Versailles by Bike Day Tour

Paris, France

Take a tour of Versailles with a difference - by bicycle! It's the only way to see Versailles' expansive gardens plus you'll get to see highlights of Versailles that most visitors miss, including Marie Antoinette's country-style Hameau, the Petit Trianon and the Grand Trianon. You'll also enjoy a picnic by the Grand Canal then take a tour of the palace of Versailles.

Together with your guide, you'll cycle your hired bicycle to the RER train station to make the 20-minute trip by train to Versailles. The first of many highlights on this active day out is a visit to Versailles' village market to buy baguettes, cheese, ham, wine and whatever else you desire for your delicious picnic lunch in Versailles' gardens. These picnic provisions are purchased at your own expense.

The next highlight today is a bike ride through the gardens behind Versailles palace. You'll leave foot visitors behind on your tour of the palace by bicycle, as visitors on foot can visit only a small fraction of the palace gardens. Versailles' gardens and forests are crisscrossed by a network of fantastic trails and tree-lined paths, so bring your camera for picture-perfect views in every direction.

Arriving at the far end of the Grand Canal, you'll settle down for a picnic in the exact spot where Louis XIV, XV and XVI ate in order to marvel at their palace. Relax on the grass in peace where only your cycling group will be able to easily reach this end of the Grand Canal.

After lunch, pedal back towards the palace itself for an unforgettable view into the lives of the French monarchy before their removal from power by the Revolution in 1789. You'll visit the Hall of Mirrors (site of the treaty ending World War I), the King's State Apartments and the amazing King's Chapel (audio guide available). After your visit to Versailles you'll return to Paris via RER train.

USD $108.53

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Andy	April 2012
Overcast day, otherwise if the Sun were out it would have been spectacular.

Review by: Susan K	April 2012
We really enjoyed our day, especially visiting the market and picnicing at Versailles, which we had not expected. Our guide was calm, fun and careful, as he guided 20 or so cyclists through the streets of Paris. This day trip was a nice antidote to the city tourist scene.

Review by: Terri L. O	April 2012
Awesome day!! Tim is a fun and entertaining guide. An incredible way to see the enormous grounds of Versailles.

Review by: Busybee	March 2012
Had a wonderful day, this is definitely a day trip to remember. The group of people we were with were awesome!! It is definitely a bike tour that anyone can do at any fitness level...don't pass it up!!

Review by: Gloria N	December 2011
Had such a great time with this bike tour, the weather was perfect. My friend had not been on a bike in like 10+ years so she was concerned but after 5 minutes she was good to go. You won't regret it.....Enjoy!

Review by: msmtinker	December 2011
the only way to visit Versailles and Carl our guide was great. Picnicing at the end of the grand canal looking back at the palace was breathtaking.

Review by: jen	November 2011
We had a great day with Matt our guide. It was just a hoot getting our bikes on the train (24) not anywhere near as scary as I thought. We then had some relaxing free time to explore the markets and shop to purchase our lunch it was very rustic and had a real local feel. We then toured around Versailles taking in all the historical buildings and beautiful gardens. We just had a great day in all. We would do it all again tomorrow.

Review by: Richard C	November 2011
The guides were extremely helpful.

Review by: Jeevan K	October 2011
It was great fun. The guys from the Fat tyres were amazing, helpful and very friendly. I would certainly recommend this trip.

Review by: Karen R	October 2011
Very cold day, but still what an exerience to see the grounds of Versailles. Our tour guide was wonderful and we had a great group of people.

Review by: WENDY R	October 2011
We had a great time on this trip. It was pretty cold but that didn't stop the fun. Our tour guide Brian was great and knowledgable. We had been before years ago but had never been to the back of the property. It would have been great to see more of the other out buildings or at least ride closer to them. It was a great and interesting trip.

Review by: Robert K	October 2011
Given the transportation strike/slow-down we were only able to go in the Chateau although more had been promised. Had less time been spent in the town market shopping we might have been able to enter at least one or two other buildings. The line to get into the Chateau involved a wait of about one hour. I would assume that with a tour you might be have some type of priority entry as we did with our Museum Passes in Paris. That aside, our guide was knowledgeable and worked to please us.

Review by: Ryan D	October 2011
This was absolutely the best thing we did on our European vacation. Jackson was awesome and did a fabulous job of keeping us interested, but also making sure we knew what we were looking at and it's history. Honestly, I can't stress enough how amazing this experience was. Having a picnic on the grand canal was the icing on the cake. Fantastic tour!

Review by: Carol M	October 2011
This was great fun even though it was a drizzly day! We liked loading the bikes onto the train for the short ride to Versailles. The ride to the market was an easy one and shopping at the market was wonderful. Of course, we bought too much food to consume on our pic-nique, but we were able to share and trade with new found friends at lunch, Riding the palace grounds was leisurely. I am a senior traveler and the ride was easy for me, also the 2 children on the tour did well, so this is for all ages. Touring the palace is nice and the ride back to the station and home on the train was a nice relaxing day. A good activity to get out of the city and museums and get some excercise while traveling.

Review by: Trev	October 2011
The best day out - a must do on any visit to Paris. The entire day was a pleasure - selecting our food and wine at the markets, cycling around the grounds of the palace, picnicking at the Grand Canal and the palace tour, thanks to Ned - our fantastic tour guide.

Review by: Irene G	October 2011
Enter your review here.The group tour was also very enjoyable, the idea of collecting our own picnic in the marketplace worked extremely well. Jackson, the excursion leader was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The only downside is the Palais de Versaille which is just too busy and in hindsight I think I would have preferred a look around the gardens.

Review by: HeatherM	October 2011
Wonderful tour. We were pleased with all of it, with the exception of how crowded the palace was! We actually ended up skipping the actual guided tour. But even without the 1.5 hrs in the palace, we thought the bike ride, market, and picnic on the Grand Canal was worth it the cost. Ned our tour guide was wonderful also!

Review by: Jessi	October 2011
One of our favourite viator tours we did while in Europe. Versailles grounds are lovely, it was so nice to be able to explore by bike and have a picnic at the top of the lake. Didn't have to pile bikes on and off the train which was great!

Review by: sharon p	October 2011
This was one of the highlights of our Paris trip. The bicycling was fun and not too strenuous, our guide was wonderful, shopping in Versailles for our picnic lunch was great fun, and our picnic on the banks of the canals behind the place was remarkable. Of course the fact that we had a terrific, informative, and personable guide, and a perfect day weather wise helped. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review by: annasyw83	October 2011
Seeing Versailles by bike added a whole new dimension to the visit. The guide was knowledgeable and I felt safe riding with the pack, despite not having been on a bike for about ten years before. I'd recommend Versaille by bike to everyone.

Review by: DLaine G	October 2011
This would have been a GREAT tour BUT there were too many people some kept getting lost others who were older were having problems and one actually fell off her bike which delayed our tour. the 40+ people agreed to just make the best of it. Jackson, our guide was friendly but tried to make silly jokes about the history of the places we were seeing. Friendly guy but not a great tour guide.

Review by: edpenn	October 2011
This is a superb trip - particularly good was the side trip to the Versailles market to purchase food for a picnic. I think that bicycling really is the only way to see the grounds. As I expected, the crowds inside made it difficult to really get a good look at anything. The Hall of Mirrors was really the only thing that wasn't crowded. This is not the fault of the tour, however. Overall - great! But, remember, once inside - shoulder to shoulder walking.

Review by: Martin C	September 2011
Very disappointing to be taken on a tour of such an important part of France's amazing history by a young American using ridiculous modern day American slang and "rah rah", working for an American company. Even though the guide was an amiable enough fellow, the staff at the office were sour-faced until the end of the day when they asked for tips. If I visit USA I will not be looking for a French company as tour guides so why would we want American tour guides in Paris?. On a more practical note, booking this tour on line had it's difficulties with the online support team insisting that we print off the vouchers (so difficult on holidays!) and we weren't asked for them or for any ID on the day. There is no indication on the website that this is an American-run activity, otherwise we wouldn't have booked it. Couldn't recommend it at all.

Review by: thatmaori	September 2011
Fantastic. Such a wonderful, wonderful way to see Versailles. The guide was very positive. It was the most favourite thing I did in France.

Review by: tiffo	September 2011
The tour was very enjoyable. Our tour guide was very informative about the history and super friendly. The views as we biked through Versailles was amazing. There is no place like it anywhere else.

Review by: Jennifer T	September 2011
This was the best par of our vacation by far! Jackson, our tour guide, was wonderful and informative. Loved the combination of biking, visiting the town for picnic supplies, and walking through the palace. I recommend this to everyone! However, it's a lot of biking, so I would suggest folks be in good health.

Review by: Deborah L	September 2011
It rained, but the guides can`t control the weather. Everything was excellent!

Review by: Rick N	September 2011
Not difficult biking, very entertaining and knowledgeable guide. . enjoyed the lunch stop and the pre-lunch stop at the open air market ... guide was very helpful about where and what to buy.

Review by: Valerie	September 2011
I liked our tour guide very much. He was the best thing about the tour. Also the bikes were very nice. Better than other tours we did on this trip. The negatives were: more waiting around most of the day and not enough biking. Our group was too big and unorganized. We would peddle a little ways and then wait a lot. There was a lot of downtime, shopping, picnicking, training, waiting... Also would have liked a tour of Versailles. The thought of just doing on your own sounds great but I was done walking through in abut 15 minutes because I wasn't sure how big it was going to be or how to pace myself. We ended up just going into town and getting a drink. _br/_ Tip: Buy the rain poncho for $1 at the start. It didn't rain but they make great waterproof blankets for sitting in the grass.

Review by: Karen D	September 2011
This was the best way to see Versailles. Our guide Andrew was fantastic. Lots of great information and very well run. We would absolutely do this tour again.

Review by: Kevin M	September 2011
We had an awesome time. Would definitely recommend this trip to others.

Review by: Sandra L	September 2011
When I returned from my vacation, friends asked "What was your favorite part of the trip?", and without hesitation, I responded that it was the bike ride through Versailles. It certainly helped that it was a beautiful day with blue skies and perfect temperature. Our tour guide, Matt, was well versed in the history of the area, and gave incredibly interesting narratives throughout our tour. Bring your camera, as the vistas were picturesque and memorable.

Review by: Jerry S	September 2011
This was the absolute best tour I have ever taken, The stroll through the market buying fresh bread and meat for the lunch on the grounds of Versailles was the best. I don't ride a bike every day and this was a very comfortable ride.

Review by: Janice L	September 2011
Andrew was a fantastic guide, giving us recommendations for all the wonderful fresh market produce for our picnic lunch and lots of info about the history of Versailles along the way. The ride was fun and although we are both hitting 60 and don't do a lot of bike riding at home, the grounds of the palace are flat and we managed easily. One of the best tours we have ever done!

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	July 2010
Fabulous! Although it was stressful the first hour and a half getting there and trying to get our bikes on the train doors only open for 30 secs! but everyone bent over backwards to help everyone else. Once there it was amazing and the guide schooled us in the history of the place and times of Versailles! The kids were hanging on his every word. Be careful when drinking wine on the picnic though as you still need to ride your bike back and there was no time scheduled for a nap!!!

Review by: Marianne R, Australia	July 2010
What an amazing experience. Our tour guide Andrew was fun and informative as well as being very capable as he led us through the streets of Paris on bike,before getting us all onto the train for Versailles. The markets where we bought provisions for lunch were wonderful and to then bike to our picnic spot and sit under a cool tree for lunch was perfect. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough!

Review by: Bill F, United States of America	July 2010
We would highly recomend the tour of Versailles to anyone looking for a fun day trip out of the City. We saw so much more of the town and grounds than anyone on foot and the guides were great with lots of history and stories about the palace.

Review by: Thomas S, United States of America	July 2010
This is the only way to see the entire estate. The day we took this trip it was raining, but we still enjoyed the trip. The guide, Matt, gave great commentary and kept everyone together for the entire trip. Very highly recommended.

Review by: MIKE L, United States of America	July 2010
Sadie did a terrific job with the history of Versailles, keeping everyone on schedule, and making the day most enjoyable! It was a great way to cover a lot of ground without exhaustive walking. We had a great time!

Review by: Mike M, United States of America	July 2010
Fantastic tour start to finish. Enjoyable for the whole family parents & boys 16, 13, 9. We rode through streets of Paris to the RER train station, got the bikes on the train most challenging part! and arrived in Versailles to a beautifully sunny day. After stopping at the open-air market to buy our lunch, we biked around Versailles with our knowledgeable and humorous tour leader, Matt. We passed by the Petit and Grand Trianon and had lunch alongside the Grand Canal. After lunch we toured the palace and the boys looked out especially for paintings of Louis XIV's legs as Matt regaled us with stories of Louis' pleasure in his own physique. Though the RER train that we were supposed to return on had an emergency shut down, Matt did get us all back via a different train and we returned with a great day of memories. The kids rated this Viator tour as the highlight of our trip!

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	July 2010
This was a great way to see Versailles. The picnic on the lake was awesome and catching the train was an experience! It was great fun and would thoroughly recommend this. We got to see so much that you wouldn't be able to if you were walking. The history and information made it great while enjoying the exercise and scenery.

Review by: Kristen R, United States of America	July 2010
Awesome! Definitely the highlight of our trip to Paris. Our tour guide was gracious and knowledgeable. The day was gorgeous and lunch on the lawn was fabulous. A once in a life time experience.

Review by: Premysl K, Australia	June 2010
Great fun, great guide!!

Review by: Grant D, Canada	June 2010
a truly unique experience. the best way to see Versailles

Review by: Jeanne P, United States of America	June 2010
I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants some adventure and excerise during their trip to France.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
Simply brilliant - a fantastic way to experience Paris and Versailles. The whole day felt like an adventure and the only complaint is that time went by way to fast. Tour guide was very informative and never intrusive which made the day feel like your own. Highly recommended.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
super hot day but even so it was worth it. the picnic on the canal was the best. would do this tour again.

Review by: Giselle R, United States of America	June 2010
Even though the day was rainy and cold, the tour was amazing. Our guide was very knowledgeable and super friendly, the biking appealed to everyone in our group at all levels of bike ability, and the destination itself was beautiful. Will definitely recommend to anyone I know going to Paris. The staff at the Office was awesome, too!

Review by: Cristine Philina O, United States of America	June 2010
This was absolutely the best part of our trip to Paris! It was a nice change of scenery to see the city from a bicyclist's POV and our tour guide was funny and helpful! I will be sure to take other tours with Fat Tire Bike Tours the next time I am in a city where they offer their services!

Review by: Philip M, United Kingdom	June 2010
OK it's not cheap, but then nothing is in Paris and this was the best thing we did in a 5 day stay in Paris. Can't recommend this highly enough. I guess we were lucky to have perfect weather for it, warm & sunny but not too hot and our guide Jackson was first class.