Paris has more than enough to keep travellers entertained during their stay, but if you want to soak up as much of the city and its surroundings during your trip as you can, you can see landmark castles and wine country in just a few short hours − and sometimes in under one.
Lavish palaces, maze-like gardens, endless hills of vines − there’s a lot to explore around the city, and the best part is that you don’t even need a car for these day trips from Paris. With an efficient network of trains, buses, and dedicated shuttles, you can visit some of the best places in France in one day. Jet over to wine country, Normandy, or one of the most famous theme parks in the world, Disneyland. All of these trips are easy to do in a day, but if you get swept away by the scenery and want the experience to last longer, you can turn it into an overnight excursion at one of the many hotels, guest houses, and charming countryside inns in each area.
Royal day trip from Paris: Château de Versailles
Distance from Paris: 40 minutes by car or train
Price: Around €19.50 (about £17) for adults, free for under 18s
What to wear or bring: Some sun cover if you plan on spending time in the gardens.
Expert Tip: Arrive early (around the 9 am opening time) to avoid the busiest crowds and pre-book your tickets to skip the longest queues.
How to get there: This is one of the easiest day trips from Paris by train. From the centre of Paris, take the line C of the RER from Champs de Mars – Tour Eiffel to the Versailles Château Rive Gauche station, the closest to the palace, about a 10-minute walk away. The station gets busy, so it’s better to buy a round-trip ticket (roughly €4.95 or £4.25 each way). You can also take Bus 171 from Pont de Sèvres (approximately €2.10 or £1.80).
Intended to be more of a city than a palace, this sprawling, 17th-century estate was a hunting lodge before it was transformed into a seat of power for the French court and government by Louis XIV. The lavish parties and even more lavish interiors are what created intrigue around the château and estate, which now spans nearly 2,000 acres.
A visit to Versailles could take an entire day since the palace itself is now a museum with a collection of 60,000 pieces of art from five centuries of French history. If you want the full experience, book a 90-minute guided tour (around €10 or £8.60), which will take you through rooms not normally open to the public, including the private apartments of Louis XV and Louis XVI. Stroll for about half an hour or take the mini train over to the Trianon palaces and estate of Marie Antoinette to see the Italian-designed, pink marble palace filled with furniture dating back to the First Empire.
The park and gardens, which are open daily, are free of charge if you’re visiting from November to March, but during the high season, from April to October, there’s a fee for the gardens during the days of the fountain shows and musical gardens (Tuesday through Sunday).
Explore Champagne region
Distance from Paris: 1h 30min to Reims by car or 1 hour by train from Gare de l’Est
Price: Tastings at Perrier-Jouët start at around €60 (about £52)
What to wear or bring: While you might want to wear a fancier outfit for a wine tasting, flat shoes are essential if you’ll be touring the vineyards.
Expert Tip: My favourite artisanal épicerie in Paris, Au Bon Manger, sources the best cheese and charcuterie from around France, as well as a fantastic selection of grower Champagnes you’ll want to stock up on to enjoy during your stay or when you get back home.
How to get there: The high-speed TGV train to one of the two main cities in Champagne, Reims and Épernay, is the quickest and easiest way to get to the region.
Parisians often joke that it’s faster to get to Champagne from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) than the centre of Paris, which is true since the quickest train trip from the airport to the Champagne-Ardenne TGV is less than 30 minutes.
With 14 trains a day between CDG and the gateway to the Champagne region (and tickets starting around €26 or £22), Champagne is an easy and popular day trip from Paris. You can visit a Champagne house like Ruinart or Perrier-Jouët, but you’ll need to make an appointment in advance or book a package that includes transport. If the case you do want to hire a car, it’s quicker to take the train from Paris and hire a car at the station.
If you think about staying the night (or a few), book a room overlooking the vines at the modern Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, about a 15-minute drive from Épernay. The restaurant is one of the best in the region.
Giverny: easy and beautiful day trip from Paris
Distance from Paris: 90 minutes by car or 45 minutes by train from Saint-Lazare station
Price: Around €11 (roughly £9.45)
What to wear or bring: Sunscreen and a hat are essential in summer, but you should also be prepared for rain, with waterproof shoes and a raincoat.
Expert Tip: You can book a full-day package tour to Giverny and Versailles starting at about €189 or £162 per person.
How to get there: Half-day bus trips are running to Giverny every day except Monday from April 1 to October 31 (approximately €75 or £150).
The halfway point between Paris and Rouen and the gateway to France’s Normandy region, this day trip from Paris is best known for Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s Japanese-style gardens and lily ponds. These gardens inspired his Water Lilies series, on display in Paris at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Now part of the Fondation Monet in Giverny, the artist’s home, studio and water garden − complete with a Japanese bridge, wisteria, and fuchsia-coloured azaleas − are open to the public. It’s worth spending some time in the Seine-side village while you’re here. Dine at the former boarding house-turned-restaurant, Hôtel Baudy, where other artists like Cézanne and Rodin once stayed, or tour the characteristically green Eure Valley on a 19th-century train.
The village of Saint-Vrain
Distance from Paris: 42 minutes by car or 1h 15min by train
Price: The lunch menu is around €55 (approximately £47) per person
What to wear: You’ll fit in at Le Doyenné with smart or business-casual clothes.
Expert Tip: The restaurant doesn’t serve a children’s menu and dinner averages around 3 hours, so keep that in mind if you’re coming with kids.
How to get there: You can drive, take a taxi or ride-share or take the RER C from Paris in the direction of Saint-Martin-d’Étampes, exiting at Bouray Station. From there, it’s a 5-minute taxi, 40-minute walk or short bus ride to Le Doyenné.
About an hour south of Paris, the village of Saint-Vrain is worth visiting for one spot in particular: Le Doyenné, a restaurant, guesthouse and farm on the old grounds of Château de Saint-Vrain. Taking over the former stables that once served as art studios for sculptors like Niki de Saint Phalle and Tinguely, chefs and owners James Henry and Shaun Kelly brought in local artisans to revamp the historic site and transform it into a French farmhouse with a tasting-menu restaurant integrating ingredients from the on-site potager, or garden. The menu follows the seasons and micro seasons, with the team hand-selecting vegetables each morning to serve alongside a selection of game, poultry, dairy and seafood sourced from the top producers in France. Expect dishes like fish of the day grilled over coals and scallop carpaccio with kumquat.
Mont Saint-Michel: a sandy day trip from Paris
Distance from Paris: 4 hours by car or 4h 30min by train
Price: Around €11 (about £9.45) for the Abbey
What to wear or bring: Dress a bit warmer than you would for the mainland, as the island can get quite windy.
Expert Tip: Consider turning this Paris day trip into an overnight trip so you can stay into the evening, when the crowds dissipate, and the island lights up.
How to get there: Private coach lines like Coach Operator FH and Flixbus run from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel, or you can take the Mont Saint-Michel train from the Paris-Montparnasse station (the journey varies by season) or a 2-hour TGV to Rennes and 70-minute connection via Bus KEOLIS.
The holy island has been a pilgrimage site since the 8th century, and when the Abbey of the Mont Saint-Michel was built in the Middle Ages, it was frequented by some of Europe’s brightest minds. A UNESCO World Heritage site today, the island and its bay are considered a “Wonder of the West” and one of the most popular destinations in France, attracting nearly 2.5 million visitors a year. Stone buildings in the village dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries now house artisan shops and museums. Stroll the narrow alleys and admire the postcard-perfect image of the impressive mount towering over the sea − or being surrounded by it, which happens every month or so due to high tides.
Disneyland Paris
Distance from Paris: 35 minutes by car or 45 minutes by train
Price: Dated one-day tickets for adults start at around €56.00 (about £48) and undated tickets start at approximately €105 (roughly £90.20)
What to wear or bring: Wear comfortable clothes for the rides and bring sunscreen so you can top up throughout the day.
Expert Tip: Tables go fast, but you can make restaurant reservations up to two months in advance on the Disneyland Paris mobile app.
How to get there: Take the A4 autoroute from Paris if you’re driving or take the train to the Marne-la-Valée/Chessy Station, which is about a 2-minute walk from the Disney Parks.
One of the best day trips from Paris for kids, Disneyland Paris is only 20 miles from the city and about an hour from the Paris airports by shuttle bus. At Disneyland Park, Sleeping Beauty Castle is the crowning feature, but you’ll find similar attractions to its sister parks in the U.S., like Adventureland and Fantasyland. Of course, there are plenty of character experiences in the form of meet ‘n’ greets with Stitch or Winnie the Pooh, plus a ton of dining options to satisfy all budgets and tastes, from quick-service with vegetarian dishes to Creole-inspired feasts on a torch-lit lagoon in Adventureland. If you plan to spend the night, you can stay in one of the official, Disney-themed hotels, which are within walking distance or have complimentary shuttle service to the park.
La Vallée Village
Distance from Paris: 40 minutes by car or 50 minutes by train
What to wear or bring: If you’re coming by train, make sure you bring the right bags (or even a small suitcase) so it’s easy for you to get your shopping back to Paris.
Expert Tip: Remember to ask for a tax refund form so you can claim the 12% Value Added Tax back on large purchases.
How to get there: The drive from Paris is about 40 minutes or just 10 if you’re coming from Disneyland. By train, take the RER line A to Val D’Europe-Serris-Montévrain and walk a few minutes through the Val d’Europe shopping centre. A shuttle also leaves from Sofitel Baltimore at 9:30 am and returns from La Vallée Village at 2:45 pm and 6 pm.
Less than an hour away from the city, La Vallée Village is home to more than 120 boutiques with outlets from designer names like Gucci and Prada, plus French favourites like Isabel Marant and The Kooples. When you’re ready for a snack or break from shopping, snag pastries from Madeleine by Ferrières, chocolate from Pierre Hermé Paris, or a drink at the Bollicine Champagne Bar. For lunch, there’s Pret A Manger and Menu Palais, whose menu of salads and pasta mimics the Mini Palais restaurant in Paris’ Grand Palais. If you shop more than expected and don’t have room in your suitcase, you can even have it shipped back home.
Region Burgundy: a day trip from Paris for wine lover
Distance from Paris: 3h 30min by car or 2h 20 min by train via Dijon
Price: Around €55-80 (roughly £47-68) per person
What to wear or bring: Double-check the dress code for any restaurants or wineries you plan to visit. Smart casual is usually appropriate, and some are very casual.
Expert Tip: Booking ahead is essential for many restaurants and vineyards in Burgundy, so make your lunch and dinner plans in advance.
How to get there: The drive to Burgundy is around 3 hours, or you can take a train connecting through Dijon Ville to Beaune, which is around 2 hours. The direct train is slower and takes around 3h 30min.
In a few hours, you can see an entirely different side of France in Burgundy, the infamous wine region that, to me, feels much more like a scene from Beauty and the Beast than Alsace. This is a day trip I often make from Paris to visit wineries or spend an afternoon in the unofficial capital, Beaune. Cycle through the vines or sample wine in town at spots like the cosy Caves Madeleine, where you’ll find more than 500 wines from the region. In Savigny-lès-Beaune, Le Soleilis is a local favourite for wine and shareable plates, especially when the weather is nice, and you can soak up the sun in the courtyard. This is also the region that made a few dishes French staples, so be sure to try beef Bourguignon, escargots à la Bourgogne and Coq au Vin.
Conclusion
Now that you know the best day trips from Paris, you can start building your itinerary. If you need more tips about what to do on your next trip to Paris, we’ve got the latest on the best food markets, which museums aren’t to be missed and where to find the city’s LGBTQ+ scene. Even if you’re only planning to stay in the City of Light for a few days, you can fit the best of Paris into one weekend with our tips.
But because France is much more than Paris, be inspired by our thematic guide to French cities not to be missed. Enjoy and see how there are attractions for everyone, whether you are a culture lover or prefer a holiday close to nature, or you want to enjoy the beaches and the sun or the snow, or just experience the best of the French breakfast.
