Montreal's Bixi bicycles parked in a Bixi station Photo Credit: Montreal.Bixi.com

Montreal is a Bicycle-friendly City

Montreal is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in North America. In fact, Montreal was voted as the best North American city by Bicycling magazine. There are several hundred kilometers of bicycle paths around the Montreal area and even more in the surrounding area. Montreal has the most extensive system of bicycle trails of any city in North America. You can check out Montreal’s bicycle trails map here.

Bicycle Events in Montreal

There are several biking events that occur in Montreal every year with the largest being the Féria du vélo de Montréal, which is organized by Velo Quebec and takes place in late May. The Féria du vélo is a celebration of bicycles that includes the Tour de l'Île de Montréal and Bike to Work Week.

BIXI Montreal

BIXI is the name of Montreal's new public self-service bicycle sharing program. BIXI is a combination of the words "bicycle" and "taxi". Montreal’s BIXI was modelled on bike sharing programs in Europe, particularly the Vélib network in Paris. The BIXI system contains over 3000 bicycles for short-term rental spread out around the downtown core of Montreal. The BIXI stations are usually around 300 meters apart and there are approximately 300 stations available. BIXI users can pick up a bicycle at any BIXI station and return it at any other BIXI station. Montreal’s BIXI system is accessible 24 hours a day from April until November. Cyclists can subscribe to the service at a cost of C$78 for a year, C$28 for a month or C$5 for a day. The first 30 minutes of each rental are free. You can click here to view all the Available BIXI stations.

A Bixi bicycle station in Montreal Photo Credit: Montreal.Bixi.com