Bike sharing in Paris

Paris's bike-sharing program, Velib, recently celebrated its first anniversary. By most accounts (such as an article in The Telegraph), the program has been phenomenally successful, with 26 million trips taken in the first year (even though bike theft is also a problem).

It's a great alternative for visitors, as it's cheaper that the Metro and gives you a way to work off some of that yummy French food. This jazzy little video gives a sense of the appeal of the program.



As a visitor, you can sign up for a short-term Velib ticket online. A one-day ticket is 1 euro, and a seven-day ticket is 5 euros. Half-hour trips are free, with the first two additional half hours costing 1 euro each. After that, the price goes up steeply, since the aim is to get people to use them for short trips.