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Bike tours lasting three hours from cycle shop Gepetto & Vélos (Map; 01 43 54 19 95; www.gepetto-et-velos.com, in French; 59 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 5e; tours €25; 9am-1pm & 2-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-1pm & 2-7pm Sun; Cardinal Lemoine) include guide, bicycle and insurance. There is also a branch in the Latin Quarter (Map; 01 43 37 16 17; 46 rue Daubenton, 5e; 9am-1pm & 2-7.30pm Tue-Sat; Censier Daubenton).

RATP-sponsored Maison Roue Libre (Map; 0 810 44 15 34; www.rouelibre.fr; Forum des Halles, 1 passage Mondétour, 1er; adult/under 26 yr €27/20, with own bike €17; 9am-7pm Feb-Oct, 10am-6pm Wed-Sun Nov & Jan; Les Halles) has as many as 15 different themed bike tours from 12km to 26km lasting from three to eight hours. Tours operate on certain weekend days throughout the year starting at 10am, 2pm or 8pm. Consult the website for exact details. The Bastille branch (Map; 0 810 44 15 34; 37 blvd Bourdon, 4e; Bastille) keeps the same hours but shuts Wednesday and Thursday in winter.

Paris à Vélo, C’est Sympa! (Map; 01 48 87 60 01; www.parisvelosympa.com, in French; 22 rue Alphonse Baudin, 11e; 9.30am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 2-7pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar; St-Sébastien Froissart) This association with the cringey name (Paris by Bike is Nice!) has five different three-hour bike tours available for €34/28/18 for adult/12 to 25 years/under-12 years. Prices include bicycle and insurance.

Boat

Be it on what Parisians call la ligne de vie de Paris (the lifeline of Paris or the Seine) or the rejuvenated canals to the northeast, a boat cruise is the most relaxing way to watch the city glide by.

CANAL CRUISES

Canauxrama (Map & Map; 01 42 39 15 00; www.canauxrama.com, in French; Bassin de la Villette, 13 quai de la Loire, 19e; Mon-Fri adult/6-12yr/student & senior €15/8/11, under 6yr free, admission afternoon Sat & Sun €15; Mar-Nov; Jaurès) has barges that run from Port de Plaisance de Paris-Arsenal, 12e, opposite 50 blvd de la Bastille, to Parc de la Villette, 19e, along charming Canal St-Martin and Canal de l’Ourcq. Departures are at 9.45am and 2.30pm from Port de Plaisance de Paris-Arsenal during the season and, in summer only, at 9.45am and 2.45pm from Bassin de la Villette. The cruise last 2½ hours.

Paris Canal Croisières (Map; 01 42 40 96 97; www.pariscanal.com; Bassin de la Villette, 19-21 quai de la Loire, 19e; adult/4-11yr/senior & 12-25yr €17/10/14, under 4yr free; late Mar–mid-Nov; Jaurès or Musée d’Orsay) has 2½-hour cruises from quai Anatole France (7e), northwest of Musée d’Orsay, at 9.30am and departing from Parc de la Villette for the return trip at 2.30pm.

RIVER CRUISES

On the Right Bank just east of Pont de l’Alma, Bateaux-Mouches (Map; 01 42 25 9610; www.bateauxmouches.com, in French; Port de la Conférence, 8e; adult/senior & 4-12yr €9/4, under 4 yr free; mid-Mar–mid-Nov; Alma Marceau), the most famous river-boat company in Paris, runs nine 1000-seat glassed-in tour boats, still the largest on the Seine. Cruises (70 minutes) depart eight times a day between 10.15am and 3.15pm and then every 20 minutes till 11pm April to September and 10 times a day between 10.15am and 9pm the rest of the year. Commentary in French and English.

From its base northwest of the Eiffel Tower, Bateaux Parisiens (Map; 0 825 01 01 01; www.bateauxparisiens.com; Port de la Bourdonnais, 7e; adult/3-11yr €10.50/5, under 3yr free; every half hr 10am-10.30pm Apr-Sep, hourly 10am-10pm Oct-Mar; Pont de l’Alma) runs one-hour river circuits with recorded commentary in 13 different languages.

La Marina de Paris (Map; 01 43 43 40 30; www.marinadeparis.com; port de Solferino, quai Anatole France, 7e; Musée d’Orsay) offers lunch cruises at 12.15pm (€51) and dinner cruises at 6.30pm (€45 and €59) and 9pm (€79). They last about 2¼ hours and a menu for those under 12 (€39) is available at all meals.

Vedettes du Pont Neuf (Map; 01 46 33 98 38; www.pontneuf.net; square du Vert Galant, 1er; adult/4-12yr €11/6; every half