annesherrod

I recall reading here earlier this year about a company that offers bike tours in Versailles.
I did a search and could not find.
Does anyone know the name of the company and/or have expereince with it?
I will be there with my 18 yo daughter and thought this might be a good way to see more than usual. It will be in March so it could be chilly / drizzly which does not sound appealing.
comments?

schalland

The Fat Tire Bike company organises bike tours of Versailles. You can also hire bikes by the Grand Canal.

annesherrod

Oh Yes the Fat Tire Bike Co rings a bell now - Thanks so much.
Did you by chance do the biek tour? If so, do you reccomend?

rcasper73

My wife and I took this tour a few years ago. We found it to be a great way to see the grounds around Versailles. We went on a market day which gave us the opportunity to pick up a bottle of wine and a light lunch which we enjoyed on a lovely patch of grass near one of the pools.

susanna

I did not do the tour with Fat Tire, but, we have rented bikes on the grounds down by the canal.
It's a great way to see everything since the grounds are enormous!!
We also went outside of Versailles with the bikes and went into town which was very nice too.
I would say you could do a tour or do it on your own, both would be great.

ilana25841

We did a Segway Tour with Fat Tire, and I found them organized, personable and efficient. It depends if you want to wander a bit on your own. They were ready with suggestions and the group was a nice experience since we were otherwise on our own.

annesherrod

Thanks for the opinions! My daughter is not so excited about the bike ride but then again she wants to see "everything" so I thought it would be fun!

Thanks again.

Images2

It's much less expensive to just take the train to Versailles and then rent bikes once you're in the gardens. The bikes have baskets on them, so it's easy to carry your belongings while riding!

Jill02

Oh goodness. In Paris now and plan to rent bikes at Versailles tomorrow. This keyboard is crazy! I heard the town is hard to find; Which RER stop do we use to rent bikes? Will they hqve locks so we cqn go in the palace or do we rent them after? Thqnks!

tuscanlifeedit

JillO2: the keyboard isn't crazy if you're French. ;-)

Versailles is hard to find? Not really. RER C. Station: Versailles-Rive Gauche

The bikes are for rent INSIDE the chateau gardens, as you head down the giant long staircase after leaving the palace, go to the bottom and I think the bike rental is on the right.

djkbooks

It's better to rent bicycles once there, rather than have to haul them from the Fat Tire office to Versailles on the RER (stairs involved, too). And, you can tour at your leisure and not be confined to Fat Tire's schedule. You don't need a tour guide for Chateau Versailles. The audio and a map are just fine.

SUMMAGOLD

it would have been nice to know about this when we were in versille a couple of months ago. the grounds are expansive, the walk was just too much. we got smart to the trolley on the way back from Marie Antoinette's estate. i still cant believe they charged for the trolley. was it 3 euros pp? we also saw people in golf carts, that fit 4. where do you rent those?

Jill02

Thanks tuscanlife and good point about the keyboard although shifting for a period? Seriously. I read reviews where the town and/or markets were hard to find. If we are on bikes, our periods of lostness will be much briefer than usual. I cant get much more walking out of these kids. Its our last day.

annesherrod

We ended up doing the Fat Tire Bike Tour. Our guide was very personable and gave a good tour. We met a couple from Australia that we really loved chatting to all day.
We enjoyed the Market they took up to - we had 45 min to enjoy it - we went to a little wine store and bought a Fabulous bottle from the very knowledgable wine merchant. I had the best Chevre covered in raisins at a litte cheese vendor.
The bike was a great way to see the grounds!
I would recommend this company!