Versailles: Food & Palace Bike Tour

3000+ Reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

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.

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!

This tour was the highlight of our week in Paris! Marijke was a phenomenal guide. Her knowledge and stories were so engaging even for our teenager. If you are planning to do Versailles, this is the way to see it ALL without all the walking. The place is massive. We met some great people who shared the tour with us. Every single part of the experience was amazing!
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Kristi
8/13/2022

I did the Palace of Versailles tour! This by far has to be one of the best tours I’ve been on in France. The host are really informative, friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely something to try if you’re in town.
Also, they’re very responsive. Provided me with a list of restaurants to visit and Covid testing centers in Paris. Thank you Stu and Nikki!
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Abby
9/09/2021

Stu and Nikki are AMAZING. Stu tells the story of Versailles and the Kings as if you’re there, and Nikki has such a passion for the town, the markets, the history and the people. It was crazy what we covered in such a short amount of time.

Will definitely be visiting them every time we come back to Paris!
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Kendall
9/05/2018
This is a very fun way to experience Versailles. You won’t be disappointed.
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Bradley
5/20/2022

This was a perfect day and way to see Versailles- amazing tour and great fitness from bike to walking tour. Perfect Versailles day!
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Josh
7/03/2022

Wow. What an amazing experience. I did not imagine that what seemed to be a simple Airbnb experience would have been what it was.

First, definitely go on the days when the market is open (I think it's Sundays) because that's just fun and gives you an extra dose of local life. Second, Niki was an amazing guide. He's super knowledgeable, has insights into the history and the art, the palace, the people who lived there, AND he's super funny and tells jokes. He's definitely one of those tour guides you can talk with to get deeper information or you can just shoot the breeze and come away satisfied.

Third, Versailles is just amazing and Stu and Niki have definitely worked it out that you can be literally one of the first people to get into the palace while everyone else waits in long lines or waits for the official opening time. It's literally skip-the-lines (we walked across a roped area that they opened just for us directly up to security and went right in) and not one of those "skip-the-line" tickets where you wait in the "skip-the-line" line which itself is an hour long (by the time we left the palace, the skip-the-line line was as long as the regular line). Then riding through the gardens, seeing some more of the off-the-beaten path areas (apparently one area is only frequented by 3% of the tourists that visit Versailles), and picnicking on the lawn? Amazing.

This is definitely an experience I would recommend to every. single. person. that is thinking of visiting Versailles. I may even do this again on my next trip.
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Ryan
10/06/2019
My wife Paula and I can't say enough good things about our experience with Stu and Niki on our bike tour in Versailles. Riding our bikes through town, getting food at the market and having a picnic on the Versailles grounds was the best! Stu was an EXTREMELY knowledgeable tour guide who was very well informed about the palace and gardens. Both Niki and Stu made us feel so comfortable. This was one of the best tours we have ever taken.
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David Kornberg
9/12/2017

Book this experience! We had an incredible day exploring the city of Versailles and the palace grounds and gardens. Every aspect was thoughtfully planned which made for a very special day, indeed!
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Elizabeth
6/17/2022

We had a great day - the logistics were perfect catching the direct train to Versailles, picking up and adjusting the bikes and we didn’t have to wait in line at all. Alice gave a very informative and amusing tour of the inside and gardens, then we rode a few miles for a lovely picnic by the grand canal. Best way to see Versailles!
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Sarah
3/30/2022
What a fantastic experience! My sister highly suggested booking a tour for visiting Versailles (knowing how overwhelming it can be) and I’m so grateful that I did! My husband and I had a wonderful time. Our guide Nicolas was extremely knowledgeable, charismatic, and delightful company. We felt like VIPs touring the chateaux and the picnic on the lawn was charming in itself. I would definitely recommend this to others looking for a unique Versailles experience.
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Sheila
7/20/2019

Highly, highly recommend this experience to everyone. It was perhaps the highlight of an amazing week in Paris. It was SO nice meeting up with Lola, the wonderful guide, and having the whole day taken care of. The picnic by the canal was a particular highlight. And we saw so much more of the grounds than we would have if we just did the palace tour. This must be THE best way to see Versailles.
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Luke
11/25/2022

What a wonderful way to spend a day! Irena was our guide and she was so nice and knowledgeable and lots of fun to spend time at Versailles with. We biked we laughed we ate we drank, the weather was glorious for November. A nice treat to visit the market as well. I’ve never been to Versailles but doing it by bike seemed the way to go. The grounds are massive and the bikes helped tremendously.
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Kelli
11/23/2021

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

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

Is it safe to cycle in Versailles?

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.

Where in Paris do the Versailles bike tours meet & when does the cycling start?

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.

Is this tour appropriate for children?

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.

Do your tours of Versailles include a guided tour of the Château?

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!

What happens if it rains?

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!

How many riders per group on a Versailles bike tour?

We limit our group sizes to 12 riders per group in Versailles to keep you safe, cover more ground & offer a personalised experience.

Do I need to carry my bike onto the train?

Absolutely not, our bikes are located in Versailles.

We are staying in Versailles, can we start the tour there?

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.

What should I bring?

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.

Do your tours of Versailles include the Musical Fountains?

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”.

Do I need to purchase any extra tickets on the day?

No. All tickets, travel (including train tickets to and from Versailles), access to Versailles, the gardens, the Hamlet and the fountains are all included.

What is the difference between 'Versailles: Food & Palace Bike Tour' and 'Bike & Brunch the Best of Versailles'?

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