• About Us

    "Our guide was charming, attentive, knowledgeable and
    eager to assure each person on the tour had a wonderful day."

    Joyce, united states

Our mission is to provide safe, fun and unforgettable experiences through superior customer service that creates memories and smiles that last a lifetime.

David & Kelly

All of our tours have been designed with you, our guest, in mind.

Bonjour and welcome to the most magical city in the world. I have loved Paris since first arriving here in 1995 and I hope you will feel the same after your visit. And during your visit I sincerely hope we will have the opportunity to show you the Paris that we know and love so much. On my very first tour 18 years ago I had the goal of being a bridge between the English-speaking traveler and Paris.

Today our tours still focus on giving each customer the fantastic private and personal experience they seek through our limited group size, unparalleled touring knowledge and outstanding reputation. I am very proud that we have evolved from a simple three-hour bike tour to offering multiple daily bicycle, Segway, walking and skip-the-line tours. While many others have tried to replicate our efforts, I hope you will choose to explore Paris with us and see for yourself why I believe we stand head and shoulders above the rest. I look forward to welcoming you on our tours and to creating the same memories for you and your friends and family that have made us world famous since 1999.

Bon Voyage,
David Mebane

Authentic Tour Photos

  • The Fat Tire Touch

    Our guides are educated, funny and just all-around wonderful.

  • The Fat Tire Touch

    We guarantee our legendary customer service each and every day.

  • The Fat Tire Touch

    We offer more tours at more times to the places you want to visit most.

  • The Fat Tire Touch

    Our tours are recommended in countless travel guides.

  • The Fat Tire Touch

    We want you to feel special and have so much fun.

Our Team

  • Simon
  • Jess
  • Sadie
Meet Our Staff

Our Team

  • Simon
  • Jess
  • Sadie
Meet Our Staff

Our Team

Simon

Jess
Meet Our Staff

 

Simon - HR Director & Asst. General Manager

Simon is a true yankee-frog (US & French citizen) having spent his childhood in New York, then adolescence in Paris, graduating from high-school ten minutes walking distance from our office! A qualified history teacher, Simon preferred the atmosphere of a tour group to a classroom, and became a guide with Fat Tire in 2008. After years of having a blast with his groups, he became Fat Tire's HR manager and hired Fat Tire's next generations of guides. The only thing more fulfilling than giving tours, is watching a new tour guide sink their teeth into their roles with as much gusto as Simon did when he was a guide. 

Simon's Paris Tips

Restaurants with very limited choice in the menu means they are specialists in what is on that bare bones menu. Deliciousness to be expected!

For those who like more spiced gastronomy: Little Africa in the 10th has the best food France's former colonies have to offer.

If weather permits, the Parisian thing to do is an "apéro dinatoire" on the quais of the Seine, or in a park. It is essentially a combination of Happy Hour and dinner, but in the form of an outdoor picnic.

Favorite Attraction

Notre Dame is located in the dead center of town, and I believe it is the heart and soul of Paris. Staring up at the facade transports you back through 700 years of Parisian history. It has lived through more than any other of the main attractions the city has to offer. Plus, underneath the square in front of the cathedral is an ancient Roman crypt!  

Learn more about Notre Dame

Favorite Tour

The Versailles Bike Tour takes you on a vacation within a vacation! You spend a good part of the day cycling around the grounds, which are beautifully manicured, serene, and devoid of vehicular traffic. The Versailles Market is one of the best food markets in the entire country, and is the first stop on the tour so you may pick and choose the myriad offerings of cheese, cured meats, fruit, desserts, etc for the picnic lunch. The French Revolution and the Absolute Monarchy are keys to understanding French culture, and these are the two main topics covered during this tour.

Learn more about the Versailles Bike Tour

Simon's Favorite Places to Explore

 

Jess - Operations Manager

Jess fell in love with cheese, wine, travel and Paris, in that order. She is aware she is a walking cliché, but someone has to do it. Jess started as a guide and is now one of the Operations Managers for the Skip-the-Line Tours. She's been meaning to join a yoga class for about 5 years but has never gotten around to it and instead spends her free time quality testing Parisian brunch spots and hunting for a decent latté (not Paris' strong suit). Her favorite day in Paris consists of an early morning trip to the market, a bike ride to the park, some afternoon wine with friends at a picnic and a well-earned nap.

Jess' Paris Tips

Don't rush. Take time for people-watching on a terrace and picnicking in a park. Also, do brunch. It starts at 12pm and takes all day to eat and recover.

Get dressed up and go to Monsieur Bleu for drinks or dessert. The view of the Eiffel Tower is stunning and it's one of the few posh restaurants in Paris where it's acceptable to only have a night cap.

If you come in peak season don't go alone to Versailles as there is a devastating line to get in. Come with us and save hours of your life. Honestly.

Favorite Attraction

The fact that the tower is so instantly recognisable by almost everyone in the world means you feel in a strange way connected to mankind and people's dreams when you're near it. Seen from afar she is a constant reminder that you are in Paris, and you can't help but have that little swooning moment. The idea of great and innovative engineering being not only functional but artistic is also fascinating - Eiffel himself was a believer that strength and function by nature are beautiful and harmonious. Plus, how's about that view, eh?

Learn more about the Eiffel Tower

Favorite Tour

The Skip-the-Line Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle Tour starts with the origins of Paris so it's perfect to do early in your trip to get a feel of how the city came to be. Sainte Chapelle might not be the first attraction that comes to mind in a city full of world famous sites, but visitors have definitely caught on that it's a must-see. You can hear everyone exclaiming, "Wow!" when they walk in to the upper chapel and see the original 13th century stained-glass windows that are the key feature of this royal chapel. This tour also explores every part of the Notre Dame and of skips the line to the top of the towers where you'll find yourself in the centre of Paris with a bird's eye view over the beautiful city below. Can't beat it.

Learn more about the Skip-the-Line Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle Tour

Jess' Favorite Places to Explore

 

Sadie - General Manager

Sadie moved from Pennsylvania to Paris when she was 23. She became a bike & segway tour guide for a number of years before taking on more administrative tasks within the company. She now serves as our General Manager and has thoroughly enjoyed calling Paris home. She explains, "Paris may seem stuck in its ways sometimes, yet the shops, restaurants, events and trends are always changing. Within the Fat Tire family, there is always someone excited about trying something new with you in the city. And picnics in the park are an inevitable part of our social scene when the sun is shining. There is no better way to experience the best of France; food, wine, leisure, and great conversation."

Sadie's Paris Tips

Don't try to look so cute that you make yourself miserable. Heels are not necessary in this city!

Anytime you can sit along the river or canal, do it. You will attract fellow sitters and soon, the banks will be lined with food and drink.

Always have a corkscrew with you! You'll definitely need it for yourself, but it's also the best way to make friends.

Favorite Attraction

Once in Strasbourg, I stopped a French person to ask the name of a cathedral. He replied, 'Mademoiselle, that's not a cathedral, that's a church! There is only one cathedral in this town.' Notre Dame is that cathedral for Parisiens. It's the heart and history of their city.

Learn more about Notre Dame

Favorite Tour

The 'wow' factor in the Versailles Bike Tour has never faded for me, even after having led a few hundred groups. There is something unexplainably simple yet amazing about getting out of the city to take in the fresh air, gardens, and grandeur of Versailles. The market is as authentically French as you can get, and immersing yourself in the story of Versailles makes everything about the city and chateau come to life.

Learn more about the Versailles Bike Tour

Sadie's Favorite Places to Explore

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