Paris-Versailles-Feucherolles-Saint Germain en Laye-Paris 109 km

This cycling trip takes you into the heart of Paris and Versailles, along the banks of the Seine, between the skyscrapers of the La Défense district, into forests and the Bois de Boulogne, on green cycling routes, and into quiet countryside away from the city. Paris is changing more and more into a city accommodating cyclists, and for example the cycling paths directly on the north bank in the center of Paris taking you past the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, and the Île de la Cité are enjoyable. The trip includes quite a lot of mixed cycling and pedestrian paths, so watch your speed. I did this trip on a road bike. There are several semi-paved tracks, the most of which are not too bad. There is one deteriorated asphalt road of about 3 km in the Forêt de Marly le Roi, which is less suited for a road bike, but if you reduce speed it is doable. There is one bridge (Passerelle du Port de Nanterre) for which you have to get off your bike. I did this trip on a Sunday which helps with the traffic…
I started the trip on the green cycling route Coulée Verte in Fontenay-aux-Roses, as this was close to my holiday home. There is a parking lot close to the start. You follow the winding mixed cycling/pedestrian path through the parklike strip of land between built-up area south. You pass by a viewpoint of the Château de Sceaux on your left and continue south to Massy until you get to the Bièvre valley. Here you go west, first along a larger road, and then on smaller roads on the edge of the valley. You follow this valley all the way to the Aqueduc de Buc at Buc. Here you cycle out of the valley to Versailles. In Versailles you go to the famous palace where you have a view of Louis XIV on his horse, and through the gates towards the palace. You cycle around the palace grounds along the Route de Saint-Cyr to Saint-Cyr-l'École, and then on the D7 towards Bailly. Where the mid-line from the Versailles castle and the Grand Canal crosses the D7 you shortly have a look towards the castle, and then continue on the Avenue de Villepreux west. Below the A12 there is a short stretch semi-paved, the rest of this road is nicely paved amidst endless fields. At the end of the avenue you turn right and descend into the valley of the Gally river. You follow this valley further west until you get to the D30. Here you go north to Feucherolles. You cycle through this town to the edge of the Forêt de Marly le Roi. Here is the 3 km deteriorated forest road (no cars) through dense forest (see waypoint ‘Route de la Mare à la Bonde - Bad forest road’ for more information). Apart from the bad pavement it is a nice route, and after 3 km the road improves and you continue to the Route Forestière des Princesses, which you descend/follow north. After passing the N13, there is a short stretch of semi-paved cycling path through another forest. A paved cycling path takes you across a disused railway track. You follow the D190 to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In the center, at Place Charles de Gaulle you have a look at the castle. You cycle on and descend to the Seine river which you cross on the Pont Georges Pompidou. From here you follow the north bank on roads and semi-paved cycling paths (ok for racing bike) until you get to the Pont de Chatou. Here you change to the other side of the river, which you follow on more semi-paved cyling paths to the bridge across Nanterre harbour (bridge with steps, called Passerelle du Port de Nanterre). Shortly after you leave the river in order to cycle towards La Défense via the Boulevard de Pesaro. In the center of this area is the Grande Arche and the area is surrounded by modern high-rises. After the Boulevard de Pesaro, you continue on a mixed pedestrian/cycling area (mainly pedestrian) past the the Grande Arche, and then further down on the Esplanade towards the Pont de Neuilly. After you cross the Seine again, you cycle towards the Bois de Boulogne. You cycle through this large park, and around the popular Lac Inférieur, and then past the Hippodrome d'Auteuil. At the end of the cycle path, you continue on the Boulevard Exelmans to the Seine. Here you find a nice cycling path directly on the river, which takes you to the Eiffel tower, and then on to the Place de la Concorde. Here you cycle past the Tuileries gardens, and go through the Tuileries tunnel. At the end of the tunnel you are directly on the river again, and you cycle past the Île de la Cité until you cross the river via the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité, along the back of the Notre Dame. The roof of the Notre Dame was just destroyed by the infamous fire, and the roads directly surrounding the cathedral were not accessible on my trip. On the south bank you turn west again, past the Notre Dame, the Île de la Cité, the Louvre, and the Musée d’Orsay until you get to the Pont Alexandre III. On this part the cycling routes were not ready yet, so there was a bit mixed traffic. However, I expect the cycling paths here to be ready soon. At the Pont Alexandre you turn left towards the Hôtel National des Invalides. You cycle past this and continue towards Montparnasse. You cycle around the Tour Montparnasse, a grey sky scraper. Soon after you are back on the Coulée Verte, the green cycling path taking you south and out of the city. Past Châtillon-Montrouge, the cycling path gets more park-like, with winding stretches and little hills. Soon you are back to where you started.