In 2007 the Paris Town Hall instituted Vélib, the biggest bike-sharing system in the world: 1,800 bike stations across the city (every 300 meters) for a total of 20,000 bikes. The bikes may be rented for 1,70 € per day ($1.87 US dollars). If you live here, you can pay 29 € ($31.87 US dollars) for an entire year!
At a station, you might find this:
![Velib full bike station](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Velib-full-bike-station.jpg)
Or this. (Most often, something in between. 🙂 )
![Empty Velib station](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Empty-Velib-station.jpg)
We see people all over the city on these bikes. We had to try them!
After a hearty breakfast of Baked Eggs we set off. Not ready to brave the narrow, bustling city streets, we took the metro out to a large park full of bike trails near the Château de Vincennes. We quickly found a bike station with just a few bikes remaining, not surprising considering the cloudless sky. And we were on our way.
![Velib 4](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Velib-4.jpg)
These bikes are nothing like the characters we rode out to Monet’s garden. They are very sturdy (read: heavy), have big, cushy seats, have a covered chain so you don’t get grease all over your pants, and shift smoothly – all in all, very comfortable to ride. If you’re visiting Paris, don’t miss giving them a try!
![Velib 2](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Velib-2.jpg)
![Velib 1](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Velib-1.jpg)
![Velib 3](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Velib-3.jpg)
![Chateau Vincennes](https://keithandmarissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chateau-Vincennes.jpg)
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