Six, edited down
Day Trips
Sometimes the best thing to do in Paris is leave it for a day.
But only if it earns the day. You have a limited number of them, and Paris isn't finished with you. These six are the ones I think are worth the train, in the order I'd choose them.
Best first day trip
Versailles
It's the one that's genuinely unlike anything in the city, and the gardens are the reason to go rather than the state rooms. Go early, walk out to the Trianon and the Hameau de la Reine, and let the crowd stay behind you at the palace.
If you only leave Paris once, leave it for this.
My aunt and cousin, in front of the Palace
Best for
First-timers, gardens, anyone traveling with kids
Travel time
About 45 minutes each way · RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche
Getting in
Check the site. The Passport ticket covers palace, Trianon and gardens
How much of a day
All of it. Leave in the morning, come back for dinner
Booking
Yes. Timed entry, and it sells out.
When
Closed Mondays. The fountains run on set days in season, so check before you pick your date
Best for art
Giverny
Monet's house and garden, and the pond he painted for thirty years. If you go to the Orsay and love what you see there, this is the same story with the paint still wet. You're standing in the subject.
Go in the morning, before the coaches.
Best for
Painters, gardeners, anyone who lingers in the Impressionist rooms
Travel time
Around 1 hour 15 each way · Saint-Lazare to Vernon, then the shuttle or a bike
Getting in
Train plus one admission for the house and gardens
How much of a day
Most of it, though you could be back by late afternoon
Booking
Yes, timed entry, and it's worth doing.
When
Seasonal, roughly April to November. The waterlilies are a summer thing
Best for wine
Reims / Champagne
Forty-five minutes on the TGV and you're in the chalk cellars. Book one big house for the spectacle of it and one small grower for the wine you'll actually remember, have lunch between them, and don't try to fit in a third.
The fastest way out of Paris, and the one you'll be happiest on the train home from.
Best for
Anyone who drinks wine seriously, or wants one indulgent day
Travel time
About 45 minutes each way · TGV from Gare de l'Est
Getting in
Cheaper if you book the TGV early. Tastings vary a lot by house
How much of a day
All of it, and you won't want to do much that evening
Booking
Everything. Cellar visits, the train, and lunch. Small growers often need weeks
When
Any time of year. Harvest in September is the most alive, and the hardest to book
Best short trip
Chantilly
Twenty-five minutes out of Gare du Nord and you get a château on a lake, a Le Nôtre park, the Grandes Écuries, and the Musée Condé, which holds one of the best collections of old master paintings in France outside the Louvre, hung the way its owner left it rather than the way a curator would.
The most you'll get for the least travel. And yes, have the crème Chantilly where it was named.
Best for
Paintings, horses, anyone short on time
Travel time
About 25 minutes on the train · Gare du Nord to Chantilly-Gouvieux, then a walk or shuttle to the gates
Getting in
One Domaine ticket covers château, park and stables
How much of a day
Half a day is honest, a full one if you walk the park
Booking
No need. Buy online to skip the line
When
Spring or autumn for the park. Check the closing day before you commit
Best escape into nature
Fontainebleau
A château that's arguably more interesting than Versailles and a great forest wrapped around it: sandstone boulders, sand paths, climbers on the rocks. Do the palace in the morning and spend the afternoon in the trees.
The one to pick if you want air, not lines.
Best for
Walkers, climbers, anyone who's had enough of crowds
Travel time
About 40 minutes each way · Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon, then a short bus
Getting in
Train plus château admission. The forest is free
How much of a day
A full day if you walk, an easy half if you only do the château
Booking
Not really. Buy the château ticket online and walk in
When
Best in autumn. The château closes Tuesdays
Best quieter alternative
Auvers-sur-Oise
Van Gogh's last two months, and the small room he died in. The wheatfield, the church, the graves. It's a village, not an attraction, and you can walk the whole thing in an afternoon with hardly anyone around.
Quiet and genuinely moving. Not a first choice, but the one I'd send someone back for.
Best for
Second visits, Van Gogh, walking somewhere with no crowd
Travel time
About 1 hour each way · from Gare du Nord or Saint-Lazare, usually with one change
Getting in
Train plus a small charge at the Auberge Ravoux. Most of the village is free
How much of a day
Half a day is enough. Go after a late breakfast
Booking
No. Just check what's open on the day
When
Seasonal. Much of the village shuts outside roughly April to October. July for the wheatfields
Travel times are approximate and ticket prices change, so I've left them off. Check the official sites above before you build a day around one of these.
From Tomáš
On a first trip of three days, I'd stay in the city. Save these for when Paris is no longer new.
