Day trips out of Paris

Hi,

I'll be spending 2 weeks in Paris, and wondered if anyone had any recommendations of day trips outside of Paris. I'm really up for anything - art, historical, food...anything that might be a great day out!

Thanks!

Versailles Palace is a nice day trip--lots to see! You could spend most of the day in the gardens and till not see everything.

I also loved Normandy. I stayed in Caen, which is about 3 hours away by train, and took a bus up to the D-Day beaches. Stunning and touching. And the towns are gorgeous, too. You could even head to Brussels, although you may want to spend a night to really get a feel for the place and not feel like you're rushing around.

Enjoy your trip!

You could get a train tot he Loire Valley for a day. I lived in Chenonceau (which is in the Loire, and alot of travel books say if you are going to see one of the Chateaus in the Loire, this should be the one) and it was possible to get one of the high speed trains straight to Paris, think it takes less than 2 hours. There are early morning and late night trains, so it would be feasible. In Chenonceau itself, the station is right next to the chateau and the small village. There isnt much to do in the village but you could easily spend a whole day in the chateau and its grounds, and int eh village for a meal.
It would be something quite different, and you would be able to experience a real little town, with cute buildings, a little old church, and genuine french small town inhabitants. Walk a couple of minutes out of town and you will come across very picturesque vineyards, which are great for a photo or two!
Feel free to contact me if you want any help

The loire valley sounds so beautiful!
We will be staying in the middle of Paris, is anybody able to give any suggestions on what sort of train/bus (public transport) to catch, to get to the Loire Valley, and possibly see a few different parts of it?
My boyfriend and I will be there at the beginning of January, and are looking to do this as a day trip.
Thank you!!

Just worth saying that if you check out the dedicated TGV routes, day trips could be quite long distance.

Nimes is just 3 hrs away, Avignon 2.5 hrs, Lyon 2 hrs.

Maybe interesting to see something completely different to Paris ?

Peter

It's been a while, but I remember Fontainebleau as being particularly good for a day trip, just a short ride from Gare du Lyon (well under an hour), great Chateau, lovely walks in the forest.

Giverny, where Claude Monet's home is located, is a great day trip outside of Paris. It's about 30 minutes from Paris by train. At Monet's home, there is a beautiful garden along with the famous arched bridge which is depicted in many of his paintings.

Giverny is worth the ride. It's really something to see the water lillys as he saw them when he painted them - if you have an art interest.

I loved both Normandy/D Day beaches and Mont St. Michel