Explore the unmatched opulence of Versailles in down-to-earth style on a full-day bike tour from Paris. Ride the train from the capital with a guide, then take a two-wheeled tour among canals and leafy boulevards to see outlying attractions many visitors miss, including the Queen’s Hamlet and Petite Trianon. Enjoy a French-style picnic in the famous gardens, and skip the line at the grand palace to access exclusive sections of King Louis XIV’s apartments, plus decadent highlights like the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette’s chambers.

Full-day train and bike tour to Versailles from Paris
Enjoy a picnic near the Grand Canal in the famous Gardens of Versailles
Skip the line at the main chateau for a guided behind-the-scenes tour of King Louis XIV's apartments
Pedal along tree-lined paths and canals—Includes bike and helmet rental

What's Included

Use of bicycle
Use of helmet
Local guide
Guaranteed to skip the long lines

Gratuities
Lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

1 Av. Emile Zola
1 Av. Emile Zola, 75015 Paris, France
This tour meets in Paris in a small park/clearing on Avenue Emile Zola opposite a café named "Café Regalia". The closest métro station is Javel-André Citroën (line 10). Use exit 1 (sortie 1, right side). Your guide will be wearing a Fat Tire Tours t-shirt and holding a sign.

Start time

08:15 AM

End point

Versailles
78000 Versailles, France
This tour concludes in Versailles and guests are welcome to stay in Versailles until closing. They may also return to central Paris with their guide. Roundtrip train ticket to/from Paris is included in the tour cost.

What To Expect

Connect with your guide at Paris’s Dupleix Métro station in the morning, and together hop on a Versailles-bound train with included round-trip tickets. After arrival in the famous leafy suburbs, pick up your rental bike and helmet and pedal to a renowned market for French picnic provisions (own expense). Bike through some of the town’s more than 2,000 acres of tree-lined paths to reach the Queen’s Hamlet, a private rural retreat built for Marie Antoinette. See the replica farm where the queen once frolicked as a faux shepherdess, as well as her Trianon and Petite Trianon residences.

Take a break for a picnic in the sprawling, elaborately manicured gardens of Versailles near the end of the Grand Canal, where you can enjoy fantastic views of ponds, fountains, and statuary. In the afternoon, skip the lines with reserved entry to the UNESCO-listed chateau, and begin with a behind-the-scenes tour of King Louis XIV’s apartments, including a section that is not open to the general public.

Afterward, explore other areas of the opulent palace at your leisure, including the resplendent Hall of Mirrors, Marie Antoinette’s bedrooms, and other royal apartments. Walk in blue-blooded footsteps on a stroll through the formal gardens before reconnecting with your guide for the return train ride to Paris, where the 8- to 9-hour tour concludes in the early evening back at the Métro station.

Fat Tire Tours (Pass By)

Versailles

6 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Carrefour Market

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Grand Canal

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tapis Vert (Pass By)

Le Grand Trianon

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Le Petit Trianon

35 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Queen’s Hamlet

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palace of Versailles

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
It is recommended to bring a backpack to carry your food for your picnic lunch
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour is not recommended for children under the age of 12
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

48 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-3 of 48 reviews

Fun day trip

Lizzy_B, Jun 2022

Fun way to explore the Versailles grounds and palace :) do it with your friends! If you like to set your pace book a private tour

Great idea - poorly executed

mb3222019, Jul 2019

Wonderful opportunity to see the property of Versailles and everyone was looking forward to biking. The morning portion (market + bike tour) was fun, our guide (Nick) gave good, interesting history info, but it became very rushed after our picnic lunch. For some reason, we were running behind schedule and the tour guide became irritated at the group. As we were finishing up on the grounds, he was biking very fast to get back to the shop in time to return the bikes and walk back to the palace in time for the guided tour. His biking pace was unreasonable (we're fairly fit and competent) and a group of us got separated at a stop light, which only irritated him more. Then, we were biking through town and traffic at an unsafe speed, where my daughter almost got hit by a car as she was trying to keep up. It was very unsafe. We had to rush to return the bikes (they literally were throwing the bikes in the shop), getting us all out of breath (and out of water), without the opportunity to buy more water (it was during the Paris heatwave). Before we could think, Nick has us walking very fast to go back to the palace (about a 10 minute walk) for the handoff to the palace staff. We all were so out of breath and so thirsty, we couldn't enjoy the 1-hr guided tour in the King's apartments. All the guests were either sitting down on the floor with eyes closed, or staring off because of the discomfort (we felt bad for the new guide, who was good)--this was so not user-friendly. We were not able to enjoy the palace as we wanted, and it was a sour ending to what should have been a wonderful day. While the weather was unusually hot, there was no reason to rush and make us both unsafe and uncomfortable - better pace and opportunity to buy water would have made a world of difference. We could have skipped one of the biking sites on the property to give us enough time to finish up on time. It felt like it was more about 'checking the box' than planning ahead and making sure guests were being considered. This tour is pricey, so we expect not to be treated like cattle. Disappointing.

Great way to see the gardens

Allison C, Jul 2019

Seeing the Versailles gardens by bike was a unique way to experience the grounds. Our guide was informative and shared unique details. She happened to be Austrian, so it was a different perspective hearing her perspective of Marie Antoinette. We were then handed off to another guide for the palace tour. I happened to take this tour on the hottest weekend all summer. By the time we visited the palace, the group collectively was too tired to fully focus on the information being given to us. The tour concludes and you are left to continue a visit of the palace and find your way to the train and back home. My biggest compliant was the timeliness of the tour. We were told to arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time. We then waited 45 minutes for late people to show up, which had a cascading effect on the whole tour. Our time in the market and on the bikes was cut short because we collectively had to wait for a late party that could have been told how to meet us at Versailles. I suggest the tour company adheres to the departure time policies.

Small Group VIP Versailles Bike Tour from Paris with King's Apartments Access

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