What are some "worth-it" day trips easily accessible from Paris other than Versailles? (That's already on the list!)
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Chartres
Giverny
Reims
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Empress Josephine's Chateau Malmaison, about a 15 minute bus ride from La Defense.
Posted by
la frette sur seine
448 posts
I also like Rouen because it's an easy train trip 1 1/2 hours...cathedral famous for a series of Monet paintings, the site of the burning of Joan of Arc, many pedestrian streets with a big assortment of restaurants and a good Fine Arts Museum.
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Even though you're from Tampa, if you haven't been to Disney Paris, you can check that off your list.
To me, its sort of a day trip since you're spending a "day" there.
Posted by
Monein, Pyrenees, France
425 posts
Go out to the east to Epernay and take a tour of the big Champagne houses like Moet & Chandon. Easy to do in a day.
Roger Bruton
Posted by
OP
tampa, fl, usa
3 posts
Thanks for the help. Rick lists a few day trips in the book. Does anyone have any thoughts on Vaux-le-Vicomte?
Posted by
Menlo Park, CA, USA
24 posts
How about Ile de Impressionistes? Can anyone comment on a day trip there?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
46 posts
The castle of Fontainebleau is a short day trip from Paris. I was there last winter. It was a great day trip idea.
Posted by
Brier, WA, USA
34 posts
Chartres is an incredible place. The town is charming and I think the cathederal is one of the best in Europe. Just a note though, there is no place to store luggage at the train station.
Posted by
Dijon, Burgundy, France
120 posts
Dijon capital of Burgundy! 1h40 from Paris gare de Lyon (left luggage service at Dijon station if needed)
Go to one of the tourist offices 2 min from the station and ask for "the owl's trail" brochure (2.5€). It will take you in 22 steps at your own pace to the main sites in Dijon and explain each of them.
If you go on a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday don't miss the covered food market "Les Halles" built by Gustave Eiffel. The Fine Art museum is also a must and you'll find many other museums. Architecture, churches, parks, gastronomy... In one day, you will only scratch the surface but it is worth it! Enjoy!
Posted by
Augusta, GA
85 posts
Marlaina,
We did Vaux-le-Vicompte and Fontainbleau in 1 day. We followed Rick's advice about taking the train to Vaux-le-Vicompte and then taking a tax from there to Fontainbleau and returning to Paris from there. It was easier than he made it sound like it would be.
If you like Versailles you'll love these. Vaux-le-Vicompte was smaller and still needed a lot of work but it was very uncrowded and elegant. They also have a tremendous collection of carriages for every occasion. I liked Fontainbleau even better than Versailles. The rooms were very ornate and well kept. I enjoyed the Italian flair it had and I also enjoyedthe lack of crowds.