Paris Segway Tours
 

My husband and I are putting together a preliminary itinerary for our 6-day trip to Paris in October. We're interested in doing an evening Segway tour of Paris. I am sure lots of people out there have done it before. Any suggestions for two middle-aged people who are in good physical shape but have never used a Segway before? We're also interested in hearing about other "different" things to do during our stay (we've already reserved tickets for the Friday fashion show at Galaries Lafayette, thanks to a post on this site, and we plan to go to the free wine tasting at Taillevent Caves on Saturday. We're also going to do the bike tour of Giverny and Vernon and a few walking tours in Paris.) By the way, this will be my 7th visit to Paris and the 4th for my husband, so we have already seen the usual tourist sites.

One really fun thing that my daughter and I did was to take a cooking lesson at the Ritz. (Anticipating possible questions, no, we are not serious cooks, and yes, there were several men in the class.) The class was taught by a French-speaking chef, but his assistant translated for the 3 of us who were not fluent in French. We took the 1-hour "Ritzy Break" lunch class--30 minutes of hands-on instruction and 30 minutes of eating what we had cooked, with bread, dessert, and wine included. They have this class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This was very fun and different. Almost everyone else in the class were Parisians. You can check it out at www.ritzparis.com Click on "Ecole Ritz Escoffier." We made reservations on line.

We also did the nighttime Fat Tire Bike Tour, which was a lot of fun. The same group does segway tours, too. I don't have an opinion about the segway tour, but will say that the bike tour was really great.

The evening Fat Tire Bike Tour of Paris was what we originally considered, but then I mentioned to my husband that the same company offers Segway tours. How difficult was it to ride a bicycle through Paris at night? Did you ride in the street or on the sidewalk? I haven't been on a bike in years (other than a stationary bike at the gym), so I'm a little nervous about riding a bike in a big city like Paris.

You mainly ride on the streets, but also go over bridges, etc. on the sidewalk, and also ride around the Louvre, through the Tuileries, etc. which is not on the street.

There were about 15-20 people in our group, plus the leader, who was very familiar with the route and impressed upon everyone the safety rules. Everyone wears reflective vests. The bikes are beach cruisers--big heavy three speeds, and you can stay in second gear the whole time. They are very easy to ride. You also have 5 or 10 minutes at the Fat Tire office before you get started on the tour to try your bike out, get the seat adjusted, ride around the office area, and get comfortable with the bike. I was nervous myself at first, but my daughter forced me to do it, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. If you are at least minimally athletic and in halfway decent shape, you will have no problem at all.

If you are planning to do the
bike tour at Giverny take the Segway tour in Paris!

Bikes are just bikes and they've been around for over a hundred years but Segways are new and incredible fun.

You needn't worry as I'd guess
98% of their customers are novices. They have a quiet
courtyard beside their office where they give you a short course (I almost said crash course!) and give you time to practice.

You'll be amazed at how quickly you learn to control a Segway. I am in my early
50's and have had dizziness and balance problems for several years now. But the Segway is computer and gyroscopically controlled and I actually felt more comfortable on one than on my own 2 feet.

Have fun!

Rob

The highlight of the Segway tours is the Segway; the actual quality of the tour in terms of touristy sights and information is low. It's a novelty tour. However, riding a Segway is fun, so even if you don't learn much about Paris, it's an interesting experience.

We really enjoyed our first Segway tour in Paris and go on every visit. We are in our late 50's. My husband hates to turn the Segway in at the end of the tour. And, we go on Segway tours whenever we're in a city where they're offered. One of the best was Lyon.

Groups are no larger than eight. And, there's plenty of time to practice the maneuvering skills required. They don't leave until everyone is comfortable, which does not take very long. Then, after a short distance they allow you to increase the speed.

Agree that the best part is riding the Segways, which are very easy to manage, so you can enjoy panoramic views all along the way.

We prefer the evening tour. You leave in the daylight, and return after dark when the lights have been turned on all over - just magical!