Day Trip to Versailles by Bike
A Versailles bicycle tour is a fun way to spend a day out of Paris, combining exercise and sightseeing. Visit Versailles Palace and kilometers of trails laid out for French monarchs from the comfort of your bike!
This article gives information and our best tips on how to visit Versailles by bike – alone or on a guided bike tour. After reading this quick guide, you will see that it is straightforward to explore Versailles by bike.
Don’t worry if you don’t have your own bicycle for visiting Versailles; we also tell you how to get one.
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Versailles is one of the most popular day trips from Paris. Check out the list of best day trips from Paris
Château de Versailles is one of the most famous castles near Paris, built in the 17th century as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII. Years later, King Louis XIV, his son, moved to Versailles with his family and the royal court, and he undertook major works to transform the château into one of the most beautiful French castles.
Versailles Estate includes the Palace, Trianons, formal gardens, and a forest. Versailles gardens and forest feature 200,000 trees, 50 fountains, and a 5.57km canal. Believe me; you will want to explore the Versailles Estate as much as you can!
The Palace of Versailles is one of the top sights to visit near Paris. We recommend a day trip to Versailles from Paris in the following Paris itineraries:
Why a Versailles Bike Tour is a Good Idea
The Versailles Estate was built with traveling by horseback in mind, so the spread-out grounds are much more manageable on two wheels. A 30-minute hike on foot is cut down to five by bike, allowing you to see much more without wondering where the next bench is.
Versailles by bike tour is easy! The Versailles Estate is totally flat, so you don’t need to be an experienced biker or super fit to enjoy a Versailles bike tour.
How to Visit Versailles by Bike
If you are considering a Versailles by bike day tour, you can do it alone or with a guided tour. Go on reading for all the options:
1. Join a Guided Versailles Bike Tour
A Versailles by bike day tour from Paris always comes with bike rental, a knowledgeable guide, and skip-the-line access to Versailles Palace, Trianon Palaces, and the Queen Hamlet.
After arriving at Versailles train station, the group usually goes to the market to buy some food for a picnic later by the canal. The tour finishes at the palace, where you will get an audio guide for a visit inside. You can tour the Palace at your own pace, as long as you wish, before heading back to Paris.
A Versailles by bike day tour is a good idea. The guides know many stories about Versailles and its guests, and you can ask them as many questions as you want so the visit is more interactive. Also, they know when is the best time to visit each building to avoid crowds for a more pleasant visit.
TIP: This Versailles bike tour, with Palace and Trianons visit, is consistently rated 5 stars and has excellent reviews. Forget about logistics and tickets and have fun!
2. Self-Guided Versailles Bicycle Tour
For some, the best way to visit Versailles will be a self-guided bike tour at their own path and visiting what they want.
If you have a bicycle, the next chapter will tell you how to transport it from Paris to Versailles by train.
If you don’t have a bicycle, the next chapter will tell you all the Versailles bike rental options.
Tips for Planning a Self-Guided Versailles Bike Tour
1. Get your Versailles Tickets in Advance
READ MORE: Versailles Skip the Line Tips
If you also want to visit the Palace and /or the Trianons during your Versailles bike tour, buy your tickets well in advance. Versailles proposes different kinds of tickets, so it is important to understand what you can visit with each ticket.
Compare the best Versailles Tickets
TICKET | SKIP THE LINE | PALACE | TRIANONS (+ Queen’s Hamlet) | GARDEN SHOWS | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
YES | YES | NO | If option selected | ||
YES | YES | YES | If option selected | ||
YES | NO | YES | If option selected |
TIP: The Paris Museum Pass for 2, 4, or 6 days also includes skip-the-line access to Château de Versailles and the Trianons!
2. Versailles Bike Rental
In Versailles, it is possible to rent bikes for adults, children, and tandem bicycles in different places of the park.
There are three Versailles bike rental points:
- Little Venice (by the canal),
- Saint Antoine Gate,
- The Queen’s Gate.
Little Venice bike rental point is always open whilst the other two points only open on weekends and holidays. Opening times are from 10 am to 5 pm or 6.45 pm depending on the season.
On weekends we recommend renting your bike at the Queen’s Gate because it is the closest point to Versailles Rive Droite train station (850 m, 11-minute walk).
On weekends, there’s also the possibility of taking a bike at one point and relate it to another.
Rental prices are €18 per half-day (4 hours), €20 per day (8 hours).
Unfortunately, the Velib bikes are not available in Versailles.
3. Bringing Bikes on the Train from Paris to Versailles
To travel from Paris to Versailles by train, you will take a Transilien train from Paris Gare Saint Lazare (Paris 8) to Paris Rive Droite train station. This is a 35 min ride, and you don’t need to book train tickets in advance.
In the Parisian Region, it is possible to transport your bike on trains for free but it is subject to certain conditions:
- From Monday to Friday you need to travel out of peak traffic hours before 06.30, between 9.30 and 16.30, and after 19.30.
- No time restrictions on Saturday, Sunday, and bank holidays.
- If trains are crowded, do not board with your bicycle.
- On the train, on platforms, and in stations, you must walk your bicycle. For safety reasons, don’t take escalators with your bike.
Look for the train wagons with the bike logo. These wagons are adapted for bikes, with special hooks to fix the bikes.
When traveling on a Transilien train, you are responsible for transporting, handling, and watching over your bicycle.
From Versailles Rive Droite train station, it is only a 5-minute bike ride to the Queen’s Gate.
Self-Guided Versailles by Bike Day Tour – Suggested Itinerary
Click here to view the Google Map
IMPORTANT: Bikes are not allowed inside the formal gardens and the Estate of Trianon.
We recommend starting your Palace of Versailles bike tour at the Queen’s Gate (2) at 10 am, earlier if you come to Versailles with your own bike.
Explore the park and forest between points (2), (11), and (10). Then head to the bike racks at La Petite Venise (3) to park your bikes and visit the palace’s formal gardens on foot (4).
Take your bike and after admiring the Apollo’s fountain (5) look for a nice spot for a picnic on the grass by the Grand Canal (6) or a light meal at the restaurant La Petite Venise (you can book here)
Do the canal tour, stopping for some pictures at La Lanterne (7) and the Royal Star (8). Then it’s time to visit the Grand Trianon (9), Petit Trianon (10), and the Queen’s Hamlet (11), which open at 12 pm.
Leave the Palace of Versailles for late afternoon, when there are lesser crowds. The entrance to the palace is at Place d’Armes (12). We suggest a 2-hour visit, from 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
Versailles Bike Tips, Do’s & Don’ts
Bring lots of water, wear comfortable clothes and cover your head in the summer.
Bikes are not allowed inside the Palace’s formal gardens and inside the Estate of Trianon.
WHERE TO PARK YOUR BIKE IN VERSAILLES?
Bike racks are available in different spots throughout the Estate of Versailles: in front of the Place d’Armes, next to the Queen’s Gate in the Park, near the Grand Trianon, near the Petit Trianon, La Flottille restaurant, and the Petite Venise.
You can have your bike with you on the grass when having your picnic by the canal.
We also parked our bike in one of the car parks near the formal gardens.
