Stage 21 • CRETEIL > PARIS CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES • 95km

The gateway to Paris, just eight kilometres away, and capital in its own right of the Val-de-Marne department since 1965, Créteil is located in the south east of the Ile-de-France region, between the Seine and Marne rivers. An old market town, Créteil has enjoyed huge expansion since the 1960s, and over time, has discovered its own identity. It has based its development on a coherent, balanced and above all human urbanisation. The quality of the building work, reflecting the personalities of their architects, such as Charles Gustave Stoskopf and Pierre Dufau, both winners of the Grand Prix de Rome architecture award, the willingness for a mix of housing and the proximity of amenities and services make Créteil a pleasant place to love. Having been awarded one of France's highest honours for its flower displays, the town has managed to combine quality of life with the necessities of modern life through continual involvement in sustainable development. By making ambitious efforts to involve its residents, Créteil ensures everyone contributes to making the decisions that shape their own future.

3 times stage-town

90 000 inhabitants

www.ville-creteil.fr

Paris loves the Tour de France, and will once more welcome it to the world's most beautiful avenue, the Champs-Élysées, where the race's heroes will sprint home in front of Parisians and visitors from all over the world. But Paris loves cycling in all its forms. In recent years, the city has constructed new cycle lanes, and now has a network of 700km. It closes the roads on the banks of the river to motor vehicles on Sundays and Bank Holidays, and also this year celebrates the fourth anniversary of the Vélib' hire bike scheme, which has seen more than 100 millions journeys by users since its inception in Paris and its 30 surrounding municipalities. To appeal even more to those signed up to the cycle scheme's annual membership - who make up 76 per cent of the users – the mayor's office is now offering increased 'Véliberté' through improved comfort, simplicity and better price structures. This increased number of cyclists in the city as a result of the scheme's success is also helping to meet its pledge to reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020.

2 200 000 inhabitants

www.paris.fr