Looking for iconic places not too far away from our hub in Paris. Any recommendations?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
24213 posts
Define "iconic."
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
17621 posts
What do you have in mind? When would you be visiting?
Chartres (Gothic cathedral with awesome stained glass)
Chantilly (chateau)
Fountainbleau (chateau)
Vaux-le-Vicomte (chateau)
Auvers-sur-Oise (where Van Gogh killed himself)
Giverny (Monet's house and garden, open April-Oct)
Malmaison (Napoleon bought it for Josephine)
There is also a book giving trips 60 minutes from Paris that gives many more ideas on day trips. Here is the tiny URL for the Amazon link.
Posted by
Paris 🇫🇷
11659 posts
You can't get much more iconic than Versailles.
Posted by
san ramon, ca, usa
336 posts
I'm wondering what you mean by iconic sites too. Like the list already provided. The Loire Valley is great for visiting many chateaux. There's a book out there (sorry Rick, it's not yours), called an Hour from Paris. It's a great resource.
Posted by
OP
16 posts
Great! We've been to several places mentioned but still more left to see. I'll do more research and go from there. Thank you all for your responses.
Posted by
San Francisco
16295 posts
In addition to those above suggestions, my choice would be St. Cloud, if you want to see another important site connected to and made French history., including events of the 18th and 19th centuries. This is the Chateau de St. Cloud.
Another historical site: Rambouillet
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6841 posts
If you can find Ina Caro's Paris to the Past it describes numerous historic destinations reachable as day trips from Paris. The specifics about trains and schedules are dated, so don't rely on them. But the places are still there and still historic.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2436 posts
If you fancy aviation history, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget airport is not to miss. Nice collection of a lot of things from the pioneering period, two Concords on display, a hall with experimental airplanes and much more.
Le Bourget is iconic as it was there that Charles Lindbergh touched down with his Spirit of St. Louis after his solo Atlantic flight on May 21, 1927.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3748 posts
Amiens is 1 hour 5 minutes by train from Paris. It has a magnificent cathedral, a medieval canal district, floating gardens.....and more. It would make a full-day day trip from Paris, but a worthwhile and enjoyable one.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3748 posts
P.S. I second the Air Museum also.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11811 posts
Count 3 for recommending the air museum.