Ancient cities weren’t designed for tour buses, so much of the history and magic of the grandest capitals is tucked away in narrow cobblestone warrens. While there’s a lot to be said for hopping on a tour bus and ticking off the list of major monuments with the help of a knowledgeable guide, cycling a city is one of the best ways to get a proper feel for it.

Paris is a city which invites that kind of exploration – not discounting the wide-open spaces like the Jardins du Luxembourg and the madness of Avenue des Champs-Élysées, but the back streets contain the real archives of the city’s history. The snail-shell spiral of the city’s arrondissements have, at each of their hearts, the alleyways which are also their genesis. Barely wide enough to cycle side-by-side, never mind accommodate an open-topped bus, they’re an overlooked part of the city that most tourists never get to see – and locals wouldn’t even look twice, at.

In an age where tourists are increasingly searching for authenticity in their travel experiences – the chance to ‘live like a local’ by staying in an Airbnb apartment or eschewing chain restaurant experiences in favour of exploring local markets – the chance to take a slower, more intensive look at a city is one not to be passed up. If you want to learn the height of the Eiffel Tower, take the bus. If you want to know why the Arc de Triomphe was built, brave the most chaotic roundabout in Europe and consult your guidebook. But if you want to stand in a spot where a guillotine once stood and shed the blood of Parisian criminals – and later, nobility – you’ll need to explore the back streets with a guide obsessed with telling the story of the city.

Paris Charms & Secrets run small, daily electronic bicycle tours, departing from Place Vendôme in the heart of the city. After a brief orientation of the functions of an alien-to-many electric bicycle and an overview of some road rules, the passionate guides lead groups off on ever-evolving explorations of the city. Supplementing the knowledge base established by founder Olivier Marie-Antoine, who has worked with some of the country’s top historians to unearth the city’s secrets, the guides are encouraged to do their own research.

Cycling for four hours sounds challenging – and probably more so in somewhere like San Francisco than Paris – but the electric bicycles make gobbling up the distance, relatively simple. It’s also not a case of spending four hours in the saddle – the tour is about exploring each site, rather than whizzing by and ticking them off a list. Almost every tour is different, with stops governed by tour size, opening hours and the whims of the guide. And since, by nature, the tours are about exploring secret places, the itineraries aren’t published, with photos even forbidden at some locations.

As much as the Paris Charms & Secrets tour is about uncovering hidden gems, like the underexplored Arènes de Lutèce, a first century AD Roman amphitheatre, now surrounded by apartment blocks, the guides will also take visitors to tourist hotspots like the Louvre, and give fascinating insights into the history of its surrounds – including a secret, queue-beating entrance. Even the Palais Royale, the complex which was originally home to the French nobility until Louis XIV installed the court and government at Versailles in 1682, can be enjoyed from an entirely new perspective. And in a city where gridlock is a given, it’s great fun to whizz by the standing traffic and spend more time exploring.

Founder Marie-Antoine launched the business in 2006 after an inspired idea to create the most intimate experience of the city so close to his heart. He quit his job as a trader and jumped head-first into the adventure. Capitalising on a ready passion for history, he spent 4 years consulting with top historians and poring over documents in the National Archives in Paris to unearth the real charm of the city he called home. The company pool has grown from 20 to 200 electric bikes and his guides do their own research, vying to one-up each other when it comes to bringing the city’s secrets to light.

A highlight of the trip – and it’s safe to give it away, because it’s a tourist fixture – is Le Procope, the oldest continually operating restaurant in Paris. Opened in 1686, it has hosted everyone from Napoleon to Benjamin Franklin and beyond. Enjoying a drink there is probably on most Paris visitors’ lists – but the Paris Secrets & Charms team add dazzling value by pointing out a series of gems hidden in plain sight – which visitors would most likely never spot unless they were pointed out. Without giving too much away, museum-worthy treasures that were once the property of Marie Antoinette, Voltaire and Robespierre are easily accessible – if you know where to find them.

Paris Charms & Secrets Cycle Tours are limited to 12 cyclists per trip, with three trips a day departing from Place Vendôme. For more – and to book a spot – visit www.parischarmssecrets.com. The tour costs around R1 000 (€49) per person.

*A version of this article appeared in Lowveld Living.