Sustainable travel in Paris is about more than just minimizing your carbon footprint; it’s about actively supporting local communities and honoring the city’s rich heritage. Fortunately, responsible tourism is thriving right in the heart of the French capital. With a wealth of eco-conscious hotspots and authentic local experiences waiting to be discovered, exploring the City of Light has never been more rewarding.
How to travel sustainably in Paris? By booking ecofriendly accommodations at Eklo
First, if you are seeking a green place to stay, the Eklo group delivers. Founded in France in 2014, the company builds budget-friendly, lifestyle hotels (averaging €125 per night based on double occupancy) designed entirely around sustainable tourism. Eklo proudly earned the first “A” eco-score for a French hotel brand following an independent environmental audit. Backed by the prestigious Green Key label, these properties prioritize energy efficiency, smart water usage, and genuine community engagement.
The company currently operates 10 locations nationwide, and it recently opened its newest flagship—Eklo Porte de Versailles—just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Featuring 304 rooms, including 14 six-bed dorms, this property stands as the brand’s largest yet. The French Kiss restaurant and terrace steals the show, serving seasonal, locally sourced cuisine alongside jaw-dropping views of the Eiffel Tower.
Furthermore, you can reach central landmarks like Place de la Concorde effortlessly. Riders take just a dozen stops on the M12 metro line, located right outside the hotel doors.
Pro Tip: The brand plans to open a fourth location in the city, at Porte de Saint-Ouen in 2027, which will position you perfectly to explore the legendary nearby flea market!
Getting around: green transit with Turtle Bikes
Once you settle in, navigating the city sustainably becomes your next priority. While you can always use public transport, walk, or cycle, you can also choose a highly original fourth option: the Turtle.
Turtle launched in 2022 with just five electric pedicabs and has since grown its fleet to 55. This low-carbon transport navigates you smoothly from point A to point B, and the drivers even offer guided sightseeing tours of the city. Turtle charges about €1 per minute (with an €8 minimum) and calculates fares similarly to car-sharing apps, factoring in both distance and time.
The founders playfully named the company after Jean de La Fontaine’s classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. Interestingly, thanks to the city’s extensive bike lanes and the sheer agility of these pedicabs, Turtles often outpace cars in Parisian traffic!
Sustainable shopping: vintage gems and local artisans
Beyond transportation, sustainable development extend effortlessly into shopping. And in the fashion capital of the world, high-end vintage always stays in style! The city’s major department stores, led by the pioneering Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, now dedicate entire floors to pre-loved and archival clothing (featuring pieces at least two decades old).
Head to the store’s third floor to explore the [RE]STORE section—an absolute treasure trove for the conscious shopper. At Chenge, you can hunt for iconic pieces by Jacquemus, Saint Laurent, or Gucci. Over at Jodhpur, an in-house Galeries brand, designers craft the collections exclusively from organic cotton and recycled wool. Jodhpur also carries the Go for Good label, a designation that identifies products that lower environmental impact, champion local manufacturing, and boost social development. As an added bonus, buying vintage typically saves you 30% to 50% compared to buying new, which leaves you with plenty of extra euros to treat yourself to tea and macarons at the in-store Ladurée.
Conversely, if you prefer hunting for eco-friendly new goods, We Are Paris demands a visit. This charming concept store spotlights 20 to 25 independent French designers and rotates its collections seasonally. From handcrafted jewelry and natural skincare to home fragrances and stationery, the perfect spot to pick up guilt-free souvenirs.
Meeting locals: see the city through Parisian eyes
Want to book the ultimate sustainable activity in the capital? Take a walking tour with a local resident—it’s the smartest way to bypass crowded tourist traps. Enter the International Greeter Association, a sustainable tourism network connecting visitors with passionate volunteers in 170 cities worldwide (including 50 in France).
You can easily start the process: register online and select your interests, whether you prefer gastronomy, green spaces, or urban architecture. However, you do not pick the neighborhood. The organizers intentionally pull you away from the heavily trodden paths of Le Marais or Montmartre.
A local “Greeter” then partners with you and leads a small group (no more than six people) through off-the-beaten-path districts you would likely never discover on your own. This initiative distributes tourism more evenly across the city while offering a deeply authentic human connection. Best of all, the association provides the experience completely free of charge.
Exploring off the beaten path: the solidarity of the 20th Arrondissement
Finally, exploring lesser-known areas reveals hidden sustainability champions. Sometimes a massive landmark heavily overshadows the rest of its neighborhood! The 20th arrondissement in eastern Paris perfectly illustrates this: the globally renowned Père-Lachaise cemetery draws thousands of daily visitors. But what happens if those crowds venture just a few streets further?
La Maison du 20e makes showcasing that local charm its core mission. Partnering with the official Paris je t’aime tourism board, this organization serves as a neighborhood tourist office and a platform to highlight local artists and artisans to visitors, which actively creates jobs within the community.
As for the vibe of the 20th, poster artist Dugubus, who exhibits his work at the Maison, describes it perfectly: “This working-class neighborhood is politicized, militant, and resilient—citizens built a bastion of the Paris Commune here!”
Blending a countryside-in-the-city atmosphere with striking street art, this district packs its streets with spots that perfectly align with sustainable travel. You cannot miss these three eco-conscious highlights in the 20th:
- Le Paysan urbain: A charming urban farm cultivating aromatic plants, microgreens, and edible flowers using simple, artisanal ecological methods. The farm employs youth in professional reintegration programs and offers free public tours on Saturdays.
- Benoît Castel: A renowned pastry chef turned baker! He operates a bustling boutique-bistro. Also, he actively fights food waste by transforming unsold goods into his signature “bread of yesterday and tomorrow,” while championing the use of ancient flours. His weekend all-you-can-eat brunch is legendary.
- Arkose Nation: A sprawling bouldering gym that serves as a vibrant social hub for climbers of all levels. Its on-site restaurant holds the prestigious French Écotable certification, with Chef Baptiste Defosse serving up simple, seasonal dishes infused with Asian and Middle Eastern influences.
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