Bike & Segway Tours in Paris

When I was in front of Les Invalides last trip, 3 people on a segway pulled up next to me, so I asked them a bit about the tour. The couple with the guide said they were having a great time. They both said it was easy & a lot of fun. They appeared to be enjoying it so I don't think their comments were for the guide's benefit. I've seen the segway tour thru that area 3-4 times & have always meant to try it myself just for the experience.

Our family of four did the Versailles bike tour and had a great time. My wife is not an experienced cyclist and had no problems with conditioning.You travel as a group through the city to the train and then shop for a picnic then visit Versailles. The leaders did a great job of directing us. It was a highlight of our visit.

The bike tour in Paris (we did evening) is not strenuous in the least and you are not riding constantly for four hours - you stop for ice cream, you stop to look at things, you stop for street signals and you do a boat ride at the end. It's also quite flat. Main stress is learning to ride in a pack to take over a lane from the cars, but for me, that was only stressful because I had an 11 year old with me. Bikes are comfy.

The Versailles day trip is more strenuous, but still not difficult. There are plenty of rest stops.

I haven't done the Segway tour in Paris, but I have done the one in Chicago, and I'd jump at the chance to take a Segway tour anywhere! It really is simple to learn and you feel like a celebrity with everyone staring at you as you glide by! You do have to be able to stand comfortably for the length of the tour, though, so that might be a problem for some people.

Mike, your post made me laugh,, I am alot older then you,, and hadn't ridden a bike since I was a teen, have never used a stationary excercise bike( and do not go to a gym), and live in a smller city then you,, but, I did just fine on the FT bike tours..

Any healthy person under 80 and over 8 can do the city tours( central Paris is flat) , and for Versailles I would suggest ages 10-70, maybe 75!

Thanks! The main thing I was worried about was dealing with traffic (the stories about traffic on the Champs-Elysées combined with the cyclists in Seattle who sometimes dart through traffic had me envisioning having to do similiar things myself). Now I just have to decide on a day or night tour! :)

...Though the Segway is still tempting...

Mike, I did the night tour , and it was fun.. I think( and this may just be my perception) traffic is a little lighter in evening, as by the time you are actually on the road it is close to 7:30 so rush hour and business traffic are done. Also , night tour includes the boat tour,, so you kill two birds with one stone.

Mike,

I chuckled a bit when I read your comments about riding a bicycle. I'm 55+ and don't ride often, but I have no trouble at all, even at my age. As the saying goes, once you learn to ride a bike most people don't forget.

I have taken the Paris Segway tour (the night version). It was a lot of fun and a very unique experience. Busloads of toursists would stop and snap a few photos of our group, and pedestrians were constantly stopping us to ask about the Segways. I stopped to visit with travellers a couple of times, but the Guide was getting a bit annoyed, so I toned that down a bit.

They provide about a 30-minute training session at the beginning, and tour members are provided with a "green" or "yellow" key which limits the speed (only the Guide gets the coveted "red" key). Tour members must wear a Helmet and reflective vest, and the Guide makes sure that everyone stays together and gets across busy interestions. It's a bit expensive, but such an interesting way to see some of the famous sites of Paris, I didn't have a problem with that. One caveat however - tour members are required to provide a "deposit" (which as I recall was about €400) in case users don't follow directions and end up damaging the machine. If you return the Segway in good order, they tear up the charge slip.

The same firm offers bike tours, if you'd prefer that.

My suggestion would be to go for it!

Happy travels!

We did the Segway tour with Fat Bike in Paris last May. It was fantastic. Not only did we get a great overview of Paris sights but our guide did let our group stop at a bridge to buy sidewalk art and also stop at the crepe stand opposite the obelisk at Place de la Concorde for a quick snack on the sidewalk. The Segway was easy to use and lots of fun. I'd do it again in a minute. Fat Bike's guide was both knowledgeable and personable, as I recall, a Texan.

My wife and I are taking the ETBD tour arriving in Paris mid-June.Thanks to this discussion, we have booked a segway day tour with Fat Tire for our last day in Paris. Sounds like great fun! I will report back.