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Trip by train from Paris to fulfill my son's wish

Posted by on

Hi, I got great advice here last time with my first post and have faith I will again!

We are traveling to Paris for 11 days this July. My son (14) got sort of fixated on the small village of Perouges and would like to go there as a day trip. However, the cost (TGV tickets for 4 are like $200) and time spent possibly seems prohibitive, mainly because there does not seem to be a lot to Perouges and train tickets would seem to be like a "get there at 10, leave at 2:45" thing . He is interested in a "small rural village that time forgot" sort of thing. From a practical point of view, I am okay with spending the money for train or even overnight (we have an Airbnb for the whole time in Paris) if there is adequate "experience" for the cost. Can anyone suggest either:
1. a different "village" day trip that is closer/less expensive
2. a different "village" day trip that has a bit more to it and is worth spending the night?
or should we...
4. Stay the night in Lyon and go to Perouges for an afternoon?
5. just embrace this desire of his? We told the family everyone could have a thing they prioritize and ask everyone to do, but his is more of a big deal than others' choices.

Posted by
2544 posts

Take him to Provins:

https://provins.net/

He'll like it better than Pérouges, there is a lot to do, and it is much closer to Paris. You can reach Provins with a zone 1-5 Naivgo pass.

Posted by
731 posts

I did just what Tocard suggested - used my navigo pass to Provins. The medieval village was like walking back in time! There are some cool ramparts too. Have your son look at google images of Provins and see what he thinks - my guess he will give a thumbs up!

Posted by
8049 posts

I liked Senlis better than Provins myself but both are lovely medieval villages close to Paris. Don't go to places like this on a Monday -- that is the day they shut down.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for just doing the thing your son wants to do. I did a day trip to Nantes with my granddaughter in April -- a long tiring day, but it was the highlight of her trip.

Posted by
1974 posts

If you can find things in Lyon that are interesting enough for the whole family I would certainly consider your 4th suggestion. Have no experience with Lyon but many really like the place, so worth a closer look to my opinion.

You can also think about Gerberoy north-west of Paris. It’s about the same size as the old part of Pérouges and you have the idea walking around in a big garden, especially if everything is in full bloom during spring and summer. Both appeal to the romantic idea of a historic village so don’t be surprised you are not going to be the only visitor. For getting there you can take the train to Beauvais and from there a bus or taxi, also see this website: https://ahedgehoginthekitchen.com/gerberoy/

Posted by
6889 posts

I was about to say "Gerberoy" and Wil beat me to it! It is the most similar place to Pérouges I can think of within 100 km from Paris.
Other suggestions (Senlis, Provins) are very good too but they'll be different.

Posted by
1369 posts

I understand his desire to go to Pérouges, its on my list as well. Three different 3 Musketeer movies have been filmed there.

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