Blue Fox Travel

What Blue Fox Travel is and where it operates

Blue Fox Travel runs its own small-group bike tours in Paris and Versailles and day trips from Paris into the French countryside, under the brands Blue Fox Travel and Blue Bike Tours. The homepage says plainly, "We create and run all of our tours." The day trips go to the Normandy D-Day beaches, the Loire Valley castles, Mont Saint-Michel, Monet's gardens at Giverny, Champagne, Burgundy, the Somme battlefields and the castles of Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte, all starting from Paris. Prices are in euros.

The about page describes "a family-owned tour company based in Paris and founded in 2011." The homepage names the family: "a pair of Parisian born brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Jean-Philippe," and Hava, Jean-Baptiste's wife, "who has been living in Paris since 2005." The footer lists its registrations: a French travel operator licence, IM075160040, issued by Atout France, and a public service vehicle operator licence, 2016/11/0007784. The terms mention the company's own vans on day trips.

The tours and prices

The homepage lists each tour with its length, group cap, review count and starting price.

The bike tours are the core. The Versailles Bike Tour, marked "Best Seller," runs about 8 hours for up to 14 people from €95 and shows 2137 reviews. In Paris, the Paris Bike Tour: the Highlights and Paris Bike Tour: the Secrets each run about 4 hours for up to 12 people from €40. The Paris Night Bike + Boat Tour, also about 4 hours for up to 12, is from €45 and includes a 1-hour Seine cruise; the tour page puts the boat ticket's value at 15€. The menu also lists a Latin Quarter + Le Marais Bike Tour and a Private Family Bike Tour called The Amazing Race.

The day trips are capped at 8 people. The homepage lists the Normandy D-Day Beaches from €245 (with separate US and Canadian versions in the menu, plus a Juno Beach D-Day Tour from €220), Loire Valley Castles from €235 ("Visit 3 castles"), Champagne Vineyards and Cellars from €230 ("Tastings included"), the Burgundy Wine Tour from €235, Mont Saint-Michel from €220, the Somme WWI Battlefields from €210, Monet's Gardens in Giverny at 5 hours from €110, Versailles + Giverny in one day at 9 hours from €230, and Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte Castles and Giverny + Auvers-sur-Oise from €189 each. The site also sells museum and skip-the-line visits, including the Eiffel Tower with summit access and a Private Louvre Family Adventure, and private day trips from Paris.

A closer look at the night tour

The Night Bike + Boat Tour page shows how the company runs a tour. Riders meet "at Place Saint-Michel in front of the Saint-Michel Fountain," reachable by metro line 4 and RER B and C. The route takes in the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower lit up, the Champs-Elysées and the Louvre's glass pyramid, with a stop by the Seine for an ice cream or crêpe, which the page notes is "not an official dinner stop." The cruise passes under the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont Neuf and past Notre Dame and the Conciergerie. The tour ends at 10pm near the start, and the page warns that in some months "this tour can end up taking place partially in the daylight." It says "All of our tours are commented in English," that tips are not included, and that the group is kept to "no more than 12 people." It suggests booking "at least 10-12 days" ahead.

The bike rules are spelled out in the FAQ and terms. Adult bikes are 26", and there are 20" and 24" kids' bikes and smaller bikes for short adults. Baby seats take children aged 1 to 3 (max 22 kg), and Burley tandem attachments take children up to 38 kg and 137 cm. The page states that "All adults who join our tour must know how to cycle on their own with confidence," and there are no two-adult tandems. Under French law, children under 12 must wear a helmet and a reflective vest, and the company lends helmets in several sizes at no cost. Children riding their own bike may be asked to do a short test ride first.

Booking, cancellation and guarantees

All reservations "must be prepaid online," by Visa or Mastercard. The terms give "a 100% refund if a reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the tour," with notice by email, and no refunds inside 24 hours. Tours "run Rain or Shine," with no refund for skipping because of the weather, though the company may cancel for dangerous weather and refund in full. Late arrivals who miss the tour are not refunded.

The about page promises a money-back guarantee, and the terms explain it: a full refund if the tour failed to meet what the website promised, provided the guest joined the whole tour, told the guide in person at the end and gave reasons. Repeat bookers can "Contact us to receive a 10% discount" when booking 2, 3 or 4 tours on different dates, and the night tour page advertises "Up to 16% saved" with Book More and Save More. Support comes from Marie and Emilia in customer service, and the phone line, +33 188 611 149, is staffed from 6:30AM to 2:30PM Paris time. The about page claims more than 12,000 five-star reviews on TripAdvisor.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The homepage tour list does not give start times or meeting points, which sit on each tour's own page, and the site does not describe the day-trip vans or the pick-up arrangements for the countryside trips. Guides are not named individually, though the about page says some have been with the company for nearly ten years. The private tours and museum visits are listed without prices on the homepage.

Blue Fox Travel suits travelers who want a small-group bike tour of Paris or Versailles with clear caps, prices and rules for children, or a day trip to Normandy, the Loire or Champagne in a group of no more than 8. Families get unusually detailed equipment options, and the cancellation and guarantee terms are published in full.