Best day trips from Paris

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There’s plenty of things to do in Paris, and you could easily spend weeks here exploring every single corner.

But you can also do some great day trips from the city.

As it’s the French capital, there are great rail connections to destinations around the country.

But more importantly, there are worthwhile sights within an hour or two’s journey each way.

With that in mind, here are five of the best day trips from Paris.

1. Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris hardly needs any introduction.

If you get there early and leave late, and pay for Disney Premier Access* to skip the queues, it’s quite easy to see both parks in one day.

Although of course you might want to take it easy and stay overnight; Disneyland Paris have mini-break packages* just for this.

Make sure you download the official app – it tells you the waiting time on all of the rides as well as showtimes for various live performances and parades.

Getting there: It takes 1 hour 40 minutes by train, and you can book your tickets with Trainline*. The Marne-la-Vallée Chessy station is right outside the main entrance to the parks.

Book tickets: You can get one-day tickets through Attraction Tickets*, which usually offer a discount or a special deal.

2. Palace of Versailles

A Unesco World Heritage site, the Palace of Versailles is a showstopper of royal extravagance.

The Hall of Mirrors is one of its most recognisable features, but there are also extensive formal gardens to explore, with spectacular water fountains.

Tickets, from €32, include access to the main palace, the gardens and the Trianon Estate, where royals retreated to when they needed a break from court life.

Getting there: It takes around 30 minutes by train to Versailles Château Rive-Gauche, Versailles Chantiers or Versailles Rive Droite. You can book your train fare with RailEurope*.

Book a tour: This full-day tour* includes transfers from Paris, entry to the palace and gardens, plus a professional guide.

3. Fontainebleau

As an alternative to Versailles, try the town of Fontainebleau. You have two options here: Château de Fontainebleau and Fontainebleau forest.

Like Versailles, Château de Fontainebleau was a former royal residence, or more specifically the royal hunting lodge.

The main house has over 1,500 rooms, and it’s surrounded by a 130 hectare estate, 14 hectares of which are formal gardens. Tickets start from just €14.

Fontainebleau Forest, meanwhile, is the second largest forest in France at a whopping 19,200 hectares.

Hiking and biking are de rigueur but this forest is also known for its fantastic rock climbing offering, with almost 200 courses to choose from.

It’s (just about) possible to do both in one day, although you’ll get a lot more out of your visit if you stayed overnight.

Getting there: It takes around 40 minutes to get to the town by train from Paris – Fontainebleau-Avon is the station to get off at. You can book your rail fare on Trainline*. To get to the Château, you’ll need to take a 15-minute bus ride or walk 40 minutes.

Book a tour: This full day tour* takes you to both Château Fontainebleau and Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, another grand estate that inspired Versailles, and includes transfers from Paris, tickets and audio guides.

4. Giverny

Let’s say you went to Musée de l’Orangerie and fell in love with Monet’s Water Lilies.

Well, the pretty little village of Giverny in Normandy is where you can see this scene in real life.

Just over three miles outside the main village is Claude Monet’s house and gardens, where he received much of his inspiration. Tickets start from €11.50.

Getting there: The nearest station is Vernon-Giverny. It takes around 45 minutes from Paris, and then you’ll need to get a taxi to reach the actual house, or walk for over an hour. You can book your train fare with Trainline*.

Book a tour: This half day tour* includes transfers from Paris, a tour guide and entry to the house and gardens.

5. Reims

Fancy spending a day sipping bubbly in Champagne?

It is absolutely possible to do as a day trip. However, you’ll need to plan ahead as there are only a handful of fast trains from Paris to Reims, the unofficial capital of this region.

The vineyards are of course outside the city, but you can still do tastings and cellar tours with some big brands like Lanson, Pommery and Taittinger – and prices start from under €30.

While there, do visit the Gothic masterpiece Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral) and the Basilica of Saint-Remi, one of the oldest churches in France.

Getting there: It takes an hour on the fast train from Paris to Reims, and you can book your train fare on Trainline*. Reims is very walkable so you don’t need to worry about public transport.

Book a tour: If you want to get out to see the vineyards, try this full day tour*, which includes six tastings and guided tours of two smaller producers, as well as transfers from Paris.