Suggestions for day trips in France from Paris for a quick trip to France?

We loved Reims when we were there before a RS tour in 2019. We arrived several days before the start of the tour, and had no trouble filling our time. Museums, the cathedral, the market, good food, interesting architectural melange... we'd love to return. And it's an easy train ride from Paris.

You have never been to France and you think Paris is too touristy? I suggest you give Paris at least a day or two to confirm or disprove you perception. Yes, it is big city with thousands of tourists. It is also home to millions of French men and women. You can find streets, cafes and shops where only French is being spoken and you are the only tourist. If, you decide to get out of Paris, then I suggest Normandy.

On this trip, the back door experience will most likely be limited to Paris.

What do you really want to see? Most of the possible day trips will be very long and not all that pleasant. I once had a co-worker who would take a long weekend to Europe - Paris and London on separate "long weekends". But he and his traveling companions were in their 20's.

Out of your options, I would pick Reims for a day trip. And stay close to the Gare de l'Est in Paris. My favorite hotel in Paris is:

https://lecitizenhotel.com/en/

We're headed back to Paris on June 12th. We have scheduled day trips to Rouen to see the cathedral and eat at the restaurant where Julia Child discovered her love for French Cuisine. Also we're going to Chateau de Chantilly for the art collection. Normandy can be a long day trip but worth the time if you're interested.

We drove around France for 3 weeks a few years ago seeing (among other things) various World War I and II museums and battlefields but when we got to Reims we visited the Museum of the Surrender and found it surprisingly moving for its understated but profound significance. If you go to Reims, include it in your visit.

Finally, Versailles is definitely worth a day.

As for Paris, we've been there many times and never tire of it.

Another person here who loves Paris after about 8 visits now. It feels like coming home to me.
Keep in mind that every relocation will basically take a full day. Make sure you're in Paris on your departure day. Don't count on doing much on arrival day either. Jet lag will likely be tough, and you have to get to your hotel. Hard to see much while lugging bags around. You can stow them in a locker or at the hotel until the room is ready if you want to push it hard on the first day.

That really only leaves 19-20 that you could possibly leave Paris. And have to return on the 21st. So 1 day elsewhere and you see nothing else. Stick with 3 days in Paris, and you can have a nice trip. That's my 2 cents anyway

I think Bill Burke's advice is spot on -- but if you really want to get out of Paris, Chartres is worthwhile IMO. In addition to the cathedral, there's the old town area with some lovely historic buildings, informational signposts, and restaurants serving traditional buckwheat crepes. I think the RS guidebook mentions the Englishman who gives a tour of the cathedral (what time? 1 PM?) most days; you can also rent an audio guide in the gift shop and proceed at your own pace. It's easy to get to & from Chartres on the train.

Your other comment about visiting "a bit of Belgium, France and Germany" sounds, frankly, insane for such a short trip. It's humanly possible by train, but you will see very little other than train stations and the inside of the train. Or you could rent a car, I suppose, but be aware of high charges for returning it in a different country unless you make a loop.

We did love Chartres, as well. Malcolm Miller is the fellow Bill Burke was referring to; I believe he is retired, but he does pop in every now and then. He did act as local guide for our RS tour that visited the cathedral last year, though. His book is available at the Cathedral gift shop, and it's a dandy. His former assistant now runs the English tours, but they weren't running when we were there last May.

We stayed at a great B&B in Chartres; if you're interested, I'll pass the info on.

Hello all,

Thanks again for all the advice, much appreciate it. Based on what I’ve read I’m definitely going to stick to one of two options- 1) Base in Paris, visit Chartres and MAYBE a day trip to Brussels, or Just Paris and Chartres, or Just Paris and Brussels (day trips) or some other combination of Paris and another French city near Paris.
—OR—
Option 2) is arrive Paris CDG on Sunday the 18th at about noon- take the train directly to Brussels and (arriving around 3-6 depending on how fast it takes me to clear customs and catch the train at CDG and transfer) and spend the 18-21 in Brussels (explore mostly Belgium with a side day trip to Koln or Aachen (no further than that) and leave either late the 21st or first train of the morning of the 22nd back to Paris. My flight leaves from Orly on my departure. (Basically this skips Paris and France for the most part)

I realize now my original post was waaay to crazy and underestimating the size, tragic and complexity of Paris. Paris itself sounds amazing too, so either way I’m happy.

Once again, thanks for all the enlightening info!

Option 2) is arrive Paris CDG on Sunday the 18th at about noon- take the train directly to Brussels and (arriving around 3-6 depending on how fast it takes me to clear customs and catch the train at CDG and transfer) and spend the 18-21 in Brussels (explore mostly Belgium with a side day trip to Koln or Aachen (no further than that) and leave either late the 21st or first train of the morning of the 22nd back to Paris. My flight leaves from Orly on my departure. (Basically this skips Paris and France for the most part)

Honestly, option 2 is not viable. Brussels isn't that great to start with, you would get there at about 4-5 PM on the 18th, and you would have to go back to Paris on the 21st because Orly is inconvenient to reach from Brussels (doing it on the 22nd is too risky).

Option 1 is sooooo much better, if you forget about Brussels for a day trip - Chartres is way cheaper and much more interesting and manageable, in my opinion.