About this holiday

There are thousands of Vélib bikes in Paris at 300 racks, mostly beside Metro stations. Anyone can hire them. Simply swipe your credit card into the machine, follow the multi-lingual instructions and you’re off on your Paris cycling adventure.

You pay just one euro to sign up for the scheme for a day or five euros for a week. But here’s the clever bit: the first half hour is free – so a 20 minute ride from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre costs nothing.

Choose hotels that are trying to make a difference to the environment, such as Le Meridien Etoile Paris, the only hotel in the city to be awarded the Green Key label for environmental management. And remember to travel to Paris by train!