Day trip from PAris

Chartres is also a good choice if cathedrals interest you. Plus the town itself is worth strolling around and having lunch.

Hi Steve
Always good to return to Paris and explore its environs! You have been to Palace and Gardens of Versailles, awesome! Amboise is another chateau and Giverney is for Claude Monet's gardens. What are you interested in? What are your hobbies? What have you liked when traveling in Europe? How about trying something different? Cooking class in the country? See a vineyard? To give you better options, we need more information. Bobbie

I think Chartes looks cool, but it would be fun to tour some vinyards as well as experience village France. Any ideas? Thx

You might consider Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region. There are numerous trains daily between Paris & Reims. It is surrounded by vineyards & has several champagne houses you can visit (& sample the bubbly). Reims also has a magnificent cathedral, definitely on a par with Chartres.

If you want to experience a French village then Giverny is a good choice. It's more than Monet's home and gardens, it's also a charming town. You can rent bikes in town which is another nice way to spend the day there.

Reims also has WWII museum, some moving monuments to the victims of the war and the Gestapo. Plus...Champagne!

I have been to all the recommended places. Giverny is nice. I wouldn't agree that the village is much and the house is somewhat interesting - no photography even though all the art is reproductions. The gardens are very nice, when in bloom. Reims is nice, but certainly no Chartes (the villages). If you go to Reims, I would recommend renting a car and driving to Laon as well. The cathedral in Laon is very interesting. I was underwhelmed with Versailles. We found the Napoleon III apartments in the Louvre at least as interesting. Admitedly, my view of Versailles is somewhat tainted by the fact that they had an event in the gardens and we were not permitted to see the structures there without paying an additional fee. But, I don't think that any of the above comes close to Chartes. The cathedral is the best of the three. The village is stunning, far more interesting than Reims or Giverny. Chartes is much like a very small Bruges.