Clicking on any picture enlarges it.

Clicking on a red bar beneath a picture loads a very large version

Maps:  Paris map, Michelin suburban map #23
      IGN regional map  #21. 

Nature of the Ride:

This complicated, varied, mainly flat, 75-80 kilometer-long (45-48 mile) route is principally — but not entirely — on bike paths and quiet suburban roads. You will ride along the Seine, in forests, suburban lanes, charming villages, and bucolic countryside.

Four kilometers of this route does follow roads with light to moderate traffic: If this bothers you, sidewalks and detours may be taken to avoid the traffic.

The return to Paris is by the same route, on a subsequent day, or by train. Those with desire for a longer loop trip can map out a link that joins to Route 5, using quiet rural roads.

Destinations:

After the effort of the ride, it would be a shame not to enjoy the scenic resources of the region.  Stroll in the artist frequented town of Barbizon, and walk to the rock formations in the Fontainebleau forest***(* in the author's opinion) near Barbizon. The various gardens* of the Fontainebleau Château are beautiful and restful. (No bikes are allowed; bring a sturdy bike lock).  If you want to tour the interiors of the fabulous *** 16^th – 19^th century Fontainebleau Château, frequently visited by the French kings and by Napoleon, be sure to leave Paris early in the morning.  In the author's opinion, in Paris region, this château is second only to Versailles.

If you have time, spend a night or weekend in the region:  Road rides in the forest are pleasant on a hot summer day, (Mountain bikes are much better adapted to rides on the often-sandy forest alleys, enclosed in an endless canopy, that the author finds somewhat claustrophobic.)  There are some interesting walks and scrambles among the rock formations.

The town of Fontainebleau is charming, and has stores of every type.  Moret-sur-Loing*, 12 kilometers further southeast, also is quite charming.  Another Château in the region, open on weekends,  and with a famous garden, is Courance*.

There is a Relais and Château hotel (with a Michelin * restaurant) in Barbizon, and another * restaurant in Fontainebleau.  Accommodations in the region include hotels, inns, and chambres d’hôtes.

Fontainebleau (or villages in the region) would be an excellent first night's stop in a longer cycling trip heading south, southeast, east, or even southwest.

Directions:

To print itinerary, select the text below, and choose print selection.

Please follow this link for an explanation of the author's traffic ratings.

Reaching the bicycle path of the Seine:  

(1) From the place before Notre Dame Cathedral:  Ride your bike on the street along the left side of Notre Dame, and across the bridge ahead , to the Ile Saint Louis.  Turn right along the Quai d’Orleans, which curves left, to the second bridge crossing right to the left bank of the Seine.  Cross the bridge, turn right into the bike lane, heading back towards Notre Dame on the Quai de la Tournelle for 50 meters, then turn right again to into the driveway leading down to the lower level. At the bottom of the driveway make a u-turn, and follow the lower bank southeastward.

(2) An alternative from the Left Bank: Take the bicycle lane on Boulevard Saint-Germain (to the southeast) until it ends at the roadway along the Seine (or otherwise bike, to where Boulevard Saint-Germain intersects the Seine in the fifth arrondissement).  Dismount, cross Boulevard Saint-Germain and walk your bike 30 meters east along the riverside sidewalk of the Quai.  At the opening in the low wall, ride left, down to, the bike path on the river embankment, and continue southeastward).

Stay down (left) under the Austerlitz bridge (that is, don't take the more obvious bike route that goes up the ramp to this bridge). When the bike path emerges at the Charles de Gaulle bridge, beside the Austerlitz railway station, turn left and cross the bridge to the right bank, using the traffic-free bike path.  Turn right and follow the bike path (separated from the road) along the Seine, out of Paris.

(3)From the Bastille: From the Place of the Bastille, take the bicycle lane of the Rue de Lyon to the southwest for 250 meters, ignoring the two streets that join from the right.  At the back of a little triangle, turn left and immediately right into the bicycle lane of Avenue Daumesnil.  Since this lane is against the traffic flow, be very careful in crossing the intersections, obeying the bicycle traffic lights.  Turn right into the Rue du Charolais, and turn right at rue Proudhon – Joseph Kessel to attain the main eastbound bike path at the Pont de Tolbiac. Follow the bike path (separated from the road) along the Seine, out of Paris.

Continuation for all starts:

Approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 mi)after passing under the peripheral highway, at the pedestrian-pipeline bridge (where Route 3 continues straight ahead), cross the Seine. Ramps back and forth on one’s left, lead up to this bridge. If you come to the confluence of the Seine and the Marne, directly across from the unusual Chinagora Hotel and Restaurant, and you haven't crossed, go back! Once you have crossed, you'll have a side view of this landmark.    

Once over the bridge, continue in the same direction as before, along the Seine, and in one block you will find the start of a bike path, which quickly turns south, as the river curves.

Follow this waterside bike route south along the Seine. When, after 2.3 km, the bike path, on a sidewalk, arrives at a traffic light, with a bridge on your left, cross in the crosswalks to the far side of the roadway. Do not continue straight here on the sidewalk, but rather look 30 feet to your left for the continuation of the bike path.

After another 3.6 km (2.1 mi), about 6 km (3.6 mi) form the beginning of the bike route (and about 14 kilometers from Notre Dame), you will pass under a  bridge over the river (not the suspension bridge, and not the curved autoroute bridge, but rather the next, rather plain bridge). Here you must follow the bike path markings, which make a sharp U-turn (clockwise) into a stree, and briefly heads back north.  If you fail to make the U-turn, you will find yourself on a haulage path that eventually dead-ends, or you can turn right onto a road which leads towards Orly airport. See directions for riding to Orly Airport here.)

  Follow the street as it turns left (west), and crosses a little bridge over some railroad tracks.  Now turn right, and again turn right to attain the south sidewalk of the bridge over the Seine into Choisy-le-Roi. 

Take the first exit after the Seine, and, at the cross street, turn right (south).  After one long block,turn right into a little dirt lane that leads back to the water’s edge, where you take a pedestrian-bike lane to your left. (If speed is more important than the traffic-free water view, don't take the dirt road; just stay on the main road).  After one kilometer on the lane, the path turns left, back to the road.  Further on, don’t pass under the bridge into the park (except, by all means, for a look),but rather bear right. Continue south for 3 kilometers. If the normally light traffic on this road is heavy, you may use the sidewalk.

Look carefully for the appearance of a few houses on your right and stay right into the little lane in front of them.  (At this point, the road you have been on starts to climb and turns left to cross a rail bridge.)  The lane leads you into a 1 km long delightful tree-lined bike and pedestrian promenade. Near the train station in Villeneuve-Saint-George, follow the bike path signs (ride down and stay down). The path passes under a bridge and emerges as the right sidewalk of the very busy highway, called the Avenue of  Melun.

On the sidewalk, cross over a rail bridge, and at the first cloverleaf (in 0.5 km) exit right down the ramp, and turn left onto Avenue Jean Jaurès (which becomes Avenue de la Republique) towards Montgeron.  Pass under the main highway, and follow this avenue, always uphill (southeast) for about 2 kilometers. (The light to moderate or moderate traffic the author has experienced here is normally the heaviest of this itinerary; sidewalks are available; also, the hill is the longest.)  Near the crest of the hill, at a stoplight in Montgeron, take a right onto Rue Des Bois, and in two blocks, at the circle, bear left through the barriers onto the spacious Mall de la Grange (compacted dirt lane).  In several blocks an asphalt lane is available on the left side of the Mall.

After the end of the town, when the lane comes to a T, angle right, pass under the highway,  and continue into the large Forêt de (forest of) of Senart. The forest of Sénart, the largest in the Île de France, extends over 6318 acres. At the T, at an only-somewhat-evident, giant traffic circle called the Carrefour de Montgeron,  turn left, follow the circle clockwise but for only a few seconds, and take the first exit left (heading back northeast on a bike path, almost the way from which you came).  The path soon turns right.  Keep going straight (southeast) for 1.8 km (1.1 mi) across the forest tuntil the pavement ends (at the Carrefour Napoleon).  Bear right on a narrow paved bike path through the woods, continue on, skirting a parking area, and when the path ends, keep straight on the compacted dirt road (about 2.5 km in total). The “Faisanderie”— an interesting building with a grill in front is on your left.  The lawn on your right is a nice resting place.  From the Faisanderie, continue straight ahead on this lane to the T, turn right, take the next left, and exit the forest.

Just before the easily seen highway, turn right on Route D331.  When, in 500 meters, D331 turns right, continue straight ahead onto the major highway, D31, riding in the breakdown lane.  In 0.5 km be absolutely sure to continue straight to the traffic circle.  Be very careful,you are crossing an exit lane that bears right.  (Bearing right would take you onto a major limited-access expressway.) 

Exit straight ahead from the traffic circle (still D31 – very light traffic).  Join the roadside bike path, which gradually curves to the left.  Continue for 1.5 km (0.9 mi) to the second traffic circle, then turn right into the Route of Lieusaint.  This curves left, and becomes the Route de la Montagne Saint-Germain, and descends continuously to a bridge across the Seine between Corbeil-Essones and Saint-Germain-lès Corbeil.  To continue towards Fontainebleau, turn left along the Seine (south).

Corbeil-Essonnes, across the bridge, has some interesting architecture, particularly the “Grand Moulins” flour mill, and there are many stores and, sometimes,  an open air market.)  One-hundred meters in the direction of Fontainbleau, on the left, there is a patisserie with delicious eclairs (it closes for lunch between 1:30 PM and about 4:30 PM.)

 To continue towards Fontainebleau, you now ride south, soon uphill, for about 500 meters beside moderate-traffic.  Angle right onto a road signed for Saintry (light traffic), the Rue Bourgoin, which follows near the sinuous Seine.  The road changes names several times:  Grand Rue Charles de Gaulle, Route de Morsang, Route de Saintry, Grande Rue, Route de Seine-Port, encore Route de Morsang, Route de Croix Fontaine, and Route de Saint-Assise, continuing near the Seine in charming exurbs. In Morsang at the T junction, after  4.2 km (2.5 mi), jog right then left and soon in Seine-Port jog left then right.  This part of the trip, quite pretty, lasts 10.2 kilometers in total.

  At the merge with the main road, D50, stay straight, cross through the woods in a southwestern direction, and then cross the Seine into Ponthierry. The route D50 bears left through several traffic circles  (follow signs for N7), and climbs up to intersect with the National Route.  You have two choices:

The shortest, smoothest, fastest ride is on the wide shoulder of N7  towards Fontainebleau.  Most traffic takes the nearby superhighway; still there are cars and trucks speeding by.  To go this way, turn left onto NR 7 (and follow it when it bears right in one kilometer), and after 7 more kilometers, just after Chailly-en-Bière, turn right on D64 and follow it for 2 km to Barbizon.

However, unless you are pressed for time, you probably should take the longer, more scenic back roads that pass through charming villages along the tiny École river.  To do this, turn right (back north) on N4 and ride slowly, part way down the hill for 200 meters.  At a light (the second left), but scarcely marked (small sign for Jonville), is the left turn for D50.  After Jonville, follow signs for Brinville, St.-Saveur and Perthe (total of 6.5 km — 3.2 mi).  Now follow the sign to Chailly-en Bière (4 km), where you turn right onto N4 and immediately right again for Barbizon on D64 (2 km).

If you wish to vist the pretty gardens of the Chateau of Courance, they are located 9.5 km southwest of St-Saveur-sur_Ecole — viaSt-Germain-sur Ecole — and 7 km southwest of perthe — by D372.  The gardens are open to the public only from April to October, in the afternoons between 2 PM and 6:30 Pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The artist-colony of Barbizon deserves a close look.  Turn left off D64 on a one-way street (Rue Grande) that leads into the center of town.  After your visit, ride due east on the same road, and enter the forest.  Consider locking your bike and taking a walk on one of the trails among the boulders.

Turn right at the first intersection (Route du Bouquet du Roi) and follow this forest road up a steep hill.  Follow signs for Fontainebleau (the road changes its name to the Route du Château) .  At the Y, take the right branch.(If, at the Y, you were mistakenly to take the left branch, you would have to cross highway N7, often a daunting, dangerous task, and you would enter Fontainebleau north of the Château).  When you arrive at Highway D409, carefully angle across it, that is, go straight ahead, and continue until the forest road ends.  Walk your bike through the underpass.  Then continue straight ahead for one kilometer to the Château of Fontainebleau***.

This château is one of France’s most historic.  The French royal family and Napoleon I often visited.  Some rooms still have their original 16^th – 19^th century décor and furniture.  The gardens* are well worth a visit.  The town of Fontainebleau is prosperous and lively.

To return to Paris by train, from the Château follow Rue Grande (heavy traffic – sidewalks available) northeast about five blocks, and bear right on Rue Aristide Briand (moderate traffic).  The railway station is on the right, in the town of Avon, 3 kilometers (1.8 mi) from the Château.  During most of the day, trains run at least hourly to Paris's Gare de Lyon, taking about 50 minutes.

To HomePage