Visiting Château de Versailles Palace by bike

Having spent several days exploring Paris we jumped at the opportunity to pay a visit to Versailles. Joining a bicycle tour with Fat Tire Paris our first stop was to pick-up supplies for our picnic at the local market. We grabbed cheese, salami baguettes, wine, pastries and even a salad to name just a few. After-all, a visit to royal grounds requires a royal feast ;)
Hopping back on our bicycles we finally entered Versailles. We enjoyed the leisurely pace of the tour with ample time for us to snap photos and take in the grounds. In a word, the Palace of Versailles is opulent. As impressive as it is you can't help but realize the class divide it once represented. The privileged few who lived out their days in Versailles were surrounded in a fantasy land bubble. Kind of like a Disney Land for the elite.
Prior to lunch we visited Marie Antoinette's Hamlet officially known as Petit Trianon. These grounds, built entirely as a refuge to escape the critical eyes of those around her, was a village filled with actors. The actors were ordered to more or less ignore her and just get on with their daily routines. In today's terms we'd call this a living museum.
For lunch we biked to a scenic shaded area of Versailles where we munched away on our food, sipped on wine and watched row boats pass along the way.
For the final part of the tour we got to visit the actual palace; however, we weren't allowed to film. The two most impressive features were the the Kings and Queens Chambers and the Hall of Mirrors. Overall, it was a full day outing.
Here are a few things to consider if you're thinking of heading to Versailles:
1) The best option is to reach Versailles is to take the commuter train from Paris
2) Consider a bicycle tour over walking because to cover the grounds on foot would be exhausting
3) Consider visiting outside of the summer months. It's very hot and crowded in the middle of July
Visiting Château de Versailles Palace by bike Travel Video Transcript:
Well, Bonjour! Today we have left Paris behind and traded it for Versailles. And what better way to see the gardens and the palace than on a bike.
Our first stop of the day was the Versailles Market where we bought a few supplies for lunch - baguettes, cheese, wine, and everything you might need for a French picnic.
So we picked up our supplies for our very French picnic. I have my baguette. We have some cheese, some salami, lots of pastries and a salad because we're trying to keep it a little bit healthy and balance all of the sweets we're eating. And now it is time to go and get started with the tour.
I've kind of always wanted to ride around in a bike with a baguette sticking out the basket. Yeah, let's hope we don't lose it along the way.
From there we biked to Versailles where we got an introductory lesson on the royals who called this place home, including the one and only Marie Antoinette.
So just now we are visiting the Petit Trianon and this would have been kind of like a make believe village where Marie Antoinette could escape the palace and just leave everything behind. No one actually lived in these homes but she would hire peasants to just come around and pretend like they were going about their daily routine just so she could have some company but not have people stare at her. So it is kind of like an artificial village and it is really weird. But really pretty at the same time.
And now for the view we've all been waiting for. I present to you Versailles.
So now for the part of the tour I've been looking forward to - the food. We're going to enjoy our picnic and eat all of the little treats we bought at the market earlier today.
The rest of the afternoon was quite leisurely. We continued our tour of Versailles and then finished off in front of the palace, which is truly impressive. At that point we were free to roam on our own, so we visited the Kings and Queens Chambers, as well as the Hall of Mirrors. No filming was allowed inside but if I had to describe it in one word I would say opulent.
And just like that, it was time to go back to Paris.
This is part of our Travel in France series. We're making a series of videos showcasing French culture, French arts, French foods, French religion, French cuisine and French people.
Proudly presented by: &
All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network