Forget fitness: make memories strolling the streets of Paris

Everyone knows walking is great exercise, but finding a walk you enjoy is key. We're hopping from city to city, finding walks so memorable you'll forget you did this to get fit. If the sounds of accordian players and sight of boutiques tempt you to stop at a café and sit for two hours, we suggest the following organized activities to keep your mind focused and your body in motion.

Beyond the riverbanks, café neighborhoods and narrow streets, there is plenty of green in the city's many gardens, with a surprisingly unique ecosystem that hosts over 160 species of trees, according to the mayor's office.

Horticulturalist Jacky Libaud gives daily, two-hour walking tours of the famed gardens Bagatelle, Rhizomes, St. Vincent and Echomusée and thoroughly explains the ecosystem and the species that inhabit it.

If you haven't considered a cinema tour, don't worry -- we hadn't either until we found out about Action in Montmartre, which offers tours in English, French and Italian of the bohemian neighborhood that inspired the making of many well-known films including "La Vie en Rose," "Moulin Rouge" and "Midnight in Paris."

Tours are available exploring the cinematic landmarks in the neighborhood of St. Vincent and the lesser known 18th arrondissement, which has a forgotten role in Parisian cinema history.

Tours last approximately two hours and cost between €10 and €14, and tours oriented towards the younger set are available provided children are accompanied by an adult.

For families and inividual adults alike, scavanger hunts are a sure way to keep moving and forget it's exercise.

Available in French and English from the companiy Paris ma belle, they take between two and three hours to complete and cost €10.

Street artists have not ignored Paris, and it would be a shame to visit without enjoying a tour of their work, which spawned a wealth of diverse techniques including stencil, stickers, wheat-pasting, sculpture and yarn-bombing and quickly became a means to manifest social and political messages.

Street Art Paris offers tours in English that show us where Banksy was as well as other British, French and European street artists including Jeff Serosol, Dast and Zoo Project.

Underground Paris also offers a three-hour walking street art tour in English every Saturday for €20, with a €5 discount for those who book online.

In hopes you've already forgotten this article was about fitness, remember that a recent study by the Cornell Food and Brand Lab says those who enjoy their exercise benefit from it more.

Whether your passion is for nature, cinema or street art, we hope you enjoy Paris while staying active this summer.

For a complete listing of various walking routes and organized tours, refer to the website ParisBalades.com.