To get the true feeling of being in Paris, then leave the main tourist trail and head for the water- no, not the Seine, but one of the Parisian canals.

The canal cruise I would highly recommend is called "Old Paris" on the Saint Martin Canal it takes 2.5 hours and is simply heaven. It leaves from Paris Arsenal Marina and goes to Parc de la Villette It is a romantic trip and gives you the opportunity to hear the history of the true Paris.

Cruise along the tree lined canal while admiring the old, yet beautiful footbridges. You will also pass below the Bastille. You can also enjoy going through several locks and a couple of swing bridges. You will watch as people go along the canal banks with the many retro shops and cafes-it is truly a view of Paris you will adore.

During the cruise I went on, they played old French songs - which may sound off putting, but on this occasion I found it added to a glorious experience I long to repeat. And the cost is 15 euros for adults and eight euros for children.

Bassin de la Villette - 13, Quai de la Loire - 75019 Paris
www.canauxrama.com
+33 1 42 39 15 00
Google map: bit.ly/mwo6nd

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For your first day in Paris, take a classic walking tour with an English-speaking guide to take you to all the main sightseeing spots. It only costs about 20 euros per person for 3.5 hours but you get to see all of Paris on the first day and allows you to go back and re-visit any of the sights for the rest of your holiday or go elsewhere. Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking and bring your camera!

www.classicwalksparis.com

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They offer private walking tours around Paris (and some other European cities). Their guides seem very informed and capable - lots of professors and authors, etc.

www.contexttravel.com/paris/

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Since this was our first visit to Paris, we weren't sure how to best spend our time. We came across Aeon's site and ended up taking a tour. We were, all in all, pleased with our tour and guide. She was knowledgeable and willing to answer any of our group's questions - even our most ridiculous ones. And, trust me, we had a few since we were there during the Metro workers strike in 2007. She was willing to start our tour later due to us not being able to get to the meeting point in time.

www.AeonTours.com

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Once your kids can ride a bike there's no better way to see Paris than cycling about it. The high spot of our recent half-term break was a morning spent exploring the Marais, Bastille, Louvre, St. Germain de Pres, Les Halles and many back streets in between.

Our guide, Paul, founded Bike About Tours with a friend and gives a charming and personal view of a city he clearly loves. Some of his enthusiasm rubbed off on the kids who particularly relished spotting locations from Ratatouille, or finding out how many Parisians slip in dog poo each day. Paul takes only safe back streets and cycleways, stopping for lunch at a boulangerie on the way.

Every so often we would park the bikes and explore a secret garden or a hidden alleyway on foot, letting Paris work its magic on children and adults alike. By the end of four hours we felt like we belonged. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

www.bikeabouttours.com
www.pret-a-rouler.fr
+33(0)624580215
Meet 10am by Charlemagne's statue in front of Notre Dame Cathedral

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Most Paris visitors obviously look for the essence of France as they wander the city, but I found something exceptional and different in the Monique Wells "Discover Afro-American History in Paris" tours.

The haunts of Josephine Baker and James Baldwin come to life, and you see the wonderful Chateau Rouge area - a brilliantly vibrant mix of colours and cultures, boutiques and restaurants. Paris' varied international and colonial history is brought to life.

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My wife and I went on a 2CV (you know that old typical French car you see in the movies) car ride and I strongly recommend it to everyone. The driver was an authentic Parisian (except he was actually really friendly ahah) who told us random stories about the city and France in general.

They stopped in front of every main monument to let us take pictures or sometimes even took the pictures for us and the view was just breathtaking. We could stand up (even though the car is so cosy you don't feel like standing up) to take advantage of the view on the Champs Elysees etc... I mean it was such a great typical experience we actually decided to do it again.

So the next time they picked us up from the restaurant and drove us around (Moulin Rouge, the foot of the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame). There was literally no traffic, and we definitely appreciated that bottle of champagne they let us take in the car.

Finally they drove us around Montmartre in some tiny streets and places only locals know so I won't hop on any of those touristy buses ever again.

PS: The name of their website is parisauthentic.com but don't trust the website's bad quality, it doesn't reflect the quality of the service.

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Forget the Tour de France, do the tour de Paris with one of the city's bike rental companies. Mike's Bikes does a dawn trip but don't forget a peformance enhancing cafe au lait before you set out.

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