Day Trips from Paris

Things to see and do in the rest of France and come back the same day
 

Paris has a wealth of attractions, and it may well seem that you could never see everything that the ‘City of Light’ has to offer. However, there are some experiences and sights that a built-up metropolis like Paris is unable to offer. Paris is incredibly well connected with the rest of France, with many attractions and destinations easily close enough for a day trip, owing to the high speed TGV network, the RER and the SNCF. Here is just a small selection of destinations that you could visit, and be back in Paris the same day.

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres is just 88km south-west of Paris, and it’s biggest attraction is undoubtedly its 13th Century Cathedral, considered by many to be the finest medieval cathedral in France with its stunning blue stained-glass and breathtaking collection of relics, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions include the Musée des Beaux-Arts and Muséum de sciences naturelles et de la préhistoire (Natural Science and Prehistory Museum), and Chartres is an important regional market town. There are 30 trains a day from Montparnasse Station to Chartres, the journey takes around 70 minutes.

The Loire

Tours is an ideal starting point for a day trip to the Loire Valley; just 1 hour 45 minutes from Paris’ Montparnasse station by TGV. The royal chateaux of the Loire are its most popular tourist attraction; the grandest of which is probably the Chateau de Chambord, with its famous double-helix staircase. The Loire also has a rich-history of wine-making, and visits could include a wine festival or a tour of a vineyard; popular varieties include Sancerre, Bourgeuil and Muscadet.

Versailles

Almost all visitors come to see the Chateau de Versailles, the famous palace built by the ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV and home to the royal court under Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. And in fact, it has to be seen to be believed. It is impossible to see both the palace and the park in a single day; the palace has 700 rooms covering over 51,000m2 and the park covers 800 hectares. Exploring the grands appartements of the king and queen could suffice as a day trip in itself! The easiest way to get to the palace is with RER Line C5, which stops just 700m from the palace and near to the tourist office.

Giverny

Giverny is roughly 80km west of Paris, reachable by trains to Vernon, and then a shuttle bus to the village. The journey takes around 45 minutes, and a joint ticket for the train and bus can be bought at St. Lazare Station. The draw here is a trip to Monet’s home and garden, which in the summer would make a splendid day out, including the opportunity to recreate Monet’s famous watercolours of the water lilies and Japanese bridge with a digital camera!

Champagne

Epernay and Reims are the principal towns of the Champagne region and home to the most prestigious champagne houses, and both are in easy reach of Paris. In Reims you can find Veuve Cliquot, Piper Heidsieck, Taittinger, Pommery and Ruinart, and the famous ‘Avenue de Champagne’ in Epernay is home to Moet and Chandon, De Castellane and Mercier, to name but three. And both have many other attractions apart from their most famous product! And thanks to the TGV line completed in 2007, Reims is just 45 minutes from Paris. Epernay is 1.5 hours away, or just 20 minutes from Reims.

Beaune, Burgundy

Beaune, the capital of Burgundy in its heyday, is a great place to come to sample of the regions finest exports; Burgundy and Chablis wine and the region’s excellent, classic cuisine such as ‘beef bourguignon’ and ‘coq au vin’. It is a good base for exploring the vineyards and wines of the Côte-d'Or. There is a direct TGV from Paris to Beaune, taking 2 hours 15 minutes.

Caen

Caen is home to a World War II Museum, called Mémorial - un musée pour la paix, a Memorial for Peace, or the Caen Memorial, easily manageable in a day trip, as well as being a good base for exploring the D-Day beaches. Nearby are the Château ducal de Caen, the château of William the Conquerer, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe and the two Abbeys established by William and his wife, the Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Femmes. Caen is on the Paris-Cherbourg line and trains leave from Gare St. Lazare, taking around 2 hours.

Honfleur

This charming (and still active) marina and fishing port in Normandy is said to have over 100 restaurants, as well as many museums, gardens and other attractions including open-air markets and Calvados tasting. It offers a fantastic change of pace and atmosphere from the hussle and bussle of Parisian city life. SNCF trains from Paris take around 2 hours.

Mont St. Michel (Brittany)

Just about feasible for a day trip, the best way to get to Mont St. Michel is to get the TGV from the Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, and then get the bus, which leaves shortly after the arrival of the TGV from Paris. Total journey time will be around 3.5 hours but it’s worth the journey to see the perfectly preserved Norman Benedictine abbey of St. Michel, which is perched atop the peak of the rocky island. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.

Fontainebleau

The royal chateau de Fontainebleau is little further from Paris and attracts fewer tourists than Versailles, but certainly does not disappoint. Surrounding the town is the beautiful Fontainebleau forest, a favourite hunting ground of French kings. The town also has an excellent market and a race track. To make life easier, SNCF has a package offering entrance to the chateau, bus transfers and return rail fare from Paris, and by train the journey takes 40 minutes to an hour.

Further afield, thanks to the High Speed Europe Network and Eurostar, destinations outside of France are even accessible for a short visit, including Brussels (1 hour 20 minutes), Luxembourg (2 hours 10 mins), London (2 hours 15 mins) and even Turin for an overnight stay (5.5 hours).

 

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