paris: velib it or not
i’m still getting over not being in paris. as much as i love NYC, that amazing city tugs away at my heart.
over the next week, i plan to go nostalgic on you–bear with me–and recount the highlights of our trip. it’s hard to be back, but posts like this one, from conscious kitchen, and her vegan eclairs make it a bit more bearable.
so, paris–why am i so enamoured?
well, for one, the city has over 230 miles of bike lanes, all being put to good use with the velib bike project. 20,000 community bikes at 1500 locations are up for grabs–think amsterdam in the 60s. designed for point-to-point riding, meaning you ride it to the louvre & park it for someone else to use, then grab another one when you’re ready to head to sacré-cœur.
each 24 hour velib stand allows riders to select a one-day card for 1 euro, a weekly card for 5, or an annual card for 29. once the access card is purchased (application forms for the annual card are available at paris district city halls, 300 metro stations & 400 pastry shops throughout the city), riding for the first half-hour is free and a 1 euro fee is charged for the first additional half-hour, 2 euros for the second , extra half-hour and 4 euros for every additional half-hour after that.
huh?
30 minutes = FREE! 1 hour = 1 euro, 1.5 hour = 3 euros, 2 hours = 7 euros.
yes, it gets pricey–but only if you hoard the thing all day. if you use it to get from one place to another, it’s free, as you can easily peddle wherever you please, well within half an hour.
if you speak the language check out the site, with more details.
for tourists, don’t leave home without your american express card. so far, it’s the only one accepted by the system.
