Cycling tours with a travel guide can be found, for example, on the tourist office website. There are also addresses of rental stations on the same page. Day passes can also be booked for the local rental bikes from “Vélib Métropole” using the smartphone app of the same name.
Very easy
On the Seine: Even if you’ve never been to the city before – Paris makes it easy. The most important sights, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre to the most beautiful bridges and Notre-Dame Cathedral, are located on the Seine, along the banks of which a cycle and pedestrian path runs. Advantage: It just goes straight ahead and you can’t get lost. Disadvantage: It is often quite crowded.
A little more demanding
Across the river (Tour 1, see map): from the Place de l’Alma with a view of the Eiffel Tower up to the Champs-Élysées and through the stately Avenue Winston Churchill back down to the river, the route leads to the Île de la Cité and Notre Dame. If you like, stop here – or add the second tour.
On the canal (tour 2): from Port de l’Arsenal to La Villette: From the small city harbor with an interesting lock, we head north along the Canal Saint-Martin, which initially runs underground. You can simply follow it or take a detour to Place de la République (see map). The path leads past the bustling Quai de Jemmapes. Beyond the Jaurès/Stalingrad subway stations it becomes quieter, you cycle along the Bassin de la Villette through a relaxed green area with street cafes. If you like it sporty, simply continue along the waterway on the Canal de L’Ourcq – towards the suburbs of Pantin and Bondy.
For advanced
Rive Gauche (Tour 3): From east to west – a tour between the two large forest areas Bois de Vincennes and Bois de Boulogne. The journey starts beyond the Périphérique city highway in the east and then goes over the Pont de Bercy bridge south of the Seine. Past the botanical garden, a rather quiet spot where the Natural History Museum is also located, which is well worth seeing. Through the student district of the Latin Quarter we go up to the Panthéon, through the stately Jardin du Luxembourg into the famous artists’ district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. From there you approach the Seine again, past the Invalides, and finally reach the Île aux Cygnes with the Statue of Liberty. If you like, stop here – or enjoy the forest air in the Bois de Boulogne.
You can also explore the Bassin de la Villette and part of the Canal de l’Ourcq on your own from the water: with the electric boats from Marin d’Eau douce (37, Quai de la Seine, 75019 Paris). A boat license is not necessary.
The park hiking trail “Promenade plantée” or “Coulée verte René-Dumont” is not particularly long at just under five kilometers, but it leads through a quiet, different Paris in the residential area of the 12th arrondissement: from the Métro Bastille along Avenue Daumesnil , via the Périphérique city ring to the Bois de Vincennes.
Fruit and vegetables: One of the largest roof gardens in Europe is located in the exhibition halls at the Porte de Versailles. Visits can be reserved here; Address: 2, Porte de la Plaine, 75015 Paris
Mushrooms: La Caverne in the former underground car park, 24, Rue Raymond Queneau, 75018 Paris; Visits can be found here.
Urban planning: In the east of the city, near Bercy, a new district is soon to be built on a wasteland. If you want to see what and what steps are planned, you can visit the community garden “Bercy Beaucoup”, a venue with information on urban development (may be closed in winter)
Read the current cover story on the green revolution in Paris here
