My husband and I are going to Paris in Sept for his birthday. We have been to the city before, and we are looking forward to it. We want to take a couple of day trip. One possibility is Giverny. Any advice for that trip? Do you have other suggestions? We would like to keep the travel time one way to under two hours, and closer to a hour if possible. Thanks for the tips.
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
3076 posts
This thread from last week has day trip ideas from Paris. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/12-days-in-paris
You may want to consider Chantilly, Fountainebleu, Giverny and Chartres and there’s always Versailles. Also RS has a video about Paris Day trips. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/season-8/paris-sidetrips
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
My favorite day trips are:
Vaux-le-vicomte
Fontainebleau
Malmaison
Versailles (especially the grounds)
Giverny (as you mentioned)
I recommend Rick’s Paris guide. Indispensable info covering everything you need to know for all these places... plus Paris. Have fun, Paris is fantastic!
Posted by
near San Francisco, CA - USA
118 posts
Giverny was lovely when we visited 20+ years ago - it's especially memorable when combined with a visit to the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. Here's a link: https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en
More recently (2016), we visited Fontainebleau and loved it. We practically had the chateau and park to ourselves, in June no less. Here's a link to the website: https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/
Posted by
Chicago
8554 posts
If you have been to the obvious ones like Fountainbleau, Vaux le Vicomte, Chantilly, Versailles, Reims, Auvers sur Oise --- you might look at Simms book 'An Hour From Paris' which is to less well. known towns with instructions; many are free to visit with the Navigo Decouverte.
Here are some we have done, many of them from Simm's book:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/day-trips-from-paris/
The book Paris to the Past by Caro is also helpful -- we went to Chateau Maintenon the home of Louis XIV second wife based on this book's description.
Nantes might also be a decent day trip although we did a 5 night trip to Angers and Nantes from Paris.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
If you're interested in a city side-trip, you might consider Rouen, though I enjoyed having two days there.
Posted by
Moncton NB
1117 posts
We did a day trip to Blois / Chateau de Chambord and it was wonderful! Train Paris St Lazare-Blois is fast and regular both ways, leaving a full day in Blois.
In the morning, we rented bikes in Blois and rode out to Chambord (15 km, about an hour), and saw the amazing chateau there. The king used it as a hunting lodge. Some lodge!
In the afternoon, we toured the Chateau de Blois. Interesting because its four wings are of four different architectural eras: Medieval, Gothic, Renaissance, and Classical. Interlacing spiral staircase so the kings wife coming up would not see his mistress going down. Lots of history including Joan of Arc's last stop before fighting the English. Leonardo da Vinci stayed there when he was court painter to Francois I of France.
Early (for France) dinner near the Gare de Blois, and back in Paris for bedtime.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
darren, what a great day trip!! I’ve spent a lot of time in the Loire Valley but never as a day trip. Next time I go just to Paris I would love to do this. Thanks!
Posted by
Michigan
483 posts
If you go to Giverny, try to get there as early as possible. Ours was the first bus to arrive, with a second one close behind. That group went to Monet’s house first, while we quickly headed to the water lilies! The experience was so lovely and serene, and as we were there the crowds really increased quickly. It was pretty crowded when we went to tour the house, and only got more congested from that point on. We were glad to be leaving mid-morning, and so very glad we got there so early!!
Chartres is lovely, too...and had a nighttime lights show around town and on the face of the cathedral. That was spectacular for us! We took the little train around the streets to see the displays and it was fun and beautiful.
Laurie
Posted by
Chicago
8554 posts
FWIW - we did everything wrong for our trip to Giverny -- missed the early train because the ticket line was a block long and only locals with complicated problems wait in the line (at that time our US credit cards would not work in the machines). So we got there late and didn't have tickets ahead and thus waited in line for an hour for entry tickets:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/not-so-secret-garden-giverny/
But crowded as it was -- it was still a lovely day and very enjoyable. It would have been nice to be first to the water lily pond but as you can see from my snapshots, it was still beautiful when crowded. Ideally get your reserved tickets ahead so you don't wait in line and get an early train -- but even screwed up travel can still lead to a visit worth making.