Versailles Loop: Walls & Royal Gravel
Paris, France · May 19, 2023
A culture-and-gravel day out that links central Paris to the Royal Palace of Versailles and back. The riding is mostly paved through the suburbs, with dirt tracks running alongside for whoever wants to chase them, and a protected forest near Versailles for anyone craving harder gravel. The standout comes on the return, a walled alley of pristine gravel along the edge of Saint-Cloud Park.
This is the loop to pick when you want a destination as much as a ride. It runs south from Paris to the Royal Palace of Versailles and back, and it is the most paved route in the guide, so it suits a day when the forests are wet or when you would rather sightsee than suffer. A gravel bike is still the right tool, because the dirt is there for the taking once you know where to look.
Leaving the city, the route follows a paved pathway through the suburbs that starts out as a plain connector between neighborhoods and playgrounds. Stick with it, because before long the pavement picks up parallel dirt tracks that are a lot of fun to blast, kicking dust off your cranks as you go. Along the way you will find a few more hard-packed dirt tracks to link together, and just outside Versailles there is also a protected forest worth a detour if you want to trade tarmac for some real gravel before you reach the palace gates.
Save something for the way home, because the standout is not the palace at all. On the return you can ditch the GPS and follow your nose through the neighborhood that borders Saint-Cloud Park, where an old stone wall runs along the park's southern edge, mirrored by the garden fences of local houses. The result is a fully walled alley with pristine gravel running through it, and squealing along it is the kind of moment that turns a good day into a memorable one. This route is one of the picks from Barry Lachapelle's Paris gravel guide.
The palace itself rents bikes and welcomes them in the gardens, which is the easiest way to take in grounds far too big to walk, so build in time to roll the estate before you turn for home. With only a small fraction of the loop unpaved, 35 to 40 mm tires are plenty and the day stays approachable for a confident road or gravel rider chasing distance and scenery over technical challenge. It rides well year-round, cafes and services are easy to find along the suburban stretches, and a bike wash is worth knowing about if you arrive caked from a wetter ride the day before. Best of all, the whole loop runs door to door by bike from central Paris, no train or car required.
