places to stop and spend a little quality time.

The Savings: We have saved hundreds of dollars by bicycling instead of taking the Metro and it is the best way to get to know all corners of the city. Less Metro tickets equals more wine, cheese and chocolate. You get the picture.

Gain Advantage: Once you become a pro, you will discover that each time you park a bike at specific stations across the city (marked Velib+) will earn you 15 minutes of grace time on your account. After logging a few blocks of grace time on your account, getting charges an overage is near impossible. Overall, the program is very well organized. Depending on your length of stay, obtaining a day pass, week pass or annual pass is a very smart decision.

The Fast Lane: The city of Paris can easily be navigated via bicycle thanks to a strong network of protected and/or well-marked bike lanes. We often find it is quicker to travel by bike than by Metro. Plus, Paris is a small city and relatively flat. Navigating the hills of the 18th, 19th or 20th arrondissements are a fun challenge for an extra boost of exercise. The beautiful views from the hilltops make the journey well worth breaking a little sweat. Hello...more hours on the bike equals more baguettes, cheese and wine. I have a direct correlation worked out, which I can not share. Company secret. You understand. Come calculate your own bicycle to baguette ratio.