Versailles: Food & Palace Bike Tour
Escape the Hustle & Bustle of the City
On our Versailles Bike Tour join us to ride, taste & explore on this truly memorable day trip. Escape the crowds, skip the line, explore the Château, Royal Gardens, Hamlet & discover secret places seen by few tourists and even unknown to Parisians.
If you are looking for a unique experience, out of the city, away from hoards of tourists, and want to make the most of your time in Versailles – look no further than this day trip.
What's Included
- Roundtrip Transportation from Paris to Versailles
- Classy Bike & Optional Helmet
- Skip the Line Entry to the Château via a Side Entrance Reserved for Licensed Guides
- Guided Tour Inside the Château de Versailles with a Licensed Guide
- Guided Tour of the Royal Inner Gardens & Fountains
- Visit to Versailles' Award Winning Open Air Food Market for Picnic Supplies (*picnic at guest's cost)
- Guided Bike Tour of the Royal Grounds
- Guided Tour of Marie Antoinette's Private Hamlet
- Duration: Full Day
- Intermediate Cycling
- Central Paris Meeting Point
- Travel to Versailles by Train
- Group Size: Up to 12
- Skip the Line Access
- Hosted in English
- Guaranteed Departure
Adult: €145
Under 18: €99
Petit 2-4yrs: €37
Book with Confidence: Any experience can be cancelled up to 24hrs before the experience starts.
Still have questions? We are here to help.
What to Expect
Why walk with the crowds & stand in line when you can ride a bike & skip the line?
We take the fast train to Versailles, hop on bikes to explore our beautiful town, award-winning food market & shop like a local for a French picnic lunch. We ride through the breath-taking Royal Grounds, admire Louis’ Royal Gardens & Fountains, ride past the Trianons & visit Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet, all whilst hearing the gossip & scandalous tales of the French Royal Family.
Having worked up an appetite we lay out our authentic French picnic lunch by the Grand Canal. There is no better place to picnic & relax in the sun!
Our Versailles Bike Tour includes a skip the line guided tour inside the Château. Versailles was home to the most powerful family in the world for over a century, if there is one Château to see, this is the one!
Good to Know
All adult guests must be able to ride a bike. Leisurely riding on this tour – far from the Tour de France!
- Meet in Central Paris & travel with your guide to Versailles.
- Bikes based in Versailles (no need to carry them on the train).
- Bikes available for all ages: including childseats & tag alongs.
- Fountains are turned on: Saturdays & Sundays in summer.
- Full Versailles Access Included, Picnic at guest’s cost.
- Return to Paris around 6pm
Prefer A Private Tour?
All of our tours are available as private experiences which are tailored just for you – Versailles at your pace with only your favourite people.
Our Guided Tour of the Château
We enter via a side entrance reserved for licensed guides & guide you inside the Château through the Grand Apartments, State Rooms, King’s Apartments, Hall of Mirrors & Queens Apartments.
Your guide will skilfully lead you through the Château and bring it to life with stories & anecdotes – crafting a meaningful, entertaining & engaging experience.
We are proud to be one of the few tours licensed to guide inside the Palace & mic up so you that you won’t miss a thing!
- Lola was an amazing host. Such a fun and unique way to enjoy all that Versailles has to offer. Wonderful commentary, the best views, a peek into some hidden gardens, a quick stop at a french market and a picnic spot with a 5 star backdrop! Hard to pick a favorite moment!read moreread lessArob8265/17/2023During our family vacation to Paris this month, we took a bike tour of the Palace of Versailles with "Boutique Bike Tours". Stu and Niki we extremely knowledgeable and entertaining! They offer man bike tours...I highly, highly recommend!!!!read moreread lessGreg Smith6/23/2018This is a wonderful way to experience Versailles. Stu and Niki have paid attention to every detail to make the trip a pleasure.read moreread lessNicole9/13/2019
- If you go to Paris and do not book this tour, I feel sad for you. My boyfriend and I had one of the best days of our lives on this tour with our INCREDIBLE host Irina. She was beyond knowledgeable , witty, funny, warm.... I feel that I can’t say enough about her ability to tell the rich stories of Versailles. I hope I have the opportunity to join her on another tour someday.
Also, Stu and Nikki we welcoming and engaging. My bike had a flat tire about 3/4 of the way through the trip, and because they live in town they were able to ride a new bike to me and we were on our way in minutes. I was blown away.
Thank you to all for a truly magical day.
-Alison and Brianread moreread lessAlison10/18/2019Skipping the lines alone makes this experience worth it. Not to mention the beautiful picnic, lovely ride, and historical insight!
Our host was exceptional with the way she checked on us and shared history that really brought Versailles to life.
After all of the history and bike riding, lunch was fantastic. A very hearty picnic! And great options for vegetarians!
One note: Be prepared to bike quite a bit. It is not super strenuous. Most people would find it accessible, but you should be prepared to bike in the downtown Versailles area that we found moderately busy on the way back to the train station.read moreread lessTess8/11/2022What an amazing experience! Versailles was absolutely beautiful and traveling by bike was so much fun! Marijke was a wonderful guide, she was very knowledgeable, friendly, and gave us wonderful recommendations for the rest of our trip. We highly recommend this experience!read moreread lessTracey8/28/2022 - Wow! Great experience!! I can't imagine a better way to see Versailles than by bike. The gardens are absolutely beautiful. The market & picnic was very nice and a great way to get to meet the other guests. This is adventure is moderately strenuous, with peddle bikes (not e-bikes) and some walking with some stairs. Highly recommend!!read moreread lessMichelle11/02/2021We had a great time, highly recommend it to anyone looking to take a break from Paris and explore the city, gardens and Chateaux Versailles.read moreread lessBrendan5/27/2022I couldn’t recommend this trip more. Our tour guide, Alice, was absolutely wonderful. She was thorough with the logistics and knowledgeable about the history of Versailles. We had a lovely day of bike riding, picnicking and walking through the various parts of Versailles.read moreread lessErica5/27/2022
- We had this experience booked over two years ago and had to cancel due to Covid-19. Re-booked and we were glad we did. Fiona was a great guide and story/history teller. She did a fantastic job of safely moving our large group (12….2 were 7 years old twins) from point to point. Market shopping for lunch…so much fun….picnic lunch location, idyllic. Overall exposure to Versailles, perfect. It’s a full day and takes energy and engagement, but worth every moment.read moreread lessSuzana9/01/2022Hands down the best tour I've ever experienced. Pre-event communication was clear and helpful. Our guide, Claudio, demonstrated a deep passion for, and unparalleled knowledge of, the history of Versailles and the French monarchy. He was a gifted storyteller.
The beauty of skipping the lines at the palace can not be overstated. The line was nearly 200 meters long; meanwhile, we were biking and walking around uninhibited.
The experience at the local market at lunch was fantastic. We were treated to a cheese tasting and were given time to break off and do our own shopping/eating in the market.
We went on a rainy day, but Claudio provided such a comprehensive and fun experience that we hardly noticed the bad weather.
There is no better way to visit Versailles.read moreread lessAndrew9/27/2022Best way to see Versailles! The whole process was easy and effortless on our part. We took a speedy train and then visited the markets to grab food before touring the palace and gardens. Our guide, Clara was amazing, very knowledgeable, and a great story teller. The bikes made it easier to see much more of the area than we would have on foot. Highly recommend to anyone looking to visit Versailles!read moreread lessHanna11/07/2021
You'll Love
Floating past the long lines, with your own guide to chaperone you skillfully through the Château, sharing stories at every turn.
Feeling like a local as you explore the town of Versailles, and it’s award-winning market!
Riding away from the crowds to explore the very best of Versailles.
Highlights
- Skip-the-Line Access to the Château de Versailles
- Guided Tour of the Château
- Hall of Mirrors
- The Town of Versailles
- Versailles Open-Air Market
- Picnic along the Grand Canal
- Versailles Royal Gardens & Fountains
- Marie Antoinette's Hamlet
- Versailles Musical Fountain Show (on set days)
- Grand & Petit Trianon
Easy to find.
Our Versailles Bike Tour meets at a train station in central Paris:
Gare Montparnasse, 17 Boulevard de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris
Please meet us at the top level of the Montparnasse train station, under the Platform 20 & 21 sign.
We take the train to Versailles where bikes are ready & waiting. We recommend using the app City Mapper to navigate your way around.
Want to meet directly in Versailles? No problem, just let us know
Frequently Asked Questions
It is almost as if Versailles was designed with our bike tour in mind. The majority of our ride takes place within the Royal Gardens, where we can enjoy stress-free cycling, far from the traffic and crowds. Outside of the gardens, cycle paths weave their way throughout the town and are set on the footpaths, away from traffic.
Our Versailles Bike Tour meets at a train station in central Paris:
Gare Montparnasse, 17 Boulevard de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris
Please meet us at the top level of the Montparnasse train station, in Hall 1, under the Platform 20 & 21 sign.
Do feel free to come earlier for a coffee & croissant to kick start your day.
Once in Versailles we saddle up on bikes that are stored at our base in Versailles.
We frequently have children join our tours, and have a fleet of children’s bikes, tandems, child-seats and helmets for them – we love sharing the day with families and take great pride in entertaining and ensuring the safety of all ages throughout the day.
*Whenever possible we try to group families together which can great when the children are of similar ages.
Of course. All our tours of Versailles include a guided tour of the Palace with a fully licensed member of our team. We do not abandon you with an audio guide. We use earpieces so you can hear your guide, can ask questions & don’t miss a thing! If there is one Palace in the world to visit, this is the one!
All of our tours operate rain or shine and we provide free rain jackets. As we are licensed to guide inside the Château we do adapt & spend more time inside the Palace. We bring rain jackets, good humor & a sense of adventure!
We limit our group sizes to 12 riders per group in Versailles to keep you safe, cover more ground & offer a personalised experience.
Absolutely not, our bikes are located in Versailles.
Yes, simply let us know in the notes section when you book and we will contact you with details of where and when to meet us in Versailles.
We provide all the essentials for your day in Versailles; all you need to remember is to pack your camera and some euros for your picnic lunch.
Yes, we include the inner gardens and fountain show as part of our tours. However, please note the fountains only turn on at set times, on set dates – every Saturday & Sunday in the summer.
We still visit the inner gardens on days the fountains do not run as Versailles “was a garden before a castle, a feast before a garden, a night before a thousand suns. If you want to understand Versailles, one must first walk through its gardens”.
No. All tickets, travel (including train tickets to and from Versailles), access to Versailles, the gardens, the Hamlet and the fountains are all included.
Versailles: Food & Palace Bike Tour
This is our most comprehensive tour of Versailles. It is a full day but not structured like a normal tour with plenty of time to relax, drink wine, ride a bike and explore. On this tour we visit:
- The town of Versailles
- The award-winning farmers market
- The Inner Gardens & Fountains (on set days)
- Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet
- Picnic by the Grand Canal
- Guided Tour of the Château
- Picnic lunch at guest’s cost, while exploring the local farmer’s market
Bike & Brunch: The Best of Versailles
This tour is designed for those travellers who wish to see as much of Versailles as possible in just half a day. On this tour we visit:
- The town of Versailles
- The Inner Gardens
- Picnic by the Grand Canal
- Guided Tour of the Château
- Lunch provided