Founder

Stu

British Stu’s adventurous spirit and passion for travel has seen him travel around the world. Following years as a historian, teacher and guide he founded Boutique Bike Tours to offer something unique to those visiting Paris.

Known for his delivery style and local knowledge, Stu claims to not be a tour person despite being a licensed professional guide able to guide you inside all monuments, museums, as well as skip the lines. Having lost patience with lines and large crowds many years ago all our tours are designed to avoid them!

In the winter he continues to live the dream as a ski coach in Europe, America & Japan.

Top Tip: Do not spend your vacation standing in lines, following the crowds. There is always a better way!

Favourite Tour:

Founder

Niki

Office Manager, Kiwi & Food Lover

Niki, the adventurous Kiwi is the engine that keeps Boutique Bike Tours running, if you are lucky you may see her leading a tour with us now and again, otherwise she is the voice on the other end of the phone.

Between seven years of back to back winter seasons as a snowboard instructor in Japan, the United States and New Zealand, Niki studied paramedicine. She has been working as a paramedic in London and now Boutique Tours has an experienced, Paris-based paramedic of its own.

Top Tip: ‘Flâner’ – the word that encapsulates frenchness.

To truly discover Paris you must become a flàneur- to wander aimlessly through a city, to be at once part of a place and on the outside– is a concept so French that the word has no English equivalent.

Favourite Tour:

Head Guide & Versailles Manager

Nicolas

Licensed Guide, Quintessential Frenchie

Nicolas is originally from Lyon, the home of true French gastronomy as he proudly reminds us. Having travelled throughout the world,  learnt English in Australia & led tours all over France he now calls Paris home. Combining his passion for guiding and cycling Nicolas is an expert in all things Versailles and the ultimate entertainer.

Top Tip: Visit Lyon ‘the home of French gastronomy’

Favourite Tour:

Guide & Paris Manager

Lola

Masters in Literature, History of Art & History

Lola was born in the heart of Paris, on Ile de la Cité, in the same room as both her mother & grandmother. Growing up with a French mother & American dad cultivated her curiosity for the world & led her to pursue her undergraduate in California, studying literature,  history of art, history, and cinema before returning to Paris.

You will often find Lola at one of the cafés along the Canal Saint Martin, sipping on a glass of white wine, either book in hand, or chatting away her partner in crime Pascal.

Top Tip : Whenever you see an open door, make sure to peek inside. Paris is filled with secret gardens and courtyards, and you never know what gem you might uncover with just a little bit of curiosity.

I have probably tasted every croissant in Paris (my favourite right now is from Boulangerie Utopie), so if you need any advice for your next food-driven adventure, I’d be happy to help!

Favourite Tour

Licensed Guide

Clara

Always on the road between Paris, Versailles and Normandy, Clara is a Grand Paris expert that likes to wander off the beaten path to capture the charm and poetry of urban life in the historical “Paname”. When she is not thrift-shopping, she will be found reading the news on the terrace of a café on La Butte aux Cailles or sunbathing on the banks of the Seine, glass of rosé nearby!

If you get to explore Versailles with Clara, you may be lucky enough to come across both her mother & her grandmother! Versailles is home to Clara’s grandmother & is where her mother has spent much time as a guide herself – no doubt proud of her daughter following her passion too!

Top Tip: Have a break from your new parisian routine join us to explore Versailles or Giverny (where Monet lived and painted the waterlilies), both easily reachable by train. To have a taste of country life without leaving Paris, go explore village – such as Butte aux Cailles and the Cité Florale in the 13th arrondissement !

Favourite Tour

Licensed Guide

Claudio

Claudio was born in Italy. After having travelled around the world and lived in Spain, England, Scotland & French Guadeloupe he settled in the City of Love.

Graduated in Tourism, Claudio makes of guiding his biggest passion.
Innate love for History & Stories he will share with you the greatest secrets about Versailles and the Sun King!

Top Tip: Not only is Paris a beautiful city, but also it is very committed to becoming one of the most eco friendly places in Europe. Be part of this ambitious project! Today there is nothing better than combine culture & ecology through biking around the most scenic places of the city, the Royal park of Versailles, Giverny or the Region of Champagne.

Favourite Tour

Licensed Guide

Marijke

Born in Paris from an Italian father and a Dutch mother who used to take her once a week to the Louvre, Marijke grew up with a strong interests for arts & culture. She became a licensed guide after ten years of Art History studies and is an expert on Versailles and every museums in Paris.

When not in Paris you’ll probably find her in Florence, in a museum or eating gelato.

Top Tip: the smaller the museum, the smaller the crowd ! Paris has many unknown gems, such as musée Gustave Moreau, musée de la Vie romantique…

Favourite Tour

Licensed Guide

Fiona

Originally from Savoie, at the heart of the French Alps, home of the best cheeses in the world. Fiona studied translation and was a digital project manager for two years before realizing that budget planning wasn’t as much fun as telling stories about the kings and queens of France.

After traveling around the world, studying in London and Philadelphia, living in Strasbourg for five years, Fiona now settled in Paris.

When she’s not guiding, you can find Fiona visiting the Musée Guimet, the Musée de Cluny, or playing board games at one of the many game bars in Paris.

If you need any advice for your next cheese buying spree, she would be happy to help.

Top Tip: when you’re visiting a new city, hop on a city bike and go for a ride without planning ahead. The best way to visit a new place is to let it surprise you.

Favourite Tour

Licensed Guide

Iryna

Linguist Extraordinaire

If you wanted to hear the story of Versailles in nine different languages, Iryna could do that in her sleep. There’s always one person over qualified for the job and our Belarussian linguistic and licensed guide fits the bill. Born in Belarus, Iryna spent her first years in France in Arras, delving into and sharing the military history of France.

Now based in Paris, Iryna is passionate about music, travel, literature, dance and has an insatiable appetite for learning. Her endless knowledge coupled with humour and a smile are the perfect mix for discovering the rich history of France.

Favourite Tour:

Support & Guardian Angel

Marine

Between comings and goings, Marine has spent half her life in France and the other half in her native Buenos Aires. The result is a young woman that can’t stay still, has a passion for french history and a very deep love of good food. Back in Paris for a few years now, she’s studied history and tourism in order to become a guide, but her main mission at Boutique Bike Tours is of a slightly different nature.
Marine is at the same time a food fairy, tickets provider, Grandma helper, bike repairer, picnic savior, lates reuniter … and much more! She’s the one that zooms around Versailles making sure both our guests and guides have nice, smooth days and that any unexpected situation finds a swift solution.

Top Tip: If like me you are a bit of a bookworm, the Latin Quarter is the place for you. Begin at Saint Michel with the eternal Shakespeare and Co and the almighty Gibert Joseph, but then just allow yourself to wander through the little medieval streets of the quarter and let a dozen small, hidden bookstores surprise you. Not only will you see and breathe Paris’ oldest history at every turn, but you will also come across books and book lovers of every imaginable kind.

Licensed Guide

Alice

Alice was born in Milan, the most famous city in the world for fashion, and decided to move to the City of light to maintain her high fashion standards. But more than fashion, she loves art and history : graduated in Fine Arts at the Brera Academy of Milan, she follows many classes around different techniques and materials: ceramic, mosaic, stone, carving wood, and metal.

In 2013, she moved to Paris to continue her studies in History of Art at the Sorbonne University, and she started a PhD in History of Architecture.

Travelling around the world to discover different cultures and surf spots, she learns English, French, Spanish and Arabic. As a real Italian art supporter, she elected Paris as home, where she also works at the Louvre to protect one of her favourite masterpices : the Mona Lisa.

Top Tip : Famous for art and culture, there are many spots connected with history that you can discover in Paris. The most unexpected and quiet way? Through the cemeteries!

Licensed Guide

Dina

Dina guided her first tour in Paris at the age of 12 – standing in front of the blackboard in the French School in Moscow and pointing on the map of Paris the best way to go from The Louvre to the Eiffel Tower.

Twelve years later, Major in History of France in her pocket, her dream came true, she moved to Paris and started to guide.

Big Nerd in History of Paris, she constantly seeks answers to two questions. How did Paris become the city of Light, Love, and Dreams? And what is the best, lightest and funniest way to tell its story?

Recently she picked up an interest in the History of Art so the doors of museums and galleries are always open for her.

When she’s not guiding, she flies through the streets of Paris looking for the new best coffee spots, trains for improv matches, or gets ready for her next trail in the Himalayas.

Dina is the biggest paris-holic, coffeeholic, and the best selfie stick in BBT Team.

Travel Tips: grab coffee at Noir Coffee Shop on Ile St Louis and enjoy the view of old streets, get your souvenirs in the Boutique of Centre des Monuments Nationaux (62 Rue Saint-Antoine) and while you’re there enjoy beautiful paintings on the ceiling and a peaceful garden, enjoy one of the best ice creams in town at Fabrique Givrée, sit down in Jardin Luxembourg (Luco for friends), and just watch people passing by.

Favourite Photo Shoot Spot: Palais Royal