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Heading to the city of lights? Hop on a bicycle and explore the city from the pavements rather than the Metro. Most of the main sights of Paris are spread across a relatively small area and cycling means you’ll catch much more of the essence of daily Parisian life.

More and more cities across Europe are setting up bicycle hiring systems that aim to decrease the amount of traffic on the roads, and Paris is no exception. The Velib bicycle rental system hit Paris last summer, and it sounds like a great way to see the city.

First of all you have to subscribe to the Velib system, at a rate of €1 a day or €5 a week. Sometimes only European-issued credit cards work here, in which case you might need to buy a subscription from your hotel. Once you’ve subscribed, you can use a bike an unlimited number of times for 30 minutes or less; if you ride it for longer you’ll need to pay, but unless you take it for several hours it’s still very cheap.

There are some 750 spots to pick up and drop off the bikes all around the city; they say that you can find one every 300 meters. So what are you waiting for? It’s cheap, healthy and you’ll see more of the city.

(Photo via flickr cc)