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Get Colleen's Tips Now! Follow Colleen's Paris on Facebook for the latest Paris information. Tons of Activities Colleen's Paris Blog Calendar of Events Entertainment & Sports My Favourite Restaurants Shopping :-) Visiting The City and Day Trips Potpourri of Paris Tips Paris Guidebooks Move or Stay ? Everything on All Transports Hotels & Apartments Specific Public Children in Paris Travelers with handicaps Layover information About This Site Home About Colleen's Paris Search Colleen's Paris Links Colleen's Advice I have a question... © colleensparis.com - 2010 Bike_night_tour Take a Paris boat tour on a bike?! When you visit Paris, there never seems to be enough time; time to either squeeze in all of the sightseeing or for stepping back in time (not the guillotine part, of course). On the night bike tour that we took with Fat Tire Bike Tours, time was economized. In a four to five hour period, you squeeze in sightseeing of the left and left banks of the Seine, watch the lights of Paris come up, eat home made ice cream looking at Notre-Dame on the Pont Saint-Louis as the sun sets, take advantage of the photo ops at the Louvre and the Champs Elysées, ride a boat along the Seine (and be the only group allowed to bring their own “beverages” or have it provided); Phewww! That’s economizing your time! The bike tour was an adventure on two wheels along the streets of Paris. You have to be quick and pay attention. The “boule” players saw us coming and one of the men in a red short-sleeve shirt took measures to guard the metal balls and the playing field, stretching out his arms as we rode past to the far end of the Champ de Mars. He had obviously seen this tour in action before. We were clad in day-glow vests for the adventure of riding in the bike/taxi/bus lanes. The taxis weaved in and out of their lanes to avoid us; the buses only hoped they would not end up behind us! We didn’t exactly stay in a tight pack. Our guide, Stacy, turned her head constantly to ensure that the group was together. She did a great job checking that the rear guard of “Vanessa and Nate” was doing their volunteer job properly. What to expect The tour offers an occasion to see the sights at a different speed (slow and relaxing) rather than walking or the speed of a bus. The declining day light is more noticeable on a bike as the sky, streets, buildings and trees turn new shades of color. The Eiffel Tower and the lights of a May Paris illuminate as the boat ride along the Seine begins at 10 p.m. The first opportunity to really have a bite to eat is on the boat ride. A couple of the guys bought crêpes to-go around the corner from Berthillon during our ice cream break. (Berthillon is famous for their fresh made-daily ice cream and sorbet). I would advise either eating a good meal before you go or bring a sandwich for later. We brought can duck (rillettes du canard) and baguette. It was a balancing act trying to spread the duck on baguette pieces and hold a cup of wine...there were no tables…. Make your picnic simple if you plan to eat that late. Who goes For the students, the tour is an opportunity to exchange ideas (not academic by any means!) between semester breaks, do the “awesome” European vacation, begin summer work or take the graduation break before the serious job entry. Since four of us had probably graduated from college in the 80s or before, those other 21 participants took us back to college days of rowdiness and whooping it up! The nationality and age make up of the crowd varies; our group of 26 consisted of Australians, Canadians, Americans and a Swede. A normal group size is 24. Getting started The group meets at 7 p.m. at the Eiffel Tower’s south leg by the big yellow sign. If there are too many, Fat Tire just breaks it up into two groups. When we met, our group was up to 36. The family of ten and five others made up the second group and left long enough after us that we did not bunch up; they caught the 10:30 p.m. cruise. Bike-night_tour http://www.colleensparis.com/Colleens_Paris_Bike_night_tour.php 1 of 8 11/10/11 18:36
