Upcoming first time visit to Paris. I've been reading about Fat Tire Tours and Bike About Tours. Is it worth going on a bike tour in Versailles? What about in Paris? Or is it better to just rent in either place and do your own thing? What about renting bikes and going to Marais or Champs Élysées? Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
Posted by
Abq, NM
30 posts
Hi,
I thoroughly enjoyed my tours with Fat Tire in both Paris and Barcelona. I am going again in a few weeks and plan on doing the day tour in Paris again. It is about 4 hours long and you ride for a total of 7 miles, while stopping at the major sites for some humor and history from your tour guide. You meet lots of travelers from all over the world, it was a great time :)
Posted by
OP
Phoenix
36 posts
Thank you. Appreciate the feedback!
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
You might be interested in the Velib commuter bike home page which is in English. http://en.velib.paris.fr/How-it-works I can't say from personal experience but it looks like buying on-line would solve the pin-and-chip credit card problem. Best to ask them directly on-line.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
334 posts
Fat Tire Tour in Paris was great fun - they knew their way around the city. The only cycling we've done by ourselves was from Gare Austerlitz to Gare Nord along the Canal St. Martin. That's actually a nice spot along the canal for walking, people watching, and cycling - but as you get north, it dumps you into a huge roundabout plaza (Place de Concorde, I think, but not sure). We had a huge truck and bus that "shepherded" us around to our exit (we were two bikes with loaded trailers) - worked fine, but quite an experience. I think a bike tour to Versailles or Monet's Garden would be nice - we were there in early spring, so weren't options then.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
334 posts
Fat Tire Tour in Paris was great fun - they knew their way around the city. The only cycling we've done by ourselves was from Gare Austerlitz to Gare Nord along the Canal St. Martin. That's actually a nice spot along the canal for walking, people watching, and cycling - but as you get north, it dumps you into a huge roundabout plaza (Place de Concorde, I think, but not sure). We had a huge truck and bus that "shepherded" us around to our exit (we were two bikes with loaded trailers) - worked fine, but quite an experience. I think a bike tour to Versailles or Monet's Garden would be nice - we were there in early spring, so weren't options then.
Posted by
Chesterton, IN, USA
17 posts
I haven't been to Paris, but I did bike tours and I rented bikes and biked on my own in various places around Europe this spring. The bigger the city, the more I've liked having the guided tour to rely on just for generally avoiding the worst of the congestion and traffic which I might not be able to do on my own. In small towns and rural areas, I loved biking on my own, but I really liked having a group in really big cities.
For what it's worth, just how I came to look at it.