Bike Tour to Compiègne and Pierrefonds

 

 

 

 

We start in the town of Crépy-en-Valois, with its quaint cobbled streets, impressive gothic churches, medieval castle and ramparts and an abundance of charm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving town we enter a valley of forests, meadows and fields dotted with villages touting historic churches. The valley was once the realm of a fairy kingdom in ancient times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

Out of the valley, we ascend the heights of a large agricultural plateau to visit some Gallo-Roman ruins comprised of an amphitheater and remnants of a temple and bath. The next part of our ride will take us through the Forest of Compiègne, long a royal hunting ground, and shortly thereafter we'll pay a brief visit to the adorable little village of Saint-Jean-aux-Bois.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

Next we visit one of the most spectacular looking châteaux in France, the Château de Pierrefonds. It's no wonder the château was the setting for the BBC television series Merlin, as a more mythical, fairytale looking château would be difficult to find.

 

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After some more riding in the forest on a dedicated cycling path we arrive at Compiègne, a former royal town with a prestigious château built by Louis XV. The château is now a museum featuring apartments from the 18th and 19th century, a museum of the Second Empire and an automobile museum. The town is loaded with charm, with its windy cobbled streets and ancient buildings in the heart of the old town. There are also several notable churches and its impressive town hall and clock tower.

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Tour Cost: €395 - This is the price for your group, not a per person cost.

 

• Additional Costs: Train Ticket – €28.50pp   Bike Rental – €30pp

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• Meeting time and train times: We will meet at the bike rental store at 7:45AM and take an 8:34AM train leaving Paris and arriving in Crépy-en-Valois at 9:10AM. We will take a train departing from Compiègne at 4:10PM and arrive in Paris at 5:25PM.

 

• Total round trip train time: 1 hour 50 minutes

 

• Touring Time: 7 hours from train arrival in Crépy-en-Valois to train departure from Compiègne

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• Distance round trip from bike store to train station: 3km / 2 miles

 

• Touring Distance: 50km / 30 miles from train arrival in Crépy-en-Valois to train departure from Compiègne

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• Total biking distance: 53km / 33 miles

 

• Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Most of the ride is on slightly undulating to flat terrain. There is one steep hill on this ride with an ascent time of 5+ minutes and it is roughly one kilometer in length. Due to this and the length of the ride participants should be fit and have cycling experience to do this tour. 

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• Important Note: This tour is not offered on Saturdays or holidays due to inconvenient train schedules.