Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte €300
Our tour starts in Melun (yes, I'm sure you've never heard of Melun) where we'll pick up our picnic lunch supplies and cycle around its medieval downtown for a few minutes before heading off for the peace and serenity of the countryside. There are some hills on this tour so it is only a tour for experienced cyclists but the hills encountered are not long or steep and the majority of the terrain is flat to gently rolling. This tour will bring us through the agricultural countryside of the Brie region (as in the famous cheese) and its small towns and villages. Along the way we will cycle past the amazing Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (which I consider to be the most elegant château in France) where we'll stop for a few minutes while I recount some of its fascinating history (the grounds of this château were Louis XIV's inspiration for the grounds of Versailles). Then we'll move from classical architecture to medieval architecture as we pay a visit to the little village of Blandy-les-Tours to view its impressive medieval fortress. From here we continue onward, cycling through the agricultural countryside and passing through anonymous but quaint little villages and seeing the occasional château here and there.
Click HERE to see the Tour Summary for this tour, which will provide you with a sampling of photos of some of the sights you will see on this tour.
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Meeting time and train times: We will meet at the bike rental store at 9:45AM and take a 10:46AM train leaving Paris and arriving in Melun at 11:11AM. We will take a train departing from Mormant at 4:25PM and arrive in Paris at 5:12PM.
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Total round trip train time: 1 hour 15 minutes
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Touring Time: 5 hours 15 minutes from train arrival in Melun to train departure from Mormant
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Distance round trip from bike store to train station: 4.5 km / 3 miles
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Touring distance: 40km / 25 miles from train arrival in Melun to train departure from Mormant
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Total biking distance: 44.5km / 28 miles
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Level of difficulty: Moderate. While most of the tour is on flat to gently rolling terrain, there are about a half dozen hills/inclines that will require some effort. This tour is best suited to experienced cyclists who are fit and cycle regularly.
Additional Per Person Costs:
€10 (train)* + €30 (bike rental) *(unless you have a transportation pass covering zones 1-5)
This tour is only for experienced cyclists used to riding steep hills