Days Trips from Paris
 

Any suggestions for easy day trips from Paris? <BR>Thanks.

Many easy trips - Chartres, Versailles, Giverny (Monet), Fontainbleu, others. For more Paris information e-mail me – [email protected]

On our recent trip to Paris, we took a day and went out to the champagne country. It was about an hour and a half train ride to Reims from Paris. We then took a taxi from the station to Cliquot, where we had made an advance reservation for an English language tour. It was great! Then we took the train from Reims to Epernay (about 20 minutes), had a great lunch in a little place by the church, and toured Moet. No advance reservations needed. We returned to Paris and were back in the late afternoon. If you are interested in wine, I would recommend this, as neither of these towns (or champagne houses) are packed with tourists.

I enjoyed visiting Vaux le Vicomte near Melun and Fontainebleau. My wife enjoyed visiting Giverny, near the town of Vernon. Because of the rail schedule, you might consider a bus tour to Giverny <BR>We took a bus tour that visited both Vaux le Vicomte and Fontainebleau in one day. <BR>The services of a guide were very helpful, but I could have stayed longer at both places than the time alloted by the tour schedule. <BR>Fontainebleau is loaded with history of the monarchy and the empire. Some of it is beautiful. <BR>Vaux le Vicomte in terms of architecture, painting, and landscaping is a great example of beautifully integrated design and execution. The builders and designers of Vaux le Vicomte: Andre le Notre, Louis le Vau, and Charles le Brun were "requested" by Louis XIV to design Versailles. What we see today at Vau is the result of a monumental restoration job. After Louis threw Forquet the owner in jail, he hauled off the furnishings, and the estate decayed because of neglect and vandalism. Alfred Sommier bought the chateau in 1875 and started bringing it back to what it was. Destailleurs and Elie Laine were instrumental in recovering the gardens and fountains. Work is left to be done and maintenance is ongoing. <BR>

Versaille is a must. Take the RER C line (make sure it is the Versaille Station.) <BR>I took a day tour of the Burgandy wine region. TGV train to Dijon. The tour company is called Wine and Voyages(?) she is an American who lives in Burgandy. <BR>It is a full day trip, but there are several tour company's that go to Normandy for the day. It is a 3 hr. drive from Paris, but well worth it if you have any interest in history.