6 Easy Day Trips From Paris
6 Easy Day Trips From Paris
Paris is the most amazing city in the world but if you’re staying longer than a week, here are 6 easy day trips from Paris to explore other parts of France.
We visited each of these sites during times we were in Paris for longer than a week.
Paris is full of sights, but if you have the time to take a day trip outside of Paris, it’s more than worth doing. There are so many wonderful parts about France and why not try to see as much as you can
How To Get There
Each of these 6-day trips can be easily done via train, car, bus, or guided tour.
1. Paris to Versailles Day Trip
This incredible and magnificent palace is definitely worth the 30-40 minute ride from Paris. You can either go by car, uber, bus, or take the train. You can’t imagine a place like this exists until you’ve seen it in person.
To get to Versailles by Metro from Paris, take the C line of the RER from the Invalides or St-Michel stations to Versailles-Rive Gauche. Once you are there just follow the signs or all the people.
We’ve actually been to the Palace of Versailles three times. Once, we went on our own taking the train from Paris to Versailles. We bought tickets beforehand online and chose to walk the palace and grounds on our own. There are numerous ticket options you can purchase based on what you want to see at the palace.
We rented a small electric vehicle (golf cart) for a few hours, which I highly recommend doing. If you want to see the grounds in a day then you need some sort of transportation.
There are several places to eat at Versailles, we choose to eat at Angelina and have the famous hot chocolate. The restaurant gets very busy so I would make a reservation in advance if possible.
If you’re going on your own, I recommend studying the official Versailles website ahead of time. There are so many things to do and events taking place. You want to be prepared ahead of time.
The second time, we went with our young daughter and did a Fat Bike Tour around the grounds. If you are traveling with kids, this is one of the most fun activities you can do. Our daughter absolutely loved touring around Versailles on a bike.
Versailles is incredibly magical and a bit overwhelming as well. If you are someone who needs a little guidance and you don’t want to explore on your own, then you might want to sign up for a guided tour around Versailles.
From March to October, you can also see the fireworks and fountain show. There’s nothing more magical than seeing fireworks at the palace.
The city center of Versailles is within walking distance to the palace, you can easily walk into the town and eat at one of the many restaurants.
2. Paris to Monet’s House & Gardens Day Trip
One of the most beautiful day trips from Paris is to Claude Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny. On our very first trip to Paris, this is one of the main places I wanted to visit.
I have been a huge Claude Monet admirer and impressionist lover since I can remember. This was also the first time we did a Fat Bike Tour as well and it was truly a lovely day.
We visited during the month of June and the weather was incredible, all the flowers were blooming, and the gardens were in full beauty.
If you’ve ever seen the famous water-lily paintings or Japanese bridge and been in awe of such beauty, wait until you actually see them in real life. I honestly didn’t realize how beautiful his gardens and house are.
Not only do you get to see the gardens and water-lilies but you also get to tour the inside of his house which is just as impressive.
The house and gardens are actually part of the Normandy region of France and Monet lived on the grounds from 1883-1926 creating some of his most famous masterpieces.
Since we did a tour we went with a group but if you are going by yourself then you can take the train from Paris Gare St-Lazare and take the regional train line Paris/Rouen/Le Havre to the Vernon-Giverny stop. There should be shuttles or you can take a taxi or bus to the house and gardens.
3. Paris to Reims Day Trip
The champagne region and Reims are a quick 45-minute day trip from Paris via train. We went for the day and took a tour of VEUVE CLICQUOT.
Before the tour, we walked around the town of Reims which has its own Cathedral of Notre-Dame you have to see.
There are many champagne houses you can tour, and learning how champagne is made will make you appreciate its prices.
We loved learning about the process, the history of the champagne house, and seeing the limestone tunnels. Of course, the best part was the tasting at the end of the tour. I even bought a bottle of Veuve Rosé to bring home.
You can take one of the high-speed trains to Reims from Paris, via the Gare de L’est station.
4. Paris to Normandy Day Trip
A bit longer of a day trip from Paris, is to Normandy, which is about a 3-hour train ride. You can also drive to Normandy which is a 3-4 hour drive. Once you arrive in Normandy there are many activities you can do.
We didn’t actually take a day trip from Paris to Normandy because we stayed in Bayeux (a town within Normandy) for 3 nights. We stayed at a lovely hotel in Bayeux, Hotel d’Argouges, which had the most beautiful breakfast in the morning.
However, we did take a day tour of the D-Day sites which I absolutely highly recommend if you are going to Normandy. The company we booked through is DDAY Guided Tours with Mathias and we had an incredible experience on the tour.
You can also book an entire day trip tour leaving from Paris to Normandy which would probably be better if you only had one day.
5. Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip
A little over 3 hours from Paris is Mont-Saint-Michel which is one of the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen. I realize I say this about most places in France but this is truly remarkable.
If you weren’t aware, Mont-Saint-Michel is an island that is located in a bay between Normandy and Brittany. The Christian pilgrimage site dates back to the 8th century.
During low tide, you can walk across the bay to the island. When the tide comes in, it’s almost unrecognizable as the entire island is surrounded by vast amounts of water.
You can choose to climb to the top of the abbey, which is what we did. Or, you can sit down below in the village and walk around (what my mom and dad choose to do).
There is plenty to do on the island so make sure to go prepared. This is another day trip from Paris I would also do as part of a tour if I truly only had one day.
We stayed in the town of Bayeau, and were able to take a shuttle from the town to Mont-Saint-Michel. If you didn’t rent a car and are staying in Bayeau, then I recommend this shuttle service.
6. Paris to Chambord Castle
Two hours from Paris by car and around 80 minutes by train and you can be at one of the most beautiful castles in France. The Chambord Castle is located in the Loire Valley and is full of history and a beautiful landscape.
To get there by train you would take the Paris Austerlitz station to Blois-Chambord. Then you will either take shuttle, taxi, uber to the castle.
There is a beautiful hotel across from the castle grounds, Relais de Chambord, where you can spend the night and wake up to the castle in the morning.
You don’t need more than 24 hours here at the castle if you decide to stay the night. The castle is secluded so there isn’t much to do once you’ve seen everything.
I would love to know if you are able to do any of these trips on your next stop in Paris.
OTHER PARIS INFORMATION
Heading to Paris anytime soon? I have a lot of information that can hopefully help plan your visit.