Blue Fox Travel – Versailles Bike Tour
The Versailles estate encompasses 2,000 acres and there’s no better way to see it than on bike with Blue Fox Travel. Spend roughly eight hours with an expert guide and a small group (up to 14 people) touring the royal grounds, including the Grand and Petit Trianon chateaus, Marie Antoinette’s private domain and the grand palace with a skip-the-line pass included in your ticket. Guides tell stories of French royal history, including the conquests of the Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, the controversies surrounding Louis XV, the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette. The tour runs daily at 8:30 a.m. except for Monday. Tickets cost approximately 100 euros (around $105) for adults and 85 euros (roughly $90) for kids and teens 17 and younger. Tours include train tickets to and from Paris. Reviewers love biking the grounds at a leisurely pace and rave about the expertise of the guides, as well as the picnic lunch with finds from one of the local farmers markets. Blue Fox Travel also guides visitors on cycling tours of Paris at night and the city’s top attractions.
Bateaux-Mouches – River Cruise
Enjoy views of Paris from the Seine on this 70-minute boat cruise from Bateaux-Mouches. During the cruise, prerecorded commentary provides historical context on several attractions viewable from the river, including the Musée d’Orsay, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie and the Eiffel Tower. Reviewers praise the unique perspective and affordable ticket prices and suggest a night cruise to admire the city lights. Others lament that the commentary was difficult to hear. Tickets start at 15 euros (around $16) for adults and 6 euros (about $6) for children ages 4 to 12; children 3 and younger cruise for free. From April to September, boats depart every hour from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., then every 30 minutes from 1:30 to 10:30 p.m. From October to March, there are multiple daily departures from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner and lunch cruises are also available.