13 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Paris, France

St-Germain's only Relais & Château hotel is a quintessential Île-de-France country retreat: surrounded by forest, it's rambling and solid, with shuttered windows and 18th-century-style furnishings. The fine restaurant (closed Monday) features chef Grégory Balland's deft hand in such dishes as sole with mushroom risotto or hare stuffed with olives and foie gras. Dining on the garden veranda can prove a most seductive experience.

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.

This beautifully designed hotel and gourmet restaurant just steps from the château entrance adds a welcome dose of chic to the Fontainebleau lodging and dining scene. Bright and uncluttered guest rooms display a contemporary elegance, and several of the ground-floor suites offer lovely garden terraces. The hotel is a short walk from the château, woods, and downtown Fontainebleau, and Gina, the beautiful in-hotel restaurant and bar—with a spacious terrace that's open in warmer weather—is an excellent choice for a gourmet lunch or dinner (closed Wednesday and Thursday).

Established in 1850, the superbly located Londres has been run with pride by the same family for four generations, and guests are treated to a warm welcome by owners who go out of their way to make your stay pleasant. Charmingly homey yet elegant, the ample-sized rooms are tastefully decorated with antiques and Oriental rugs; some have fireplaces, and six have balconies with marvelous views of the Fontainebleau palace entrance and the Cour des Adieux, where Napoléon bade his troops an emotional farewell (the best views are from Rooms 10 and 11 on the top floor), especially when the palace is lit up at night. A spacious private courtyard is cool and serene in summer. The hotel's stately 19th-century facade is a registered landmark.

Top chef and owner of Jardin des Plumes hotel and restaurant David Gallienne now runs this ultracontemporary six-room bed-and-breakfast in a 19th-century milkman's cottage set in the countryside overlooking the Seine River. The original decor would be quite at home in the pages of a design magazine, but there are still plenty of the cozy touches: fireplaces, antiques, comfy bedding, beautiful baths, well-appointed kitchens, and a charming on-site tearoom and spa. All rooms are bright and cheerful with views over the leafy yards. For privacy, romance, and calm—with your own private yard under pretty trees—this (and its mothership the Jardin des Plumes hotel) is your best bet in Giverny. The B&B is a 45-minute train ride from Paris and a 15-minute walk to Monet's gardens.

This may be Fontainebleau's costliest hotel, but it does promise old-world elegance, graceful service, and oodles of atmosphere. Housed in a 17th-century mansion near the palace, the spacious guest rooms conjure up the past through period furnishings, toile fabrics, and antique engravings, without skimping on any of the modern conveniences. You can't go wrong if you request one overlooking either the garden or the palace.

On Chartres' main square, not far from the cathedral, this Best Western Premier hotel in a converted coaching inn warmly evokes the 19th century; many guest rooms are outfitted with brick walls, attractive antiques, lush drapes, and modern bathrooms (the best are in a separate turn-of-the-20th-century building overlooking a garden, while the most atmospheric are tucked away in the attic). Downstairs, the stylishly decorated—and Michelin-starred—Georges Restaurant serves such delicacies as pheasant pie and offers prix-fixe menus. It's closed Sunday and Monday, but the hotel's brasserie La Cour is open daily.

If you're wondering why horses are grazing outside your window, it's because this chic pastoral getaway is set on a horse farm deep in the beautiful Rambouillet countryside. Three contemporary chalets clustered around a lovely pond offer spacious rooms and private balconies, and the property is equipped for hiking, cycling (regular and electric), horseback riding, golf, ping-pong, volleyball, or just relaxing with a book. There's a small spa and a spacious verrière restaurant serving delicious gourmet fare sourced from the kitchen garden. The hotel provides transport from three local train stations.

This Norman-style half-timbered inn with its stylish contemporary interiors, lovely gardens, and Michelin-starred restaurant make this a destination unto itself. All the better that it's a mere 10-minute walk from Monet's fabled gardens. Spacious, light-filled guest rooms pleasantly mix upscale design with Art Deco touches and provide a warm, welcoming retreat tucked away in a splendid setting offering plenty of peace and quiet. The chic one-Michelin-star restaurant, open for lunch and dinner (except on Monday and Tuesday), is a great asset. 

Enjoy the pleasures of both village and countryside at this charming hotel a pleasant 20-minute walk from Versailles. A Relais & Château property, this sophisticated hotel features a large spa, both a bistro and a Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant, and a magical lakeside setting (where Impressionist artist Corot once lived and worked). Rooms mix contemporary elegance with country touches, featuring elegant black-marble baths, some with spacious terraces. Be sure to request a room with a lake view. The hotel is close to Paris, the fabulous Sèvres museum and porcelain works, and Versailles. It's also a quick bus ride from La Seine Musicale, Paris's newest classical and contemporary music venue set on an island on the Seine.

This elegant hotel, in a historic 18th-century mansion a few steps from the château, restaurants, and shopping, offers lovely period decor and expansive views of Paris from some of the rooms and a gastronomic restaurant. A sprawling outdoor terrace, authentic antiques, a pretty park next door, and a spa—not to mention prices far below those in nearby Paris—make this a romantic spot for a weekend getaway.