While there’s tons to do in the City of Light, you are missing out if you don’t experience a day trip from Paris. Getting outside of the city limits is a great way to better experience the culture and beauty of France. Here our six of our favorites that are located four or less hours outside of Paris.
1. Disneyland Paris Resort
The happiest place on Earth has a home in a suburb about 45 minutes outside of Paris city center. Disneyland Paris Resort consists of Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Disneyland Park is a Magic Kingdom style park and is is arguably the most beautiful Disney park in the world. Walt Disney Studios Park is reminiscent of Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and California Adventure in Disneyland.
It’s a great place to spend a day (or more) during your trip to Paris. Read my post for 10 reasons why you should put Disneyland Paris on your itinerary.
Logistics
Disneyland Paris is super easy to get to from Paris city center. If you are just going for the day, plan to take the train. Just take the Paris Regional RER A train from Gare de Lyon to Marne-La-Vallée Chessy station. You will disembark and be right at the gates of Disneyland Paris. Easy peasy! If you are staying a few nights and have luggage, it’s still easy to take the train. You just have to wheel/lug your luggage through the train stations. If that doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, then you can take a taxi or Uber for about $80.
You can buy tickets for each individual park or tickets that allow you to hop between the parks. They are very close together, so I recommend the park hopper option. If you are just going for one day, plan to be there as soon as the park opens and stay until park closing. Make a list of your must see attractions, and consider buying Premier Access so you can skip the lines. But if you can, spend two days in Disneyland Paris Resort. This will give you ample time to experience the best of both parks at a more relaxed pace.
2. Versailles
Versailles is a lovely city to visit and a popular day trip from Paris. It’s main feature is the Palace of Versailles. This beautiful chateau features lavish gardens, brilliant interiors, and fantastic works of art. The Palace of Versailles was originally a hunting lodge. It was transformed into a grand palace by King Louis XIV in the 17th century. The Trianon Estates are also located here and include two other palaces and gardens you can visit. You can also visit the Coach Gallery to see a collection of 18th and 19th century ceremonial Berlin carriages.
If you still have time after visiting the palace, wander into the town. You can visit the second-largest food market in France called Marche Notre Dame. You can buy food there and have a picnic at one of the city’s parks, or grab a quick meal from one of the food stands or trucks there. Another popular activity is wandering through the Le Potager Du Roi, the garden where all the fruits and veggies were grown for the palace. If you time your visit right, you can also take in an opera, musical or ballet in the Royal Opera House.
Logistics
Versaille is easy to get to on public transportation. Take the RER C train to Chateau rive Gauche station. Then simply follow the crowds and walk about 10 minutes to the chateau. If you just want to visit the palace, plan to spend 2-3 hours there. Adding in the gardens, Trianon Estate, and Coach Gallery will take a better part of a day. Please be aware that the palace complex is huge. Plan to rent a golf cart, get tickets to ride the Versailles little train, or rent a bike to navigate the grounds. You should buy tickets in advance and there are a lot of options available on the palace’s official website. I recommend the Passport option to give you access to the entire complex. For more tips, see my related post on How to Make the Most of a Day Trip to Versaille.
3. Giverny
If you are a fan of Claude Monet and Impressionist art, Giverny is a must-do day trip from Paris. Located about 1.5 hours away, the main attraction in Giverny is Claude Monet’s Home & Gardens. You will definitely recognize the gardens that served as a backdrop for his famous Water Lilies painting series.
Close to Monet’s house is the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny This museum focuses on the history and impact of the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism movements. Also not far from Money’s home is his gravesite located in the cemetery at the Eglise Sainte Radegonde de Giverny church.
Make sure to allow time during your visit for a meal at Les Nympheas. This restaurant has a traditional French menu and features some of Monet’s very own recipes! Another great option is the Hotel Baudy restaurant that serves Norman cuisine.
Logistics
You can book a tour from Paris, but it’s not that difficult to get to Giverny on your own. Take the TER 13135 train from Saint-Lazare station in Paris to Vernon-Giverny station. This will take about an hour. Then you can take a 15 minute shuttle bus to the town. You can spend as little as 2 hours visiting Monet’s home and gardens and up to a full day if you want to add the museum, a meal or two, and plenty of time to relax among all of the beautiful scenery. Please be aware that Monet’s home and gardens are only open between April and October.
4. Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is known as the “Garden of France” and is located about 2.5 hours from Paris. It features magnificent châteaux including Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceau, and Château de Villandry. Scenic landscapes are abundant, including charming villages, rolling vineyards and lush greenery.
Your day trip from Paris will take you to the charming village of Blois in the Loire Valley. Take some time to stroll around the historic part of town and enjoy one of the cafes located there. Blois is a wonderful place to see cherry blossoms bloom in the spring. And in the winter you can enjoy a Christmas market.
Then choose one, two or all three of the famous châteaux in the area to tour. The Château de Chambord is the largest and most iconic examples of French Renaissance architecture in the region. It was constructed as a hunting lodge for King Francis I in the early 16th century. The Château de Chenonceau is known as the “Ladies’ Château” as notable women such as Catherine de’ Medici and Diane de Poitiers who lived there in the early 16th century. The Château de Villandry is another 16th century château. It is primarily known for its gardens which are arranged in the formal French style with geometric patterns.
Logistics
If you want to see all three châteaux, you have two options. Your first and easiest option is to take a bus tour. You will be chauffeured around to all the sites with a guide telling you interesting facts. But you will also not have any flexibility and will likely be in a large group.
Your second option is to rent a car. This is a cheaper if you have a larger party, and it gives you tons of flexibility to customize your day. It’s easy to drive in France once you are outside of Paris, and you don’t need a special license to drive there. But an International Driver’s Permit might come in handy as it will translate your existing driver’s permit into 22 different languages.
You can also get to the Loire Valley using public transportation, but it won’t be easy. First, take the TER train from Austerlitz station to Gare de Blois-Chambord. From there you can take a shuttle bus to Château de Chambord and Château de Chenonceau. You might only have enough time to fit in one château, depending on shuttle schedules.
5. Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is an architectural marvel located on the coast of Normandy. Located about four hours from Paris, this abbey is perched on a rocky island surrounded by ocean water. There’s been a religious site on this island since the 8th century. Construction on the abbey began in the 10th century by Benedictine monks. It was used as a strategic stronghold during the Hundred Years’ War against England in the Middle Ages. In the medieval period, it became a pilgrimage site. It became a prison in the 17th century and was used as a state prison during the French Revolution. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist area.
The town of Mont Saint-Michel is also located on the island. After you visit the abbey, take some time to wander down the Grande Rue street. Harry Potter fans will find this street reminiscent of Diagon Alley with its narrow and sloping paths, twisted houses, and small alleys to explore. There are several museums in town:
- Musée Historique – learn about the 1,300 years of history of Mont Saint Michel.
- Le Logis Tiphaine – this historic house will take you back in time to see how knights and astrologers might have lived.
- Archeoscope – multimedia show with a model of the abby and projections and lights showing how it’s changed over the years.
- Maritime Museum – showcases a collection of 250 antique model ships as well as provides information on how tides create the island that Mont Saint-Michel stands on.
Logistics
Like the Loire Valley, your best way to visit Mont Saint-Michel is via rental car or tour bus. Using public transportation for a day trip is not feasible. If you want to spend a few days there, you can take a high speed TGV train from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes, and then a BlaBlaCar bus from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel. It will take about five hours to get there.
If you do go to Mont Saint-Michel on your own, make sure you arrive 1.5 hours prior to your ticket entry time. This is because you have to either walk or take a shuttle bus from the mainland to the island. If you are able to, the 1.5 mile walk is the best way to get there as it provides wonderful views of the abbey. You need a minimum of four hours to explore the abbey and town, so this is a very long day trip from Paris!
6. Beaches of Normandy
Another great day trip from Paris is visiting the Beaches of Normandy. About 4 hours away from Paris lies the five beaches where the largest seaborne invasion in history occurred on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The landing of the Allied forces at Normandy was a turning point for World World II. Here you can pay tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom.
Omaha Beach was the most challenging for the soldiers to land on. Today it has several memorials and the Normandy American Cemetery. Utah Beach is another key site. There’s a Utah Beach Landing Museum with exhibits about the events of D-Day. Juno Beach is where you will find a center providing insight to Canada’s contribution to the D-Day. Gold Beach and Sword Beach also have landmarks commemorating the war.
There are a few other key places to visit related to war history. The Mémorial de Caen museum provides an excellent introduction to World War II and the D-Day landings. And the Pegasus Bridge Memorial shows the pivotal role the bridge had in the invasion.
Logistics
Like our other far flung places, this will be a long day trip from Paris. You can take a rental car or tour bus. There’s also the option of taking public transportation. You can take a high speed TER train from Saint-Lazare station to Gare de Caen. This will take about 2.5 hours. From the station, you can take a day tour offered by the Mémorial de Caen museum. As usual, you will have the most flexibility to see sites on your own with a car. But tours will offer more information about the invasion and what you are seeing. I suggest taking a tour unless you have a personal connection and want to see a specific site that is not on the general tour itineraries.
What tops your list of day trips from Paris?
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