Paris day trips

I don't understand the concept of "semi-private guide," but that said there are dozens and dozens of day trips you can make from Paris. Just plug that into the search engine here and you'll see innumerable threads about the possibilities. With only 5 days in Paris, though, unless you've been there many times before, I wouldn't advise more than one trip out of the city.

Semi-private means...?

What are your interests?

What is the layout of your trip? Are you in Paris for 5 full days, or arriving Day 1, leaving Day 5?

Not to dissuade you, but if this is a first trip, I might kindly suggest that there is lots to see in Paris, you will not have nay trouble flling 5+ days.

There are a couple of things you could do. Versailles is do-able as a combo solo/guided visit. Take train to Versailles, then join guided visit of chateau, then tour grounds on your own.

Similarly, Chartres is a train ride away, followed by a 'famous' tour given by local eccentric.

Or..

http://fattirebiketours.com/paris

They have outside Paris tours.

I suppose it means a small group. Do you know French pretty well? Because I often take the tours led by French guides listed in the entertainment weekly guides (eg, Pariscope) under "conferences", and those tours never have more than about 6-10 people on them. They have a lot of good itineraries, such as Latin Qtr, St Germain, Ile St Louis, and more unusual things, also.

I know the usual day tour companies are Parisvision and Cityrama. YOu can check their websites to see if they have small groups tours, they might. I would look at their tours in "minivan" as they would have to be a fairly small group (vs. bus).
http://en.parisvision.com/33-excursions-minivan.htm

http://www.pariscityrama.com/
I took a cityrama tour to Vaux le Vicomte as it isn't as easy to get to as some other places, and it was fantastic. The guide was excellent and there weren't that many people on it. I wouldn't call it "semi-private", but not sure what difference it makes if there are 5 or 15 (it was more like the latter).

There are loads and loads of great day trips you can do from Paris on your own that won't require a guide. If you're more comfortable with a guide that's fine. With only 5 days in Paris I would probably only choose one. But let me give you something to consider.

Here is a brief list that summarizes many of the most popular day trips from Paris. There are certainly many others you could also do but this list covers most of the biggies:

Provins (an authentic walled medieval town): http://www.provins.net/

Château of Chantilly (wonderful fairytale château, famous art collection): http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/fr/
http://www.chantilly-tourisme.com/

Senlis (small medieval town can be combined with a visit to Chantilly):
http://www.senlis-tourisme.fr/accueil-senlis.php

Reims (champagne tours, great historic cathedral, museums):
http://www.reims-tourisme.com/

Epernay (champagne tours, can be combined with Reims): http://www.ot-epernay.fr/

Fontainebleau (former royal town with famous château):
http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/

Versailles (obvious): http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
http://www.versailles-tourisme.com/

Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte (the château after which Louis XIV based his garden renovations for Versailles and IMO one of the most elegant château in France):
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

Rouen (small city, lots to do, wonderful cathedral, medieval old center): http://www.rouentourisme.com/

Giverny (Monet's house and gardens):
http://www.fondation-monet.fr/fr/
http://giverny.org/giverny/giverny.htm
http://www.vernon-visite.org/rgb4/who_we_are.htm

Chartres (the famous cathedral and wonderful old medieval town):
http://www.chartres-tourisme.com/

Compiègne (château with museums, wonderful old town. Can be combined with a visit to the château of Pierrefonds): http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/

Château of Pierrefonds (Magnificent fairytale looking château. Reconstructed in the 19th century but magnificent nonetheless. Can be combined with a visit to Compiègne):
http://www.pierrefonds.monuments-nationaux.fr/
http://pierrefonds-tourisme.net/ot/Bienvenue.html

Troyes (lovely small medieval city):
http://www.tourisme-troyes.com/

Laon (medieval hilltop town with a spectacular cathedral): http://www.tourisme-paysdelaon.com/

Crécy-la-Chapelle (small charming renowned artists village):
http://www.cc-payscrecois.fr/Crecy-la-Chapelle,203.html

Moret-sur-Loing (charming walled medieval village/artists village):
http://www.ville-moret-sur-loing.fr/rubrique.php?id=189


Auvers-sur-Oise (Van Gogh and other impressionist art history):
http://www.auvers-sur-oise.com/heading/heading899.html

Malmaison (château of the Empress Josephine and a nice old downtown. On the RER A line and could be combined with a visit to Saint-Germain-en-Laye):
http://www.chateau-malmaison.fr/
http://www.rueil-tourisme.com/

Saint-Germain-en-Laye (former royal town with a wonderful château now home to the national museum of archaeology. On the RER A line and could be combined with a visit to Malmaison):
http://www.ot-saintgermainenlaye.fr/en/
http://www.saintgermainenlaye.fr/en/loisirs/culture/musees/

Barbizon (famous artists village, can be combined with Fontainebleau):
http://www.barbizon-tourisme.fr/

These are the most popular day trips and all are worthwhile but there are many other less popular and equally worthy day trips. I could easily list a couple dozen more but only if what's on this list doesn't interest you. A good guide book for the Île-de-France region should give you more ideas.

You'll need to take a train from Paris to do these day trips. For info on trains in Paris and the nearby suburbs (métro and RER trains) use the website www.ratp.fr. Parts of this website are in French so you can use an English language companion site www.parisbytrain.com. For trains that go a bit further out in the Île-de-France region use the website www.transilien.com. For trains that go further beyond the Île-de-France use the website www.voyages-sncf.com (in French only) or www.tgv-europe.com. A great website to learn about trains in France (and Europe) is www.seat61.com if you have any train questions/problems.

Paris and many of the places nearby in Île-de-France are divided into zones, numbered 1 through 5. Paris is in zone 1 and areas outside Paris are in zones 2 through 5. Some of the destinations I mentioned are in zone 5. For these journeys it will be more cost effective to buy a one day Mobilis pass for 14 euros for zones 1 through 5. This will be cheaper than the point to point tickets round trip. Plus, this pass is good for unlimited travel on all public trains and buses for one day in zones 1-5. Buy it first thing in the morning before your first métro ride and it gets you to your train station, your round trip tickets, any buses you need to use at your destination and any traveling you'll do in Paris when you return. Before you use the ticket make sure to write your name and the date on the ticket. Don't forget to stick your ticket in the composting machine (ticket validation machine) before getting on your train. You can buy these passes from the ticket machines in métro/RER stations. Sometimes these machines have an English language option. If so, look for the one day Mobilis pass option. When you get to the screen that lists your zones to choose from press zone 1 and then press zone 5. You can also buy them at any ticket counter or stores that sell RATP tickets. They are good for 60 days so you can buy it in advance if you want to be prepared. It's not valid until you write your name and date on it and validate the ticket on your first métro/RER trip or at the train station.

Some of the day trips I mentioned will require a bus transfer once you arrive at the train station. If you choose one of these I can help you with bus info.

Wow,that is alot of valuable information.We are going to Paris for trip 8 in June,and I am always looking for different things to do.We have never ventured outside of Paris,except for a trip to Versailles and to Reims for champagne.I would like to take a train and visit one of these great castles,thanks for the help..

FrenchMystiqueTours, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for compiling that list! I'm likely to be in Paris for a week or so next month and have been searching for day trip ideas, but it's so nice to have so many in one list to look at. Thank you!

Yes, and thanks for the bus/train pass tips too!

Much obliged folks.

Whoa - thank you FrenchMystiqueTours!!

Just got a lovely book from the library called 'An Hour from Paris', by Annabel Simms. If one from the list above is the one for you don't bother. This book is for those of you, like me, who want a trip out of the city that you're likely to be sharing with relatively few other people. More low key, less splashy and touristy (at least for the moment). If we hurry we still might have a nice quiet day from the great selection provided.

FMT: how wonderful; thank you.

I also would like to thank FrenchMystiqueTours for a great list of day trips & links - most informative! We are planning a 10-night stay in Paris and hope to take a day (or maybe two days!) to go outside of the city.

Thanks folks. That list was just a warm up and I could have made it about 4 times as long. Even though I don't have the One Hour from Paris book I'm familiar with most of the places in it and I could probably create my own list of less visited and quieter places if anyone wants to hear a few. Honestly though, the list I gave is pretty good if you haven't been to a lot of those places.

But just for fun one of my favorite little towns outside of Paris is called Crépy-en-Valois and it's on a direct train from Gare du Nord and only takes 35-40 minutes to reach. I can assure you I was the first non-French tourist to visit that town and if you go you'll be the second. Here is the tourist office website:

http://www.valois-tourisme.fr/

And I made a report about biking in that area starting in Crépy so if you want to see some photos of it and learn about its history and what to see and do there have a look:

http://tinyurl.com/6snrf3q

With only 5 days, a day trip is certainly a matter of taste--but as St. Cirq said, if you've never been before, there is more than enough to do IN Paris.
Giverney and Chartres would be my choices for ease of access and if an organized tour is desired, it's available to arrange from Paris.

Bookmarking for the wonderful list provided by FMT.

Thanks so much for all that wonderful information! We were planning to check out St. Germaine en Laye next visit and now I think we'll combine it with a trip to Malmaison.

bookmarking

plafield - I would go first to whichever of those towns interests you most and then see how much time you have left to visit the other. The RER stop in Rueil-Malmaison is a bit over 1km to the old downtown and then to walk to the château is about 1.5km. Bus 27 goes from the RER stop to the downtown and to the château. Here's a link to the bus website but it's in French. Let me know if you need help with it.

http://www.idf.veolia-transport.fr/horaire-ligne-27-traverciel_213

If you go to Rueil first I believe the Malmaison château website suggests you go to La Défense and then take a bus from there to the château. If you want to see what the towns of Saint-Germain and Rueil-Malmaison look like you can check out my report (lots of photos) which covers those towns and some others nearby:

http://tinyurl.com/2fa3qsf

I think combining St Germain-en-Laye and Malmaison in one day may be a bit much but I guess that depends on whether you don't want to do much in St Germain-en-Laye. If you don't want to go to any of the museums, or only one briefly, that would work. I did only go to the chateau in Rueil-Malmaison, spent a couple hours there, I suppose. They used to have a little tourist train that went around Rueil-Malmaison in the spring/summer months which I think was free.

If you are going to Malmaison first, I think it's a tossup as to whether going to La Defense and then the bus is better than the RER and then whatever you want to do from that point (bus or taxi).

bookmarking, merci beaucoup.

FMT, thank you so much for your wonderful info!

Giverny
Versailles
Seaux
Barbizon/Fontainebleu
Chartres
Epernay
Auvers-sur-Oise

We loved these villages, but check days that, e.g., VanGogh's House is closed, etc. But I always need 5 days in Paris first!

Bookmarking - thanks so much FMT! Splendid, we'll be there in March and are looking forward to seeing Fontainebleau!

CYESQ - When you arrive at the train station it is either bus A or bus 1 that goes to the château. The buses are right next to the arrival platform. Follow my tips above about buying the 1 day Mobilis zone 5 pass on this trip and use the transilien.com website (which has an English language version) for train info and schedules.

Not even a full day trip: Chateau Vincennes (kind of SE Paris) is easily accessible by metro or rer. See the website below for more accurate terms, but it is a walled Chateau with a (now dry) moat. Inside the walls is a castle or keep with its own now dry moat. There is also a Chapel (Sainte Chapelle) but it was closed when we were there a couple years ago.
http://en.chateau-vincennes.fr/index.php

I was very pleased with our visit there and thought it was one of the most underrated sites (if you even see it "rated" at all) in Paris.

bookedmarked as well! One key question with all this traveling - I am interested in renting a car to check out the countryside. Specifically, my GF and I are considering: Giverny, Chartres, Versailles, Champagne, Loire for day trips from PAris (staying in PAris for 10 days). We won't do all of these - we'll probably do Champagne, Versailles and Loire. I was thinking of taking the TGV to Versailles but renting a car for Loire and Champagne. Thoughts?

and if you are a biker, hire him, he knows his way around
and never pushes his tours.

FMT thanks so much for the list
You are really a gem.

gumercindo - You don't take the TGV to Verailles from Paris. That's a local train and you either take the RER C or one of the suburban trains that leaves from Gare Montparnasse.

As for Champagne are you interested in seeing the countryside there or just doing Champagne tasting? If just tasting champagne is all you want to do take the TGV to Reims and forget the car. As for countryside to explore near Reims you don't want to head east of Reims but rather west and northwest between Reims and Laon/Soissons. The area east of Reims is flat and featureless.

As for the Loire you can take a TGV from Paris to Tours and be there in one hour and then rent a car for the day. Keep in mind that one day car rentals generally come at a premium and they are cheaper per day when you rent for 3 or more days.

If you want tips on where to explore the countryside by car near to Paris I can give you some ideas. I would suggest if you do this that you don't spend time visiting major sites like Giverny or Chartres since that takes a few hours of your time where the money you spend on a single day car rental is being wasted. I would suggest that you focus on exploring scenic landscapes and small villages, buying some local products and having a nice picnic lunch somewhere.

Many thanks! Very helpful!!

I'd like to focus on Loire and Champagne, but if you have a couple other ideas as far as exploring the countryside outside of PAris, I'm all ears!

Regards.

Get your hands on the Michelin maps. You want the ones of the scale 1:200,000 (regional maps) or 1:150,000 (departmental maps, more detailed, cover slightly less area) for whatever regions you visit. A nice feature of the 1:150,000 maps is they show the starred attractions in the corresponding Michelin Green guidebooks. The Michelin maps have icons for all kinds of historically/touristically interesting things such as châteaux, ruins, churches, abbeys, scenic view points, caves, Roman sites, megaliths, designated scenic roads and many other things. Usually when I'm exploring various regions in France I just look at the map and I am able to plan interesting and scenic drives just reading the map. For instance, I usually look for a designated scenic road, which are highlighted in green, and I especially look for towns with the historic church and/or château icon. I also try to make sure the route goes through as many small villages as possible. Usually putting all these things together I find interesting and scenic drives without even knowing where I am going and with no assistance from a guide book. Often these places are never mentioned in guidebooks and remain completely unknown to many tourists.

You can buy the Michelin maps from their website and here is a link to the page that shows all of the maps of France: http://tinyurl.com/4bt96ev

The above link takes you to the page showing the scale 1:200,000 maps but you can search the site for the 1:150,000 scale.

Here is a region outside Paris near Giverny where I will demonstrate how to take all of the above info and put it into practice. Click on the link to read my trip report:

http://tinyurl.com/3m6h4hz

I've got loads of reports like the one above and most of them were done by bike. Here is one that covers some of the countryside northwest of Reims, including the spectacular hilltop medieval town of Laon:

http://tinyurl.com/3co8u28

For most of my trips I pretty much do zero research and just look at my map and decide where to go by reading the icons. Get your maps of the area around Paris, study the icons, pick an area that looks interesting and then get in the car and start driving. Easy!

This is great, thanks! One last question, between Champagne and Loire, which one do you recommend really getting out in a car and cruising around looking for quaint spots to stroll, etc?

Also, of Loire (Tours) or Champagne (Reims), which is preferable to stay the night and really enjoy?

Thansk!

FMT-your daytrip list is great. Looking for which town would have the most shops to poke around in. Thanks.

gumercindo - I'm afraid I don't have an answer for your questions since it's a bit like asking "Which do you prefer, apples or oranges?". Both are great places to cruise around and find quaint villages and scenic spots or go for a stroll. Either one would be fine for an overnight too. With just two days and one night in either of these regions you couldn't possibly see all that there is to see or do. I think you need to make that choice based on which one most interests you, which means you need to do a bit of research on each region to find out what there is to see and do.

If you search here on the forum you'll easily find loads of threads about all the great places you could visit in the Loire. Finding similar info for the Champagne region will be more difficult because most people going there generally just visit Reims or Epernay to do champagne tours but don't spend any time exploring the countryside.

If you go to Reims pay heed to my advice about using the Michelin maps to explore. I'm looking at mine right now and there are loads of designated scenic roads west of Reims and tons of tiny villages with the historic church icon that I guarantee no tourist has ever set foot in. You'd be the first.

I sometimes feel I'm not the best person to answer these questions because I have a very particular travel style. I often do no research before I go somewhere and have no particular destination. I just look at the map and start driving on designated scenic roads and through the tiny villages with the historic church icon and wait to see what I might find. I've also been traveling in France like this for years so I know what I'm doing even if I have no idea where I'm going. For those who spend a lot of money to come to France and want to be assured they don't waste valuable vacation time my "by the seat of my pants" travel style may not be the best method if you're not up for throwing caution to the wind. You also need to make sure you have a good driver and a good co-pilot who can read a map and give good instructions to the driver and my wife and I are a pretty good team doing this. She's an excellent driver (was born and raised in France) and I am an excellent map reader and co-pilot.

So I haven't answered your question and may have even confused you further and if so I'm sorry about that. Basically I think you won't go wrong in either of the regions that interest you so just make up your mind and go for it!

riesling - If you are looking for lots of shops to poke around in then the smaller towns and villages aren't for you. In your case I would suggest Reims, Rouen, Chartres or Compiègne.

I've never been to Reims but it's a city with a population of just under 200,000. The big draw there is the cathedral and champagne tours but I've never heard anyone rave about it being a particularly charming place. I'm really not qualified to give a great opinion about it.

I was just thinking about another place that I didn't put on my list but it's similar in character to Compiègne and Chartres. The town of Sens has a pop. of just over 25,000 with a really pretty old downtown with the half-timbered buildings, cobbled streets etc. Sort of a posh little place with lots of shops and things. If you want to check it out you can see some photos of it at the end of this report:

http://tinyurl.com/3cmctva

And if you wanted to be close to Paris then you could take the RER A to either Saint-Germain-en-Laye and/or Rueil-Malmaison, both of which are posh places with lots of shops to poke around in. You can see photos of both places in this report:

http://tinyurl.com/3f7npjr

I better stop making recommendations now or I'll just confuse you. Hope I at least gave you some ideas.

I've been to the other places and they are all quite pretty and pleasant with lots of shops to poke around in. Rouen would be the largest place with a population of just over 100,000 and then Compiègne and Chartres each have a population of about 40,000.

I just realized that my last paragraph in the above response is out of context and should be bumped up more towards the beginning of my reply. Whoops.

Thanks for suggestions and photo links. Marly Le Roi is listed as 1 of Fodors top 3 day trips. Anyne have specific thoughts on that village?

http://tinyurl.com/3f7npjr
just answered my own question-thanks FMT

FMT:

Turns out my GF has one request during our trip and that's to see the Monet Gardens in Giverny. I hadn't planned on that but I'm cool going. That just means that our day trips will be Verailles, Giverny and possibly one more. But, I have a feeling that we're not going to have time for that 3rd day trip (which in my mind would have been traversing the countryside of Loire or Champagne). If we do head to Giverny, is there similar countryside traversing we could do there? Maybe take a train from PAris to Rouen and then rent a car and hit Giverny, Chartres, etc., but I have a feeling we won't find many quaint villages along the way. Any recommendations for a day trip in the Normandy area (Giverny)?

Thanks again!