6 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Paris, France

This storybook 18th-century château (once the country home of Catherine Deneuve) has everything you need to experience the beauty and magic of the French countryside far from the hustle and bustle. And yet it's only a 50-minute drive from Paris and 35 minutes by car from lovely Vernon and Giverny, making it the perfect spot for a weekend getaway. Once here, there's little reason to leave the wooded 74-acre property, complete with flower gardens, an outdoor pool, woodland walks, and a farm fully equipped with livestock, orchards, and vegetable gardens. Rooms are the epitome of contemporary elegance, with views of the gardens or the nearby Eure River. The restaurants on the property, a gastronomic dining room run by chef Géraud Dupuis and Martin bistro, both make good use of the garden bounty. Round off your idyllic stay with a relaxing spa treatment at the Susan Kaufmann spa set in a former woodshed.

You'll find peace at these three charming cottages (and an elegant manor house split into two apartments) set in several 17th-century outbuildings of the Château de Courances in the château's splendid gardens. Each of these beautifully restored and decorated family-style cottages—a chic mix of antique and contemporary—sleeps between two and eight people and can be rented individually (for a two-night minimum) or together. La Régie, an impeccably refurbished manor house, is split into two light-drenched 1,150-square-foot apartments, complete with period antiques, restored original woodwork and floors, comfy living areas, spacious modern baths, a fully equipped kitchen, fireplace, and an outdoor terrace. Only 8 miles from Barbizon and 12 miles from Fontainebleau, this is an excellent base for visiting the area.

No stranger to five-star prices, Disneyland has actually never had a five-star hotel until it opened this 487-room confection, a cross between a Victorian mansion and a fairy-tale castle. Set at the entrance to the park, it’s the most convenient Disney lodging, and many rooms overlook Main Street and Sleeping Beauty Castle (which the hotel resembles more than a little). Room themes draw from 11 Disney princesses and princes, from Cinderella to the Snow Queen and Rapunzel in colors like powder blue, silvery grey, and, yes, pink, but with a glittery sophistication other park hotels lack. Some deluxe suites sport fireplaces and outdoor terraces in the courtyard garden. Facilities like the indoor pool, Jacuzzi, and full-service spa—which pampers kids as young as six—round out the high-end experience. Other highlights include a trove of fun activities for kids, including a wandering troupe of Disney princesses and princes that appear regularly at La Table de Lumière gourmet restaurant, the Fleur de Lys lounge, and the Royal Banquet (you can also book a meet-and-greet by appointment). 

A great choice for families and travelers on a budget, this rustic-contemporary hotel just outside the palace grounds fills a much-needed niche in this upscale city. The chic lodge’s 30 raw-wood-paneled rooms—some with spacious garden terraces—are spare, bright, and serviceable and can sleep up to four people. Hostel-like dormers are well-suited for families, solo travelers on a budget, and groups, with shared rooms for up to six people starting at €26. The on-site bistro’s all-day hours and spacious terrace make it a pleasant spot to enjoy a well-priced menu of homemade wood-fired pizzas, copious salads, and traditional French favorites from breakfast to late-night drinks or snacks in a “no-fuss” atmosphere.

Barbizon's best hotel offers unusually spacious rooms (all tastefully decorated in a contemporary style), a wellness area (with an extensive menu of spa treatments), and an indoor-outdoor pool, making it a good choice for couples or families. A top dining choice in town, the hotel's restaurant is a draw for both locals and nonguests alike.

Like a modern-day Versailles, this deluxe turn-of-the-20th-century hotel is a creamy white creation of imposing size, filled with soaring rooms (including the historic Salle Clemenceau, site of the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference). Part of the Waldorf-Astoria brand since 2014, it's a destination unto itself, with a health club (the pool is poised beneath a glass pyramid), a Guerlain spa, and a lobby glammed up with Murano chandeliers and high-back leather armchairs. The hotel headlines menus designed by superstar chef Gordon Ramsey and carries a Michelin star, though the chef himself is not in the kitchen. Soaring La Veranda bistro is a lively local favorite for its reliably good food, lovely vistas of the gardens, and wide terrace that's open in summer. As for the guest rooms, try to avoid the newer annex (the Pavillon Trianon), and insist on the full treatment in the main building, where rooms are spacious, many with balconies and lovely views of Versailles' gardens, though the decor is a bit somber and could do with refurbishment. A great advantage of the hotel is its setting two steps from Versailles's garden entrance and a pleasant 15-minute walk to the Grand and Petit Trianon, where you can buy your entrance tickets, thus avoiding the crowds at the main entrance.