versailles bike tour fat tire

Private Versailles Bike Tour

Approximately 8.5 hours

From  €715

Experience the Private Versailles Bike Tour

We’ve been taking guests to visit Versailles by bike for over 15 years and it has been a fan favorite ever since. Now, with the added exclusivity and flexibility of booking your own private version directly online!  Whether it’s just you and your family or a large group of friends, this Private Versailles Bike Tour puts you in charge of the group size so you can experience Versailles exactly how you want to see it. With a tour guide dedicated to just your group, this tour allows you to experience Versailles and its extensive grounds without the distraction of outside guests.

Upon arrival in the town of Versailles, we will ride to the famous city market to shop for our picnic supplies (cost not included). Then, we’ll cruise through the Château’s enormous grounds along a network of fantastic trails and tree-lined paths, pausing along the way to share the rich history of the palace and French monarchy. Next, it’s on to our picnic at the end of the Grand Canal where we’ll settle down for a royal feast.

After lunch, we’ll continue through the grounds to visit Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet and the Petit Trianon. Finally, our bike tour offers you skip-the-line access to the Château to avoid the tremendously long lines. See the room where Marie Antoinette’s guards were killed as they protected her from the mob at the beginning of the Revolution. Walk through the breathtaking Hall of Mirrors where King Louis greeted guests, and centuries later the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end World War I. Ride with us and you will explore exponentially more of the 2,000+ acres of royal property than you would ever be able to see on your own.

If you have children or infants in your group, please let us know if you need any children bikes (20″ or 24″), baby seats, trailers, or tandems in the “Comments” section during check out to ensure that we are able to reserve these for you.  See all kid’s bike & accessory options . There is no additional charge for these.

Please note that private Versailles tours start at 4 guests.  If your party is smaller, the minimum cost is that of 4 guests.

Tour Details

What’s included.

• Helmet (provided but optional for adults)
• Private tour guide for your group
• Roundtrip transportation from Paris to Versailles
• Access to Royal Grounds and Gardens
• Access to Grand & Petit Trianon
• Access to Marie-Antoinette’s Private Hamlet
• Free time to explore the Château and Royal Gardens on your own
• Musical Fountain Show

Good to Know

• When reserving, please select one ‘Base Price’ then the number of adults in your group.  One base price is required for all groups to privatize the tour and ensure a personal guide just for your group.  If your group is larger than 20 guests, please contact us at [email protected] .
• Please enter your hotel or address accommodation for our guide to meet you.
• Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure.
• The tour typically returns to Paris between 5pm & 6pm, but guests are welcome to stay in Versailles longer if they wish.
• If possible, please bring a backpack to carry your food for our picnic lunch. We will visit the market upon our arrival to the town of Versailles (price of picnic supplies are not included in the tour price), and then stop for lunch several hours later. Please bring euro cash for market supplies as well.
• All of our tours operate rain or shine, and we have rain ponchos available in our office for purchase (fully refunded if not used).

• 1 Versailles Open-Air Market
• 2 Grand & Petit Trianons
• 3 Picnic along the Grand Canal
• 4 Versailles Royal Gardens
• 5 Skip-the-Line Access to Château de Versailles
• 6 Hall of Mirrors
• 7 Queen's Hamlet
• 8 Personal tour guide for your group
• 9 Musical Fountain Show

Meeting Point

For your Private Versailles Bike Tour, we are happy to meet at your hotel or accommodation in Paris! Please be sure to let us know the details of where you are staying in the ‘Comments’ section at checkout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question about our bikes/biking in versailles, what cycling skill level do i need for this tour.

While all of our tours maintain a leisurely pace, we want our guests to have fun and be safe, so being able to ride a bike is paramount.

This tour is perfect for intermediate bike riders. You should have good balance, be able to start and stop comfortably, and be familiar with hand brakes. Most of this tour is on roads and although we stick together as a group and carve out a lane for ourselves, we ask that all guests feel confident with their riding ability. Safety is our number one priority but confidence in yourself is the first step to overall group safety.

If you’re not sure how you’ll fare, we invite you to try out some of our other tours first.

Is this tour appropriate for children?

Yes! Our Versailles Bike Tour is a wonderful way for kids comfortable on bikes to discover Versailles. We only ask that your children have been riding for a while, or, if they’re under 10, you can reserve a tandem for them. You can reserve kid’s equipment during the booking process.

You can use this  bike chart  to help you reserve the appropriate bicycles for your little ones. Please keep in mind that children under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

• For children up to 10 years old or weighing under 32kg (70lbs), we have two-wheeled tag-along tandems. The child passenger sits on a seat and can pedal or coast. All riders weighing over 32kg (70lbs) must ride their own bicycle. This is not an option for adults or anyone over the weight or age limit.
• We have various sized city bikes to accommodate just about every size of rider, from extra small 20 inch wheeled bikes for riders that are 3.3ft (100cm) to extra large for riders up to 6.5ft (198cm).
• There is no additional charge for trailers, tandems or baby seats. Due to limited availability, please book baby seats, trailers, tandems, 20” and 24” wheeled bikes in advance.
• Please Note: All extra small 20 inch and small 24 inch bikes are equipped with hand brakes.

How long is the ride?

Our Versailles Bike Tour covers approximately 10.1 miles (16.25 km).

General Tour Questions

I'm staying in versailles, can i meet the tour here.

Absolutely! Please meet us at our Versailles office, located at  10 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 78000 Versailles

Please make sure we can reach you by the phone provided at checkout.

When making your reservation, be sure to leave us a note in the comments section to indicate that you will meet us directly in Versailles. Your guide will pick you up when they arrive in Versailles with the rest of the group. Please aim to be there between 9am-9:15am and know that you may have to wait up to 30-45min for your group to arrive.

Does the tour include transportation to Versailles?

Yes! The tour price includes the RER train to Versailles and the return to Paris.

Your tour will end in Versailles with your timed entry into the chateau, at which point your guide will provide you with your train tickets and directions back to the train station, about a 10-minute walk from the chateau. This allows you the freedom to explore the palace and the formal gardens at your own pace and return to Paris whenever you’d like. Trains run until approximately 11:30pm at the RER C Versailles River Gauche station and until midnight at the line N Versailles Chantiers station. Your guide will have specific directions for you at the end of the bike tour.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

No, lunch is not included in the cost of this tour. You will have the chance to buy picnic supplies from numerous vendors at the market. Some vendors may accept credit cards, however we feel it is best to have cash in euros available as well.

What is your cancellation policy?

Due to the nature of guide scheduling for private tours, cancellations or rescheduling requests must be done at least 7 days in advance of the activity start time to be eligible for a full refund. Reschedulings are subject to availability and fare difference may apply.

*See restrictions here

What is your weather policy?

All of our tours operate rain or shine, and we have rain ponchos available in our office for purchase.

Where is the tour meeting point?

For your Private Versailles Bike Tour, we are happy to meet at your hotel or accommodation in Paris! Please be sure to let us know the details of where you are staying in the ‘Comments’ section at checkout.

Similar Tours

Private Paris Day Bike Tour

From $293 €275 £243

Monet’s Garden Bike Tour

From $105 €99 £87

Small Group VIP Versailles Bike Tour

From $175 €165 £146

Paris Combo: Bike Tour, Seine Cruise, and Eiffel Tower Summit

From $116 €109 £96

Explore our preferred partners around the world.

Not Even French

A Unique Way to Visit Versailles

Join our favorite Kiwi, Rosie, as she documents our famous Versailles Bike Tour ! So many people have Versailles on their bucket-list of ‘things to see when in Paris’, but few know just how BIG it is! This tour allows you to see it all, from the formal gardens to the grounds, the Trianons and Marie-Antoinette’s Hameau, and of course the palace of Versailles itself. In fact, we’ve arranged skip-the-line access so that you can save your precious time!

On top of the breathtaking views and fascinating history you’ll get while riding around the grounds, we even squeeze in time to visit the local, open-air market. Check out Rosie’s day with us and secure your spot now!

Explore our preferred partners around the world.

Moscow Metro Tour

• Page active

Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.