bike rental for Versaille/Giverny areas
 

Is it possible to rent bikes in the town of Versailles to ride to the palace or to rent in Vernon to ride to Giverny?

I know that Fat Tire Bike Tours do trips to both places but I'd like to do them on my own if possible as I would like to be master of my time while there. Are there places to lock bikes up at Versaille and Giverny?

I'd contact the Versailles (and if there is one, the Vernon) tourist offices. They'll have any information about bike rentals, including whether you CAN actually ride around the grounds. Somehow the idea of bikers riding around Giverny seems out of whack to me.

I appreciate your speedy reply. I don't intend to bike around Giverny, just thought it might be a fun way to get to and from there and maybe take a little side trip by bike in the area. I like to see things by bike as you go much slower than when in a train or car and can see things you would otherwise miss.

Now another question....how to locate the TIs online. Is there a consolidated website of all France TIs or should I just google "Vernon TI" to locate it?

At least "in season" you should be able to rent bikes within the Versailles chateau grounds. There is a kiosk behind the chateau, at the beginning of the canal, across from the cafe.

We tried to do this one October, but no one ever came out to man the kiosk.

As far as the grounds of Giverny go, you could not conceivably ride bikes there. It is rows of plants and shrubs with walking paths winding up and down. The Japanese garden is a path in a loop, over a couple small footbridges. There are often so many people walking that you are reduced to a kind of shuffle. No way you could manage a bike in there, if it was allowed. I did not explore the town, however, so don't know about that.

Go to this website, then click on "find your destination" in the bar across the top.
Then use the alphabet list to find your towns.
http://www.tourisme.fr/index2_uk.htm

The Giverny website provides information and a link about renting bikes. The area around Giverny and Vernon is absolutely gorgeous.

The website is http://giverny.org

The bike link is http://giverny.org/transpor/guillema/index.htm

Merci Dorothy01! My 14 yr old son (who is going to be "over" museums by the time we hit Giverny 10 days into our trip) will be more interested in riding bikes in the Vernon/Giverny area than looking at plants and the Japanese bridge.

Your son will probably enjoy a visit to Les Andelys (a castle ruin) near Vernon. It may be too far by bike but it is a quick trip by car. There is a link on the Giverny website under castles. Bizy, a castle in Vernon, is absolutely exquisite and worth a visit also.

Right across from the train station in Vernon is a bar on the corner and they rent bikes. They have a sign out front that mentions the bikes but I don't remember the name of the bar.