The Best Day Trips From Paris
Looking for the best day trips from Paris? We are sharing our 8 favorite one day trips from Paris! I’ll be honest, it takes a lot to get me to leave Paris. No matter how long I have there, it never feels like enough for me! That being said, I have loved every single part of France we have explored outside of Paris and I’ve never regretted shortening my Paris trip. {Although I do always have plans to go back to Paris in the near future!} If you have an extra day while visiting Paris, try one of these one day trips from Paris. We hope you will enjoy them just as much as we did!
Our Favorite One Day Trips From Paris
1. Giverny & Monet’s Garden
Distance: 45 minutes by train, 1 hour by car
How to get there:
By train- Take the train from Paris to Vernon. From there, take a bus, taxi, or bike to Giverny. We highly suggest the bike option! You can rent bikes at the Vernon train station and it’s about a 15 minute ride to Giverny, full of charming scenery and convenient bike paths. Can you think of a better way to start your one day trip from Paris?! If you are arriving early in the morning, which we recommend given it’s a one day trip from Paris, there may not be any taxis or buses. Prepare for biking to be your only option.
By car- You have the option of taking a quick toll road, which we opted for, or a longer route through the countryside. If we had more time, we would’ve opted for the countryside road, but the toll road route was beautiful as well.
Why visit: Giverny is the beautiful and charming town where Monet’s home and garden is located. Just an hour away from Paris, it’s a quick and easy option for a one day trip from Paris. Whether you’re an Impressionism art lover or not {I am, Bassam is not}, it’s a beautiful experience. I found it almost emotional to be standing in the gardens that inspired Monet’s work and to walk through the home he lived in. Bassam didn’t have the same emotional reaction, but he also loved spending time in the gorgeous garden and admiring the French charm of the old house.
Highlights: Monet’s home and garden {of course}, visit the art galleries, wander the small but charming town
Where to stay if you decide to turn it into an overnight: La Dime de Giverny , Search all hotels here
Read more about Giverny here
2. Versailles
Distance: 40 minutes by car, 1 hour by train
How to get there: By train- Take the train from Paris to Versailles Château / Rive Gauche. Once you arrive at the Versailles station, it’s about a 13 minute walk to the palace. Buy your return ticket when buying your departure ticket so you don’t have to wait in the massive lines at the train station on the way back. You can jump on any train on the way back, they all go to Paris.
Why visit: Versailles is probably the most popular one day trip from Paris and very easy to get to by train. We recommend arriving early in the morning for less crowds. The palace is much larger than you’d probably imagine and there’s more than enough to see to fill an entire day. Just the inside of the palace is 721,206 square feet. There are also 230 acres of formal gardens, two smaller palaces, a farm, and a canal! Since you most likely won’t be able to see it all in one day, prioritize what is of most interest to you, for example, exploring the woods or having a picnic by the canal?
Highlights: The Grand Canal, the formal gardens, Marie Antoinette’s cottage
Where to stay if you decide to turn it into an overnight: Search all hotels here
3. Loire Valley
Distance: 2 hours by car, 35 minutes to 1.5 hours by train
How to get there:
By train- Take the train from Paris to Tours {35 minutes} or Paris to Blois {1.5 hours} just depending which part of Loire Valley you want to arrive in. From there, you can take buses, taxis, or a bike to get to the attractions you want to visit. You could also rent a car upon arrival to make it easy to see the different chateaus. Driving is safe and easy in France; we highly recommend it.
By Car- While taking the train or bus is usually very easy for most of Paris, we recommend exploring Loire Valley by car. It’ll be the easiest and quickest way to get from place to place within Loire Valley. You can also take a tour if you want to maximize time and not drive yourself, but we just prefer going at our own pace.
Why visit: Loire Valley is home to over 42 beautiful French castles and is an absolutely beautiful part of France to visit. You can visit the castles, go wine tasting, explore the charming towns, and experience some great French dining. It would be ideal if you had more than one day to spare, but you can also see a good amount with a one day trip from Paris to Loire Valley.
Highlights: The chateaux, our favorites: Chateau D’Usse, Chateau Chambord, Chateau de Chaumont.
Where to stay if you decide to turn it into an overnight: Hotel Au Charme Rabelaisien , Hotel Au Charme Rabelaisien
Read more about Loire Valley here
4. Champagne / Reims
Distance: 2 hours by car, 45 minutes by train
How to get there: By train- Take the train from Paris to Reims
Why visit: The champagne region in France is where all champagne comes from. If it doesn’t come from here, it’s not supposed to be called champagne. We felt it was such a magical {and fancy!} experience to drink Champagne in Champagne! Champagne is a large region and the part you’ll want to visit in the historical city of Reims. It’s a very charming town and full of champagne houses where you can taste champagne. We visited Veuve Clicquot and loved learning about the history {and strong woman!} behind the brand. If you’ve already been to Giverny and Versailles, we highly recommend Reims for your one day trip from Paris!
Highlights: A champagne house, explore the charming town of Reims, dining at a Michelin star restaurant {there are several in town!}
Where to stay if you decide to turn it into an overnight: Best Western Premier Hôtel de la Paix , Search all hotels here
5. Normandy
Distance: 2 hours 40 minutes by car, 1 – 2.5 hours by train depending on which part
How to get there:
By train- There are several stations in Normandy. Choose your station depending on what you’re going to be doing for the day. You can also take the train to get around in Normandy. Here are the options:
- Paris – Evreux: 1 hour
- Paris – Rouen: 1 hour 30
- Paris – Caen: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Paris – Le Havre: 2 hours
- Paris – Alençon:2 hours, 30 minutes
Why visit: There is quite a bit to do in Normandy and it’s not as close to Paris as the other towns we recommended, so we would recommend taking a tour for this one or driving if you only have one day. You will also need to narrow down what you want to see while you’re there as it is difficult to do it all in one day. The most common option is to do a tour of WW II sites, such as, Omaha Beach, The American Cemetery, and Pointe du Hoc. In addition, Mont Saint Michel is a beautiful island worth visiting in Normandy. We also loved the seaside villages of Honfleur, Deauville and Trouville.
Highlights: Mont Saint Michel, taste Camembert and hard cider, visit one of the lovely seaside villages, take a tour of the WW II sites
Where to stay if you decide to turn it into an overnight: At a castle! Read about our experience here
One Day Guide to Normandy coming soon!
We haven’t been to the following towns, but are hoping to check them out on our next one day trip from Paris
6. Chantilly
Distance: One hour by car, 22 minutes by train
How to get there: By train – Take the train from Paris to the Chantilly-Gouvieux station. You can explore the town by walking or taking a taxi
Why visit: Chateau de Chantilly is one of the best kept secrets. Not many people go to visit, so you don’t need to battle the crowds, and you’ll be rewarded with a magical castle. The chateau dates back to the 16th century and the small town within it inspired Marie Antoinette’s hamlet at Versailles. There’s also a musuem on property which contains the second largest art collection in France {first is the Louvre}. Chantilly cream and Chantilly lace are both rumored to have come from this town, although neither claim has been proved.
Highlights: Explore Chateau de Chantilly, eat some Chantilly cream, check out some Chantilly lace
Want to turn it into an overnight trip? Search hotels here
7. Provins
Distance: 1 hour and 15 minutes by car, 1.5 hours by train
How to get there: By train – take the Paris train to Provins. Once there, you can get around the town by walking
Why visit: If you love medieval towns, Provins is for you! It was once home to a medieval fair and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is exactly the type of town Bassam loves, full of history and ancient secrets to discover. It’s not well known among tourists, which means you don’t need to worry about it being very crowded.
Highlights: Tour Cesar {a medieval tower}, Saint Jean’s gate ramparts, the medieval tunnels, and a walk through the newer part of the town
Want to turn it into an overnight trip? Search hotels here
8. Fontainebleau
Distance: 1 hour by car, 40 minutes by train
How to get there: By train – Take the train from Paris to Fontainebleau-Avon. From there, take a bus from directly in front of the train station, Line 1 (Lilas/Chateau) to the Chateau stop.
Why visit: Gorgeous French castle that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perfect for the history lover. Don’t want the crowds of Versailles or the long drive of the Loire Valley? Fontainebleau is for you! It can be a very quick trip and perfect if you don’t want to be gone for a long day.
Highlights: The chateau and forest. If it’s summer, take a rowboat out on the lake
Want to turn it into an overnight trip? Search hotels here
We hope you enjoyed these 8 suggestions for one day trips from Paris.
We’d love to know where you decide to go on your one day trip from Paris!
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