I will be with my 13yr old daughter in Paris in July. Any opinions on doing the segway vs. the fat bikes tours? 4-5 hours in the evening sounds like a long outing- but beautiful. The day tour though sounds like you cover a lot, which could be good with our short stay. Also, any experience with doing both? The website says it isn't redundant- agree?

I did the afternoon Segway tour and loved it. I didn't do the bicycle tour though. If I had to select one, I'd do the Segway simply for the novelty. That's why we made the choice we did.

Topping in hopes that someone has done both to give you a better opinion.

Hi il

I believe that the Segway people are now the Fat Bike people.

See http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/

Yes, Fat Tire does both bicycle and Segway tours. Nice owners.

Can't comment on the bike tour, but we took the Segway daytime tour and simply loved it. If I had a choice, however, I think I would feel safer and more comfortable on a Segway than on a bike in Paris traffic. Besides, you are only a few inches off the ground on a Segway, and on the sidewalk, rather than in the street, sitting up high with further to tumble.

I have not done the Segway tour, but I did the evening bike ride this past September. I loved it; it was a definite highlight. It did take some time to adapt to riding a bike in a large group. That made me far more nervous than the traffic. Admittedly, the ride was on a Sunday night and traffic wasn't terribly heavy. I will say that it was a long, long night. I didn't make it back to my hotel until after midnight. I'm also glad that I took the tour (which includes a boat ride) in September, since it gets dark much earlier than it does in July. There was a full moon hanging over Notre Dame and the Louvre that was just amazing. I've heard that some people have trouble getting used to the Segway, but having never been on one, I can't say how difficult it is. I think you'd love either one. It's a great way to spend an evening and an easy way to meet other travelers.

Have fun!

Kate

ilana: The point of the Segway tour isn't really the tour - it's really the riding of the Segways. Yes, you'll see stuff and the guide will narate a bit. But the fun is in the riding!

They are long because it takes quite a long time just to learn them. You will spend at least an hour in a little park near their office figuring out how to use them. The day time tour includes a nice lunch break at a cafe in the Tuileries gardens.

I think your 13 year old will enjoy the Segway tour much more than the bikes. We did the tour with a 15 and an 18 year old in June.

If you are going to be in Paris for more than a couple of days, I'd certainly recommend it.

Just be careful though, they are a little tricky and if you damage one (which happens FREQUENTLY) they will charge you for it, so it could potentially be a lot more expensive than you think.

I don't think they are all that new to Parisians. They didn't seem the slightest bit interested (thank god).

Thanks for all the input. It doesn't sound like a good thing to do on our first night- but I get that it is definitely a unique experience! I emailed the company for their suggestion and they recommended the bike at night or the segway by day for my daughter. She loves the idea of the segway. I am keeping in mind the potential damage expense (though someone posted somewhere else that their insurance from home covered it). Thanks again.