Bike Tour to Paris's Royal and Impressionist Era Suburbs

We start in the pretty town of Marly-le-Roi. Formerly the site of a Louis XIV château the Le Nôtre designed gardens still exist. It has a charming old village at its heart with a number of ancient buildings and exudes a charm you would expect from a small country village.

On this tour we also visit the charming towns of Louveciennes, Bougival and Rueil-Malmaison. All these villages have a rich history involving royalty and the Impressionist art movement. We'll visit the sites of numerous famous paintings depicted by artists such as Renoir, Monet, Sisley and Pissarro and pass by châteaux owned by Madame du Barry (mistress of Louis XV) and writer Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Other notable sites visited include The Machine de Marly and its associated aquaduct, both of which helped bring water from the Seine to Louis XIV châteaux at Marly and Versailles. Other attractions and sites will also be visited with our final destination being Rueil-Malmaison, passing by the château of Malmaison, residence of The Empress Josephine. After we head to the lovely and lively old downtown of Rueil-Malmaison and explore its charming streets on our way to see our last Impressionist painter related sites along The Seine River, including the site of Renoir's famous painting Le Déjeuner des Canotiers.

Starting the Day: We start the day meeting at the bike rental store and then ride through Paris to the RER train station Châtelet-les-Halles. We take the bikes on the train to Saint-Germain-en-Laye and start the ride. At the end of the ride we take the RER train back from Rueil-Malmaison to Châtelet-les-Halles and then ride to the rental store to return the bikes.

Tour Cost: 225€ - This is the price for your group, not a per person cost. It includes my guiding fee and a picnic lunch for 3 participants (four including myself). I can't carry everything on my bike so we can stop along the way so additional participants can get picnic lunch supplies.

Additional Costs: Train Ticket – 5.40€pp       Bike Rental – 30€pp

Times: Below are the estimated times to ride from the rental store to the train and back at the end of the day. You'll also find the estimated train travel times (from and back to Paris) and the time spent touring. The train time includes time spent upon entry to the train station, waiting for the train and time spent on the train. The time spent touring is inclusive of breaks, lunch and time to visit any scheduled sites.

Ride from the rental store to the train station and back: 15 minutes

Train time: 45-50 minutes

Touring Time: 5-6 hours

Total Tour Time: 6-7 hours

Distance: 20-25km / 12-16 miles

Level of Difficulty: Moderate. The first part of the tour from Marly-le-Roi to Bougival is on hilly terrain and there is one steep ascent in Marly itself. Due to the hilly terrain it is recommended that you be fit and bike regularly to do this tour. We'll descend from the heights of Bougival towards the Seine River and the rest of the ride will be on level and fairly flat terrain.

Click here for a detailed Trip Report of this tour.