day trip from Paris

The cathedral at Chartre is a wonderful day trip, and a relatively easy inexpensive train ride to and from Paris

In addition to Versailles, my favorites are: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fontainebleau, Giverny, and Malmaison.

Hi Barbara,

I have the same dilemma for when I go in October. So many great choices! This is what I found within an hour and a half train ride from Paris. This will give you a start - you can research these and see which sites spark your interests.:

*Chartres: cathedral and town. 1 hour train from Paris, €15.60 each way

*Giverny: Monet's Gardens. 0:50 minute train from Paris to Vernon, then shuttle to Gardens. €14.30 train, €4 shuttle

*Dijon: Owl Trail sites, art museum. 1:35 from Paris, €15 each way with Prems ticket

*Troyes: 1:30 from Paris, €10 each way with Prems ticket

*Reims: cathedral and champagne tour. 0:45 from Paris. €15 euro each way with Prems ticket

*Malmaison: chateau. RER A to La Defense, then bus 258 to Malmaison

*Nancy: 1:30 from Paris, €20 euro each way with Prems ticket

*Metz: 1:24 from Paris, €20 euro each way with Prems ticket

Now comes the hard part - deciding where to go! Have a great trip!

Ina Caro's Paris to the Past describes lots of beautiful and historic places reachable with a short train ride from Paris. See if your library has it.

I'd add St-Denis to those suggested. I'd be reluctant to go as far afield as Metz or Nancy as a day trip, too much transit time eating up your day. My own choice would be either St-Denis (for history) or Chartres (for beauty). Not that either lacks both qualities.

For those unfamiliar with Paris... the Eiffel Tower area and the 15th arrondissement is not the heart of the city. The heart of Paris is the 4th, 5th and 6th arrondissement. Notre Dame Cathedral is considered the very center of Paris. There are options for budget hotels in the 4th and 5th, as well as many other areas of Paris.

I would highly recommend Giverny. The gardens are gorgeous and it's just a nice relaxing day away from the city. Rick's Paris guidebook has a lot of great information about getting there and then how to spend your time once you're there.

Hi Barbara. I would suggest staying in Paris, as a week is not very long. Seek out some open air markets for instance, the Belleville marche in the 11th arr. or the Bastille marche are experiences in vaying cultures, North African and Asian. They are a bit further out but still in Paris proper. A fabulous cacophony of languages. I use the book "market of Paris" by Dixon Long & Marjorie Williams, it is a treasure. Take a good map and wander after the market. Maybe eat a picnic lunch in one of the tiny parks with the rest of the working Locals.

Have a great trip.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful suggestions. There are so many great ideas, I am sure whatever I choose it will be wonderful.
Merci, Barbara

There are soooo many choices. Some obvious well known ones include Rouen, Auvers sur Oise (where Van Gogh lived his final days), Chartres, Giverny (Monet's house and garden), Fontainebleau.

There are also dozens of lesser known but wonderful spots. St. Denis which is on the metro but just over the line outside Paris is a must see IMHO. And there are so many charming towns. You can see some of the trips we have taken recently here www.janettravels.wordpress.com under the 'Day trips from Paris' category.

Many guide books have directions for a few side trips. There are tons -- we tend to stay in Paris for 2 weeks to 2 months and take many day trips -- you can dramatically vary your experience of France without ever leaving your hotel or apartment in Paris for a night.