Search this site - there are hundreds and hundreds of threads on this.

It depends a little on what time of year, but here are some thoughts. Giverny, Brugge/Bruges, Loire Valley

It can also depend on the weather that day, although it's hard to play it by ear sometimes. But it isn't very pleasant to go on a day trip to a site for its gardens if it's raining, for example. not to mention time of year.

Usuals and easy to do: Versailles, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Rouen, Chartres, Giverny (Monet's house and gardens), Reims. Maybe not so usual but pretty easy to do: Auvers-sur-Oise, Troyes, Auxerre. Farther but not that far by TGV: Lyon, Strasbourg, Dijon.

I liked all of them, actually kind of liked Fontainebleau better than Versailles, to be honest, but Versailles is more important historically, of course.

Versailles is easier to plan trip than Chantilly. Versailles, however, is much bigger and more crowded - too crowded, perhaps but for understandable reasons.

There are frequent RER trains from Paris to Versailles and you can walk to Versailles from the station. Chantilly, on the other hand, you either take a very long walk, taxi, or bus from the train station. The bus does not run that often, so you need to be aware of the schedule. Additionally, the bus stops leaving the Chantilly ground pretty early in the afternoon. After that, you have to walk into town to catch a bus back to the station.

Be aware, after you had Chantilly cream desserts at Chantilly and seen how easy it was to whip up Chantilly cream from scratch, you would never go back to using frozen or pressure bottled whipped cream again

Hi Swanner,

As stated above, there are many threads on this topic on this forum. Also you might read PARIS TO THE PAST: Traveling Through French History by Train by Ina Caro.

Caro and her historian husband are Francophiles who enjoy taking train trips to many sites around Paris. The book includes many suggestions for great lunches at these stops.

So many choices, so little time…

Our favorites are Chartres, Giverny (in spring, summer and fall), Versailles and Reims. All are easy day trips.

Reims,(cathedral and Champagne houses)Giverny, Chartres, Loire Valley,Vaux le Vicomte, Versailles, Fontainebleu, would all be great choices.

That is true about Chantilly, that it is farther from the train station. Now I just walked it, but I like to walk, and I was there in summer. So just to tell you, it is very feasible to walk, it isn't that far (maybe 2 km from the train station). I had a map of the town and have a good sense of direction, also. I had a great book which you might consider getting if it is still in print or used on Amazon -- Day Trips in France by Earl Steinbicker. Has several pages on each day trip with maps and info on what to do, so you can easily plan a day in the place and figure out how to get around from the train station.

Very highly recommended and well worth the cost http://www.amazon.com/Daytrips-France-One-Day-Adventures-Car-Includes/dp/0803820615

How long are you spending in Paris? What time of year? Maybe no day trips will be the best answer.

Hi All - thanks so much. All of this info is so helpful. Its a last minute trip so little time for research/prep - your feedback helps alot.

We will only be in Paris for a week . It's the tail end of a business trip to Poland for my husband. We are going mid Nov.

I will order the book from amazon - and hope it arrives in time! My husband and I are in our late 40's and very active so walking is not an issue- we prefer that!

Thanks again to everyone for your advise and feedback.

Here is a brief list that summarizes many of the most popular day trips from Paris (within an hour and a half by train). 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): http://www.ot-epernay.fr/

Fontainebleau (former royal town with famous château):
http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/
http://www.uk.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/
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/visite_infos_pratiques_horaires_plan.php

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
http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/Le-chateau-de-Pierrefonds.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
http://www.msl-tourisme.fr/index.php/francais/accueil

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. Use the interactive map on this website to plan your trip: http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/carteidf.php?lang=uk. Parts of this website are in French so you can use an English language companion site www.vianavigo.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 15.20€ 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.

Well if going in November you have the weather to consider, I think with only a week your best bet is only one daytrip, to Versailles( although all those mentioned are great). Versailles is easy and cheap to visit( 40 minutes and only 7 euros return).
Giverny is closed in November.

Thanks All.

Frenchmystique - thank you . Your information was fabulous. From all the replies Versailles sounds like a must do. Since that seems close and easy, what else could we combine w that day trip? Also, if we decide on one more day trip what would you recommend? A little more info about us: we are fit so we arent limited by anything active. We tend to shy away from big touristy things - we will go and see a few of the biggies like the louvre, Eiffel tower, etc... we also love the idea of small medieval villages, castles, etc....

Our favorite memories seem to be getting away from the hustle n bustle of the touristy areas. If it were warmer, we would likely want to bike ride in some small villages - stop in a small restaurant/ bar and grab a glass of wine/ food etc...

We love wine but not champagne so much. I will be one day solo as my husband is meeting me from Poland and I'm coming from the states so will need to figure out what to do solo on one day.

I have 2 guidebooks I ordered- keeping my fingers crossed they arrive in time.

Any advise you have to adding onto the Versailles day trip as well as what would be the best thing to do if we only have one more day for day trips would be greatly appreciated. Your advise might be to just stay in Paris- if so that's ok too!

Thanks

I 've never felt the need to add anything to a daytrip to Versailles, having always gone when weather was decent I find its very easy to spend whole day there, the grounds are absolutely huge, with other buildings besides the main palace, the Petit and Grand Trianon and Marie Antionetts Hamlet etc. The amount of walking one can do there will easily be miles, so by the end of a daytrip there a nice dinner and beddy bye work for me, lol You could also schedule your trip on a day where a museum is open in the evening and come back and do a museum visit in evening, if you aren't too pooped out.

As for day without hubby, ha, you'll like it so much you will almost wish he wasn't coming. I love my mate, but I love my visits to Paris solo, the freedom to wander at will with no compromise on what or how much of something I want to see or do,, want to poke into a shop selling silly trinkets, go for it, a special exhibit on that interests you but would bore him, go for it etc, Talk to hubby and discuss your rough plans, see what doesn't seem to interest him much and choose to do that on your free day without him.

I hope you'll have time to get outside of Paris, because it's surrounded by beautiful countryside and interesting villages.

If you want a bike tour from somebody who's been all over the area, this is your guy:
http://www.frenchmystiquetours.com/

Here's one of his trip reports. It's one of my favorites:
http://tinyurl.com/dx8kr39

I'll see if I can track down the one where he biked to Pierrefonds, a great destination.

A day biking with FMT is top of our list if/when we get back to Paris.

Here's the link to FMT's Pierrefonds and Compiègne trip report:

http://tinyurl.com/7edejbz

I would suggest playing by ear any day trip you decide upon. YOu may just find that you have more than enough to do in Paris to satisfy your memory bank!! There is much to do "away from the hustle and bustle of tourist things", but to me, in Paris, the "tourist things" never cease to please. You can just sit in a cafe and sip wine and enjoy them sometimes.

When I use the term day trip, I think of places you go and spend most of the day. To do two tours in one day, that would mean getting to Versailles first thing, touring all around Versailles for 2-3 hours which can be tiring in itself, then taking public transportation for maybe another hour (I'm thinking of the time to get to/from stations and waiting, etc) at a minimum and touring another site for several hours before spending another hour or more getting back to Paris?

I think if you want to do that, it is mostly feasible by one of those bus day tour companies which makes the transportation more efficient , but they are expensive. I think the usual is to combine Versailles with Giverny but you could't do that by train yourself, the schedules and train lines wouldn't make it feasible.

okay, one possibility would be to combine it with Chartres as they are both W/SW of Paris and both have train stations. That's not too bad an idea if you dno't want to spend that much time at Versailles, because the main attraction of Chartres is the cathedral (it is true I did not spend all day there when I went). So take the RER to Versailles and tour it, then take the train from Versailles Chantier to Chartres, which is 45-60 min. direct train ride that costs 12.50 euro. There are probably trains about every hour during the day and you don't need reservations for that (in fact, you can't make them, no reserved seats).

If you get that back, it has maps of Chartres, also, so explain how to get around there, it is an easy walk from the train station to the cathedral. The TER train back to Paris (gare Montparnasse) also takes about an hour or a bit more and costs about 15 euro. trains are very frequent, about every half hour. The only thing is you hvae to get to Versailles Chantiers which is not the same train station as where the RER leaves you (it is a bit farther from the chateau). YOu can, of course, take the regular train from Paris to Versailles and it will let you off at Chantiers if you want. SNCF says it is a 15 min walk to the chateau from Chantiers so I'm guessing that is 1 mile or less (most people don't really walk 4 MPH on a casual basis).

This would work if you aren't the kind of people who like to spend a lot of time at touristic attractions (ie, Versailles).

Maybe you can visit the Eifell Tower by night while you are cruising in sena river...

All of the ideas are great...I think we'll probably do Christina or Sandy's ideas. Like them both. Thanks so much.

Coquiiot - is biking in Nov a possibility? I was guessing it'd be too cold/ icy....

Gretchen - we will definitely take day to just do the casual/ wing it day of dropping into cafes, sipping wine, people watching etc...

Justinparis - I'm looking forward to my solo day for all the reasons you mentioned... I will probably spend that day just "wandering"....I am hoping to find something close to our hotel in champ ellysees..

Thanks again to everyone. Your information is invaluable.

Great ideas...bookmarking

Hi couquelicot - I love the bike tours. I hope the weather is such that we can do it! I looked thru several of the trip reports... I have no clue how I will choose one - they all look fabulous! Given our limited time, I suppose one way to choose would be the one that's easiest to get to ....

I am also looking for mid priced dining options.... We generally like to just grab something to eat while out and about so we would not be dressed for fine dining. In a perfect world I would like a place that has the local charm - maybe off the beaten path- small good wine ... Yummy food for my husband to be able to eat local cuisines - and finally a place where I can get something healthy - steamed veggies and grilled fish, salad, etc...I know I know that going to Paris and not indulging in the fantastic food is criminal but ....that's just not how I eat! Saving my calories for wine

Our hotel is in champ. Ellysees area and we will try to see many of the major sites so restaurant in those areas would be helpful.

TTT

Unfortunately the Champs is not the best area for just enjoying the "life" of Paris. And fortunately the transportation system allows you to be anywhere you want in a short time.
There are umpteen wonderful places to eat that will not require dressing up or busting your "diet". France has "caught up" as well.
La Florimond in the 7th is a favorite here--and of ours. It is at the Ecole Militaire metro stop. Make reservations. And making reservations for your dining is STILL the best idea so you aren't limited to just dropping into a "serviceable" cafe, but not a really memorable meal that would be possible with advance planning.
There is a bus that runs down the Champs to Pl. Concorde and then crosses the river. It is a good "sightseeing" method--and would get you to the 6th (?) easily.
As for the cafe suggestion I made--not just as a "day", but as a way for a time out--every day.

Hi swanner,
I admit I have not read all of the posts but just wanted to add that this past summer we spent 7 nights in Paris for the first time, and the only day trip we took was to Versailles. I think we arrived back in Paris around 4PM, so we also visited the Rodin Museum, which was sort of on the way back to our hotel in the 6th. We also had a delicious lunch in Versailles before heading back to Paris. You can click on my name if you wish to read my trip report & I give names & addresses of restaurants we ate at. We didn't eat at expensive places.

I know it's been mentioned before but I will mention it again, that if you want to do a bike riding tour, then FrenchMysticTours is your guy for it.

You say that you'd love a bike tour if it were warmer, but if the weather when you're there isn't too cold (dress in light layers), check with him - he most likely could come up with a solution for you. His tours are very interesting and will show you a side of France you might not otherwise see.

Hi again. Thanks Gretchen . We will try that place you recommended and yes agree w your daily cafe idea. That was our plan for a portion of ea day... Unplanned mindless wandering and impromptu kind of stuff too.

Koo - thx for your post. I will def read your trip report.

Matthieu - yes we have the bike tour as our biggest priority after some of the Paris must do's like Eiffel tower, Louvre, Sienese riverboat ride, etc....

Anybody have any opinion of the Champagne Houses? Thumbs up or thumbs down given our limited time is it something worthy of fitting into our schedule?

Gretchen- you got me thinking maybe we so switch hotel locations. We can stay at any marriot or renaissance in Paris. Does anyone have a better suggestion?

Also we plan to do the siene sunset / evening river boat tour. Any suggestion on which one is best?

We are considering the Renaissance Paris Le Parc Trocadero in lieu of Marriott Champs Élysées ... Thoughts?

Thumbs up for the Champagne tours, Swanner.

It's an easy 45 minute train ride from Paris to Reims, a 10 minute walk from the train station in Reims to the town central square, and lots of Champagne houses to visit (you'll pick one or two I imagine - look them up online).
You'll even have time for a nice lunch and stroll in Reims if you want to, and can be back in Paris in another 45 minutes. There are lots of daily trains in both directions.

Having done it twice myself very recently, I'd recommend this trip. Click on my name for more details on other similar threads.

Thanks Matthieu- we will def check that out!

ANYwhere but the Champs!!

Lol okay I get it.... Just too corporate chain and commercial? That's the impression I got.

So far we've narrowed it down to something like this:

Day 1- me doing reim champagne houses solo. Husband arrives in time for dinner - will do restaurant recommended by gretchen la florimond
Day 2 - Paris all day ... Just wandering and hitting a few sites - louvre Norte dame etc....
Day 3 - Versailles ( or maybe chantille) the Siene River boat ride at night to see Eiffel Tower etc at night
Day 4 - bike ride ( maybe fountaineblae bike tour - not sure yet - awaiting advise from French mystic tours as to which tour
Day 5 Paris wandering/sight seeing
Day 6 Paris wandering/ sight seeing


Day 3 is the questionable one- do we stay in Paris or take a day trip and if so, where? Also day 1 - still need to work out if that's what I want to do.

Thoughts on the plan? Given our brief visit is this a good "first visit" itinerary?

Are you ARRIVING on day 1? If so, it will never work. AND if your husband is arriving from the US that evening, he will not particularly want a very nice lingering meal--IMO.
For a first visit, you are spending a lot of time outside of Paris, IMO. I honestly don't think you have given enough thought to "seeing" Paris.
Are you only seeing one museum--the Louvre? If so, I could suggest a different "one" museum to see.
I know you say you love to "wander", but wandering with a purpose in Paris is SO rewarding.
If you get the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris, it is arranged so that you see what is in an "area" and can be sort of linked together.
For example, I would hope you are seeing St. Chapelle--and maybe even going to a concert at night there for another nice experience.
People always talk about unstructured visits as being SO good. Overplanning is one thing--but underplanning is something else again, and may be regretted.
If you're going to leave to see a chateau, make it the big one-Versailles.
One thing you haven't mentioned, and the ONE big thing I love wandering around is the street markets--even though I'm not cooking. They are not to be missed.

The problem with the Champs is that is just a huge wide (beautiful, true) street with the most sterile of atmosphere and shops along it.

What Gretchen said:

First day won't work. At all.

Too much time outside of Paris. One day trip is sufficient for a week's trip, two at the very most. You're going to Paris for the first time. See Paris.

Many things you mention are weather-dependent. Lining up outdoor activities on specific days ahead of time often doesn't work.

Wandering is fine if you have destinations. You haven't even mentioned many of the major ones most folks go to Paris to wander to.

Ok guys thanks . I was probably a little too brief in my agenda cuz you are talking to the most planned over organized woman you've ever met. I guess I was attempting to be a bit looser because I'm notorious for being over planned . So on the Paris days when I said wandering and sites I will have an itinerary of things we will do that day. I just didn't call them out here but it will be all the biggies plus a few " off the beaten " path items. I have several guide books I will use to develop the in Paris days. My husband is coming from Poland not the US so a dinner on night one is feasible I believe. I agree with the advise on my solo day - I will be too tired so will just stay in Paris.

The bike tour sounds awesome to us so that will be our one definite day trip and Versailles will be a maybe day trip - will decide once we get there if we do another day in Paris or go to Versailles .

I'm still waiting to hear back if anyone knows of Renaissance Paris Le Parc is a good area for us to stay in.

Much as I adore that restaurant, if YOU are arriving from the USA on what you're calling Day 1, I wouldn't plan a dinner at Le Florimond that night. Just have a light meal somewhere and save Le Florimond for when your head and stomach are in the right time zone.

The Renaissance Le Parc is near the Place Victor Hugo on the Rive Droite, in the Trocadero area. Perfectly fine location, though I always prefer the Rive Gauche.

Thanks stcirq - right now we have reservations at renaissance champs-élysées but one fodorite highly recommended NOT staying there so we are researching options. Le Parc seemed more boutiquey/intimate to us, which appeals to me more but my husband likes the idea of the one we currently have reserved.

I would never stay on the Champs Elysées unless I wanted to be counted as some sort of clueless Paris tourist. The Le Parc isn't much better, but at least it's in a fairly interesting neighborhood on the Right Bank, and it's been totally updated in the last two years. Looks really nice on the website.

Stcirq - thank you .

You really have no idea how uninteresting the Champs IS. REALLY!! LOL

We heeded your advise and switched to renaissance Vendome - thank you so much for the advise.