Versailles - bike rentals

I've rented bikes at the palace many times and never paid more than 20 E for all day (don't remember exact anount). I would trust the website. It is the best, easiest and most fun way to see everything there is to see imo. The bikes are nice, and they have helmets and locks. Some bikes have baskets and some don't. I rented one last time w/o a basket already on it, I asked them to attach one and they did so happily.
On a Sunday in Oct I'd get there as early as you're able and rent one right away just in case. I doubt they'd all be gone but you never know. They are located next to the Grand Canal. You will need to leave your Driver's License/Passport with them as a guarantee you'll bring them back.

Susan,
Thank you! We will plan on being there when the bike shop opens. I am so relieved to hear that you have used them yourself. Your first hand knowledge is saving us from booking a 100euro per person bike tour. I appreciate the tips about location, deposit and baskets!

If you have any more tips to share about biking in the area I'd love to hear them.
Thank you very much.
Susan k

I'd bring a drivers' license instead of your passport.
I think 4 hours would do it, if you intend to visit the chateau.
The bikes do come with locks.

You should visit the open-air market, first, before you get to Versailles. And I would suggest that you go on Tuesday, not Sunday.

Hello Chexbres,
Drivers license instead of passport, good idea. Thank you! Have you rented bikes there previously? Is the town of Versailles interesting to bike around? We though we might hang around after the Chateau closed. I haven't yet checked train times back into Paris but i hope they run in the evening.

Thanks for popping in and helping.

Chexres, yes, rethinking tuesday.

We rented bikes this past summer and it was hands down our favourite part of going to Versailles. I highly recommend it. As others have pointed, I would leave my driver's license and not my passport. They do come with locks and we made use of them.

have fun!

Did a tour around the grounds through Fat Tire. It was enjoyable but a bit long. Met at their office in Paris. Took the train as a group to Versailles. Stopped at the Notre Dame to pick up lunch provisions. Recommend.

Bonjour jkdbdray,
We looked at the fat tire bike tour of Versailles. We've toured with that company in Berlin, London and I think Barcelona. We always enjoyed ourselves. You mentioned the length of the tour and that was one of the things I was concerned about. That and my ability to keep up, lol. Also the price is steep for us. So we are going with the do it yourself option and reading rick steves books. Thanks for sharing your info.

I just check on a few departures times for the RER-C on Tuesday, 24 Oct from Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche (RG) to Saint Michel Station and it showed the following times:
17:08, 17:23, 17:34, 17:53, 18:10, 18:25. I went as far as 22:13.

susank, I'd much rather see everything on a bike rented at the palace or in town than do a tour. You can go at your own pace, stop where you want for as long as you want. We did the FT tour in Paris and enjoyed it but we enjoy being on our own much more. I did not say you have to leave a passport, I said you have to leave a Driver's License or a Passport (for those that don't think to bring their DL because they don't plan to drive). Just wanted to warn you that they need something as security. I don't have tips for riding around or where, just go wherever looks good to you... : )
We go everywhere in the grounds, through the woods, out to the fields, to the hamlet and both Trianons. We stop and lie on the grass, have a picnic, discover roads and areas that we wouldn't on foot. We rent for much longer than 4 hrs because there's so much to see and discover and as I said, we enjoy stopping and sitting or lying on the grass to relax and take it all in. We've done this over 10 times because we enjoy it so much and we make a day of it. I hope you have a great time!

Hi Susan, yes, bikes are a good idea to explore the area. You also can consider renting a bike or a scooter in Paris. You can take bikes to the train (rental in Paris is cheaper) or, if you decide to rent a scooter, you even don't need a train and can reach the place by scooter. Maybe this link will be helpful for you since it shows all possible rental options. Enjoy Paris!

Susan, how was your trip?

I was also looking at the Fat Tire Versailles tours for this October but they seem a little pricey. If you rented bikes at Versailles and did it on your own how would you get into town to go to the market? Would you do that before entering the grounds or could you leave and go to the market and come back in?

You can easily leave the grounds on a Versailles rented bike, ride into town and back when you want.

The bike rental rates at Versailles are very reasonable.
I would not bring one from Paris. Plus you’d be paying for the time to get to Versailles and back to Paris.

My husband and I rented bikes on the Versailles grounds. We arrived around 10:30 at the rental site, having walked thru the pay area gardens (by the castle) down to the free park area. We asked, and were told by the rental people that we were not allowed to take the bicycles out of the park. We did anyway and had a nice ride into town and picked up lunch at the open air market. Rode back and had lunch in the grounds. It is a huge place! Very lovely to bike around, and you get to see sooo much more than you would do by walking.

There were many bicycles to rent. We took an all day rental and were sorry to give it up, but we hadn’t seen the castle yet. The bike ride all around the grounds and surrounding area was my favorite part of our 6 days in Paris.

Almost forgot. I rented an e-bike and it was very easy to handle and made any slight hills easy. My husband, who bikes regularly, rented a regular bike and was actually a bit tired from all the cycling we did.

Susank, SO glad you rented bikes and had fun! We love it.