There is just so much to love about the City of Love. It makes it easy to get lost wandering down the romantic, winding streets, browsing the famous artworks, and discovering some of the top cuisine worldwide. There are many reasons why Paris is one of the top travel destinations. However, there are hidden gems and can’t miss sites just beyond the historic capital. I’ve teamed up with some of the top travel bloggers around the world to create a list of the best day trips from Paris.
Best Day Trips from Paris
Whether you’re a solo traveler, visiting Paris with kids, seeking adventures, or looking to relax, France has it all. That’s why it’s so important to remember that there is more to the country than just it’s capital city. Luckily, there are several options to escape the bustling Parisian streets and explore more of the nearby region.
While there is so much more to discover, here are our picks for the best day trips from Paris.
1. Mont St. Michel
All of northern France is beautiful, however, Le Mont Saint Michel is a particular jewel. The imposing abbey rises out of the water, looking like something out of a fairytale – or perhaps a Hollywood movie. It’s a “pinch yourself” place. Best of all, it’s easily accessible, making it one of the best day trips from Paris.
Visiting Mont Saint Michel in a day does require a bit of planning and an early start, since it’s approximately 362 kilometres (225 miles) from downtown Paris. As Mont Saint Michel is one of the best day trips from Paris, however, there are regular buses and trains daily.
Getting to Mont Saint Michel from Paris
The trip takes about four hours each way, so it’s best to set off from Paris as early as possible in the morning. Mont Saint Michel gets crowded by the early afternoon, so the earlier you can arrive the better – it’s at its most beautiful when it is more deserted. The towering Abbey opens at 9 am, so leaving Paris on the first train around 7:00 am is a good idea. If you are driving, you can set off even earlier.
There is a bus that will take you from the Visitor’s Center to near the base of Mont Saint Michel, but you can also quite easily walk down the causeway, taking in the beautiful views. Once you’re on the island, a hodgepodge of narrow lanes takes you to the stunning Abbey.
Parts of the Abbey date back to the 8th century, although construction wasn’t completed until 1523, so it’s a mix of architectural styles. The Abbey also enjoys an amazing viewpoint back over the French coast.
After visiting the Abbey and taking in the views, there are plenty of souvenir shops and cafés to visit before returning back to Paris.
-Georgie // Journey with Georgie
2. Giverny
If you are interested in Impressionist art or love beautiful natural settings, Giverny is a must-see place during your time in France. This little village is about an hour from Paris and is where Claude Monet lived and worked for about half of his life.
The biggest attraction in this town is Monet’s house and gardens. As a lover of nature, Monet spent much time and money cultivating two incredible gardens—Clos Normond (the flower garden right next to his pink and green house) and the Japanese garden (connected to the main property by a tunnel). You will likely recognize the iconic Japanese garden from his water lily and Japanese bridge series of paintings that are now scattered across the globe in famous art museums.
Getting to Giverny is easy by train to the Vernon—Giverny station (45 minutes to an hour) or by car (1-1.5 hours). While taking a train is nice as it allows you to see the scenery, taking a car allows for maximum flexibility in seeing Giverny and the surrounding areas.
Whether you spend half a day or the whole day exploring Giverny and Monet’s gardens, you will depart from this beautiful slice of the French countryside with a sense of awe and an understanding of why Monet chose to dedicate so much of his life to painting his beautiful gardens! This is truly a beautiful place that brings Impressionist art to life.
-Abi // Happy Go Abi
3. Versailles
Versailles remains one of the most popular and best day trips from Paris, and for good reason! Located just an hour from the capital, this charming town is home to the infamous Château de Versailles. From it’s golden gates, to the sprawling gardens, the palace has something for everyone. History buffs can walk down the Hall of Mirrors and stand in the extravaggent apartmets of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.
It’s easy to spend an entire day lost in the beauty of the Palace of Versailles, however, the city offers so much more. For adventurous day-trippers, the gardens and surrounding area has bikes for rent, rowing boats, walking trails, and segway tours. Families traveling with kids from Paris can enjoy Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, which includes fairytale-like cottages and small petting zoo.
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Versailles also offers small cafes, shops, and brasseries that are typically more relaxed than some found in the bustling capital city. It also plays host to a wide variety of markets. For those who love the architecture and history with the famed gothic cathedrals may be interested visiting the Notre-Dame de Versailles. Also of interest is the Versailles Cathedral, which was initially established by Louis XV and withstood the turmoil of the French Revolution.
How to get to Versailles from Paris
Traveling from Paris to Versailles is inexpensive, simple, and quick. First, keep in mind that Paris is served by both the RER and metro lines. As the metro lines serve the city of Paris, you’ll be looking for the RER to get to Versailles.
Take the RER C line to the Versailles Château Rive Gauche stop. This generally will take an hour, give or take, depending on where you are located in the city. Upon arrival, the chateau is a short, walk of around ten minutes. There will be signs everywhere leading the way!
4. Normandy
The D-Day beaches in Normandy are another one of the most popular and best day trips from Paris. If you want to see just one site in Europe about World War II then this would be a great one to do as it had such an impact on the outcome of the war. The landings took place along the Normandy coastline near the town of Bayeaux and there’s actually quite a lot of remnants of the war that can be seen.
There’s a nice town called Arromanches-sur-les-Bains where you can clearly see the remains of a temporary harbour that was built once the beaches were secured. This allowed Allied tanks and troops to enter mainland Europe. Of course, each beach is also filled with monuments to the fallen soldiers too and plenty of museums to fill in any knowledge gaps. If you can, visit St Mere Eglise. It was the first liberated town and has an interesting story about a parachutist getting stuck on the church. To this day, there’s a dummy parachutist on the church steeple to remember him and his story.
The Normandy D-Day beaches are best reached by car, as it’s about 3 hours away, or by organized tour group if you want to do it as a day trip from Paris. Public transport isn’t too great and it’s hard to reach the small towns by the coast.
-Kirsty // Lost in Landmarks
5. Bordeaux
Arguably one of the most famous wine regions in the world, Bordeaux can be reached just several hours outside of Paris. And naturally, there is a world class wine museum all about wine. The museum itself is something to visit for its architectural uniqueness – it looks like a large boot. Upon arrival, you are given a headset and touch phone in order to start the self-guided tour. As a self guided tour, you can go at your own pace. From start to finish, the tour typically takes about 2-4 hours. There are hundreds of different stations throughout the museum that you scan on the headset and learn about certain grapes, wine types, wine regions around the world, wine making processes and much more. The tour ends on the top floor of the museum overlooking the the panoramic of the city with…of course, a wine tasting.
Bordeaux is not all about wine though. The city has fascinating history, so one of the free walking tours is a must do. It lasts roughly 2 hours where you see some of the main sights of Bordeaux such as Quinconces, Grand Theatre, Place de la Bourse, Utopia, and Porte Cailhau. The tours are available in your choice of English, Spanish or French tours.
How to get to Bordeaux from Paris
Paris has daily high speed trains going to and from Bordeaux each day, with TGV. The total distance one way is 360 miles and takes about 2.5 hours to get there, which is an average speed of 144 miles per hour!
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Departure station : Paris montparnasse
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Arrival station : Bordeaux St Jean
-Courtney // Solo Traveler Diaries
6. Brussels
Less than two hours by train, Brussels, Belgium makes one of the best day trips from Paris. The Thalys high-speed train will take only 90 minutes from Paris Nord station to BrusselsMidi. For budget travelers, slower, more affordable options are also available. From Brussels Midi, it’s easy to catch a local train to Brussels Central for your day of exploration.
Brussels Central station is conveniently located just steps from the Grand Place, the hub of Brussels downtown tourist area. The Central train station is also very close to the Sablon neighborhood, a less touristy area, with gorgeous architecture and delicious chocolate shops.
With only one day to explore Brussels, a tour is the best option to see as much as possible. Right outside Brussels Central, you can catch the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus to get an overview of the city and it’s attractions.
If you prefer to spend the day on foot, a Chocolate and Beer tasting tour with the Brussels Journey is a fabulous way to spend your day in Brussels. This walking tour of historic Belgium will take you past many attractions, including the Mannekin Pis and the Grand Place, as you stop in several shops and pubs for chocolates and beer. Don’t forget to save room for a Belgium waffle and frites before you head back to Paris for the night!
-Leigh // Campfires and Concierges
Do you have any ideas for the best day trips from Paris that didn’t make our list? Let us know in the comments below!
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A Nation of Moms says
These places look incredible! The architecture of Bordeaux and the castle on the island both look amazing. I haven’t been to Europe and it would be nice to be able to check these out. Looks like there are so many great things to see!
Christina says
France is such a beautiful country and so diverse as you can see! If you’re able to make a trip there, I think you won’t be disappointed!
jane says
We just had our first France trip and absolutely loved the countryside! Love this list and definitely now a part of our French bucket list!
Christina says
That’s so awesome! Isn’t it lovely? I cannot wait to go back and explore some more myself!
Kasey says
Wow these places look so pretty and awesome !!
Kasey
TheStyleWright.com
Christina says
Aren’t they though? I think France (and a lot of Europe) looks straight out of a fairytale in many places!
everydaywithmadirae says
Paris just seems so magical! I’ve never been, but it’s definitely on the top of my list of places to go!
-Madi xo
http://everydaywithmadirae.com
Christina says
It was at the top of my bucketlist to visit Paris and I was not disappointed!
cindy says
All great choices!! I took my family to Mont st Michel and Giverny and they loved it. We did stayed in the area for a night and it was great that we were able to go to Normandy as well.
Christina says
That’s so wonderful! I loved how much history there was in France and those sites definitely have it!
val says
I have not made it to Europe yet, it makes me sad I am 53 and have never been. I am hoping to go this summer when we sell our house! Versailles sounds so dreamy, your pics are wonderful. Paris is number one on the list!
Valerie
Christina says
That would be so wonderful, I hope your dream comes true for you! Versailles was out of a dream. Although we stayed there all day, I could go back and explore some more, there was so much to see!
Rosemary says
Great options and so accessible from Paris. I go to Paris often, but its been a while since I visited Mont St. Michel and need to go back. Thanks for the inspiration for my next trip to the City of Lights!
Christina says
Thank you, I love to hear that! Paris has such a great transportation system in place, it makes day trips like these completely doable, even if travelling with little ones, like we do!
Stine Mari says
I had forgotten the name of Le Mont Saint Michel (and where it was), and I was actually wondering about it the other day so this came in perfect timing! Thank you so much for sharing, bookmarking for later!
Christina says
That’s so funny, I’m glad I could be of help! It is a stunning place!
Renée ♥ says
We are traveling to Europe next year for the first time, and I can’t wait to see some of these places! Mont Saint Michel looks like a beautiful painting.
Christina says
That’s so exciting! I think so too, it is very dreamlike!
Blogger Sarah J says
I have pinned your post on my Pinterest and wrote the link down… this is SO informative and when I’m in Europe over the summer – I am determined to visit these places. Thanks so much for sharing
Christina says
I’m so happy you found it helpful! I think your trip to Europe will be amazing!
countdowntofridayblog says
I’d also like to recommend the Champagne region as a great day trip from Paris…this girl loves some sparkly beverages 😉 I’m also a military spouse and we loved living in Germany for 3 years. Great to find your blog!
Christina says
I’ve heard some amazing things about Champagne and I know it’s on my list of places to go next trip to France! That’s so awesome, from what I hear you hit the jackpot in overseas bases. We would love to be stationed in Germany someday!
SecretMoona says
Giverny looks incredible! I can’t believe I lived in France for 25 years and never knew about this town!
Christina says
Isn’t it beautiful? I can see how it inspired Monet and some of his best works!
Grace Silla says
I love that you included Mont Saint Michel. We wanted to go there when we were in Paris but unfortunately didn’t have the time. I guess there’s always a next time! 🙂
Christina says
Yes, definitely! That sounds like the perfect excuse to go back! 🙂
Mona says
This is perfect! I’ve already been to Paris a few times so I’ve been looking for more off the beaten path experiences. Definitely saving this for later.
Christina says
That’s so awesome! One of the things that I love about France is that the big “touristy” spots are still amazing to visit, but there are those hidden gems to discover also!
hassan jalou says
I visited Paris twice, my diary was very beautiful
Christina says
That is wonderful, I cannot wait to get back! There is so much to do and see!