Paris à vélo

Once you have found the wind rose marking the kilometer zero, you can head for Montparnasse and the place de la Catalogne, which is the start of a 15 km-long greenway for an easy and safe exit from the heart of the capital! This famous Coulée verte is a continuous linear park that takes you without a car to Massy. Do not hesitate to make a stop in the remarkable park of Sceaux along the route!

Take a deep breathe, you arrive in the Yvelines county, the wooded area of Ile-de-France. Next step: Versailles and its amazing Palace. Discover the Hall of Mirrors and the stunning gardens designed by Le Nôtre as well as many other surprises. To reach Versailles, follow the Bièvre valley and enjoy the UNESCO world heritage of this royal city!

After a royal stop in Versailles, head for the Natural Park of the Chevreuse Valley, a regional park with such a rich natural, cultural and architectural heritage. This stage is rather difficult and is suited to seasoned cyclists. You cycle through authentic villages, but the most surprising awaits you on the next stage.

Here you discover the Chevreuse Valley, full of many treasures: châteaux, museums, old wash houses… This stage, before arriving in Rambouillet, is packed with things to see, but is more geared to intermediate cyclists, as there are a steep slope in Choisel and traffic is very heavy on two sections. Those who tackle this stage will be rewarded by some beautiful landscapes.

The first part of this stage is not signposted (see route in red colour). However, the route is very pleasant, taking you along quiet roads as soon as you leave Saint-Arnoult. You quickly plunge into the magnificent Rambouillet Forest, criss-crossed by cycle tracks. Make the most of detours to the Villeneuve mill in Saint-Arnoult, much loved by the poet Aragon, and, on a different note, visit the Rambouillet's animal park.

Watch out! This stage is a provisional route, not signposted. This stage follows quiet little roads leading you into the clean air of the Chevreuse Valley Natural Park. As you enter the Yvelines county, there are some challenging slopes, but then you get to the nice cycle tracks through Rambouillet Forest that rewards all your previous efforts. We advise to download roadbooks and GPS tracks in order to guide you.

Watch out! This stage is a provisional route, not signposted and can be discontinuous. This stage first takes you along a series of streets and roads leading to the newly laid-out greenway that follows the former route of the Aérotrain near Gometz-la-Ville. We advise to download roadbooks and GPS tracks in order to guide you.

Your journey starts from the square in front of Notre-Dame cathedral, zero point for the highways of France. After cycling along the roads of the capital discovering its sights, you will follow the charming Saint-Martin canal. This greenway gets you out of Paris without too much difficulty and takes you past fascinating isles and parks, into the world depicted by the Impressionists. The Seine will be your private guide taking you to Maisons-Laffitte, and many curiosities lie along your way.

This stage takes you into a haven of green open spaces. Your journey through Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest will bring you to Conflans-Ste-Honorine and thence to the heart of the Vexin Natural Regional Park which will delight you with its lovely unspoilt landscapes. Old villages, manor houses and chateaux, pretty private homes and of course the natural world are all awaiting you.
You can choose between two differents Avenue Verte routes : the Oise Valley via Auvers-sur-Oise, Chantilly…or the Normandy track via Giverny and Gisors.

You’ll begin this third stage in a verdant setting. Cross through the royal forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye to reach Conflans-Ste-Honorine, a proud river port marking the confluence of the Oise and Seine Rivers. The itinerary takes you along the edge of the Oise Valley, with its succession of remarkable towns and villages. This charming valley has inspired some of the greatest painters, including Van Gogh, Cézanne and Daubigny.
You can choose between two differents Avenue Verte routes : the Oise Valley via Auvers-sur-Oise, Chantilly…or the Normandy track via Giverny and Gisors.

The square in front of Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral counts as kilometre-zero in France; it’s where the Seine à Vélo cycle route officially begins. The way first leads you peacefully north out of the capital via the Canal Saint-Martin and its iconic, trendy quarter, offering a cliché of romantic Paris, before you branch off along the Canal Saint-Denis, with its startling Street Art Avenue outdoor art. Notre-Dame’s great sister church, the Basilica-Cathedral of Saint-Denis, holds the tombs of France’s royals. The route continues to Gennevilliers, a major river port for the Ile-de-France Region (around Paris), joining the Seine and its c.10km-long Promenade Bleue, using the river’s former towpaths. The Seine-side landscapes, partly industrial, partly rustic, inspired great Impressionist artists. Pause on the Ile des Impressionnistes at Chatou, at the terrace where Renoir painted Le Déjeuner des Canotiers, or at the iconic restaurant terrace of Les Rives de la Courtille, or then at the Hameau Fournaise. This first stage ends on the border between the counties of Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines.

This Seine à Vélo stage transports you back from the Impressionist period to the times when boatmen and mariners ruled these parts. Do explore the Saint Germain Boucles de Seine area, plunging into French royal and imperial history, Impressionist painting and the imaginary worlds of writer Dumas and composer Debussy… The State forests of Saint-Germain and Marly-le-Roi serve as green lungs for Paris’s western suburbs. Pushing further west, tucked between the Seine and its valley’s slopes, the route leads to La Frette-sur-Seine, nicknamed ‘the pearl of the county of Val d’Oise’. The cycle path runs along its quays, lined with splendid 19th-century villas, with outdoor copies of paintings on display by the likes of Pissarro, Marquet and Daubigny, immortalizing the Seine here.
Finally, you reach Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, capital of traditional Seine navigation in these parts, offering an intense taste of the French art of living.

The Seine à Vélo leaves behind the old Seine boatmen’s capital, heading for Mantes-la-Jolie, with its impressive riverside collegiate church. Nature begins to make its presence felt as you cycle west along the Seine’s meanders, past islands. Make a short detour to Poissy, a town with a rich architectural heritage, influences going from 13th-century French king St Louis to modernist architect Le Corbusier and his Villa Savoye. Next, don’t miss the Parc du Peuple de l’Herbe, with 113 hectares of nature to discover. Continue to the Ile de Loisirs du Val de Seine at Verneuil-sur-Seine. This Leisure Island provides an ideal stop for relaxing by the water, enjoying many outdoor activities, including, in warmer weather, swimming.
Gradually, the urban atmosphere gives way to the rural, and to bucolic landscapes. The Vexin area now welcomes you…

From Bondy, the Scandibérique leads you boldly southwards along the Seine, through a mix of natural and industrial landscapes, offering a surprising way to cross Paris by bike! At the Rotonde de la Villette, you switch from following the Canal de l’Ourcq to riding beside the Canal St-Martin. Further southeast, the confluence of Seine and Marne Rivers is marked by the startling hotel complex Huatian Chinagora, built along the lines of Beijing’s Forbidden City. Note the industrial heritage visible alongside the cycle path, many old factories converted to new uses: the Saint-Raphaël Factory has become an offshoot of the University of Paris VI, the Eaux de Paris waste-water works a depot for Paris’s spare art works, while the former EDF Coal-fired Power Station, the Rhône-Poulenc Factory and the Hollander Factory are now home to a theatre company and artists’ studios! Reaching Vitry-sur-Seine, admire the Pont du Port à l’Anglais, completed in 1928, replacing the former ferry that linked the banks of the Seine here. At Choisy-le-Roi, take in the old Choisy train station dating from the first half of the 19th century. Note that there’s a ‘service station’ specifically for cyclists on the quays of Choisy’s industrial port!

Take in two distinct atmospheres on this Scandibérique stage. Between Ermenonville and Gressy, you ride through vast cereal and sugar beet fields. From Gressy, you follow the towpath track beside the Canal de l’Ourcq, providing a narrow, distinctive setting, quite separate from the string of suburban towns of Tremblay, Villepinte and Sevran along the way. The route leads past La Poudrerie Forest Park, a green haven of 137 hectares, classed as a Natura 2000 area. After Sevran-Livry Forest Park, the route carries on towards Aulnay-sous-Bois, Bondy and Villemomble; along this stretch, the cycle path runs beside the broader section of the Canal de l’Ourcq, surrounded by urban parts.