Paris is the hot spot for everyone who likes culture, food, fashion.. or life in general. On the list of the most popular cities of the world Paris ranks on place 3, but did you actually know that France is the most visited country of the world? 83 million visitors can’t be wrong and if you’re having a spare day during your Paris city escape, take a one day tour from Paris and explore a bit of this beautiful country.
Luckily Paris is within day trip reach of a variety of stunning and just as interesting destinations that will let you take your France experience to the next level. The options are endless but to save your from decision paralysis, I compiled a list of travel bloggers favorite day trip destinations around Paris. Discover the best day tours from Paris!
- Bordeaux
- Mont Saint Michel
- Versailles
- Monet’s Garden: Giverny
- Dieppe
- Reims
- Loire Valley
- D-Day Landing Beaches
- Disneyland Paris
- Chateau Vaux le Vicomte
1. Day trip to Bordeaux from Paris
Bordeaux day trip from Paris – Favorite of Savored Journeys
You may not realize that other French cities, like the stunning and incredible Bordeaux, are only a couple hours away from Paris via train. Bordeaux is a fantastic city for a day trip from Paris. The train station isn’t far from the city center, and the center of Bordeaux is very easy to get around by foot and tram, so there’s no need to worry about a rental car.
Bordeaux actually reminds me of a smaller version of Paris. It’s equally enchanting. A large part of Bordeaux has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the incredible architecture of the city. Wondering what to do in Bordeaux on a day trip? There are many great restaurants and museums, and the city is surrounded by world famous wineries and vineyards that you can visit. Take an open-top bus tour of the city, walk around the Place des Quinconces and admire the Monument aux Girondins, visit the Place de la Bourse, and be sure to save time for some wine at one of Bordeaux’s many wine bars.
Where is Bordeaux? Bordeaux lays 600km south from Paris, yes, 600. That’s not a typo. But with the TGV (high speed train) it takes only 2:20h to get there and makes it absolutely possible to take a day trip to Bordeaux from Paris.
The train leaves from the Train Station Paris Montparnasse Bienvenüe (reachable by Metro Line 4, 6, 12 and 13). The earliest departure from Paris to Bordeaux is at 6:52am. The last train from Bordeaux to Paris leaves at 21:04.
Don’t worry if organising a day trip is not your specialty – you can leave the fiddly part to someone else and book a pre-made tour – click here for more info
Best activity in Bordeaux: If you are interested in wine, Bordeaux is the perfect place to do a wine tasting or to take a wine work shop. Click here for more info on a 2h wine tasting course, that leaves you enough time to explore Bordeaux in the afternoon.
Where to eat? Check the best rated restaurants in Bordeaux
2. Mont Saint Michel – World Heritage site
Favourite day trip from Paris from fouronaworldtrip
Where is the Mont Saint Michel and what is it? The Mont Saint Michel is an Island about 1km off shore and is home to a monastery and abbey. This Unesco world heritage site lays 360km east from Paris.
How to visit the Mont Saint Michel: If you don’t have the possibility to visit the Mont Saint Michel on your own by car (you can see prices of rental cars from Paris here) you can also take a guided Mont Saint Michel day tour from Paris. I know it’s utterly far away for a day trip (around 4h drive, one way) but it’s so worth it! Taking a day trip from Paris to Mont St Michel is clearly on of the best day tours from Paris that you can take.
Mont Saint Michel day trip with lunch
- admission to the Abbey
- Tour guide
- Lunch (dinks inlcuded) with view on the Mont St. Michel/li>
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
3. Chateau de Versailles – a full or half day trip from Paris
Favourite day tour from Travelvoila
We have been to several castles in France and was awed by Palace Versailles. Palace Versailles is a castle you must visit if you are visiting Paris. It takes around 1-hour train ride from Paris to the Versailles station, and it is recommended that you have at least 1 day for visiting the castle, because it is gigantic! The self-tour of the castle takes at least 3 hours! The halls and chambers were all royally decorated with gold accessories. And the Hall of Mirrors is magnificent, the most famous section of the castle. And if you are more adventurous, you can explore their garden. It will take another day for that though. It is highly recommended to visit the castle during summer than winter as the colours of the garden is much more vibrant. And after a long day at the castle, be sure to check out their nearby eateries for their delicious local cuisines.
Where is Versailles? Versailles lays 24km south west from Paris
Best activity in Versailles: visit the Palace of course! Considering the huge queues, I advice to purchase a “Skip the Line Ticket”. If you don’t want to deal with public transportation (check our guide if you want to get there by public transport!), you can purchase even a “Skip the Line Ticket” in combination with private transportation with Hotel pickup by coach. Get your worry-free-package here
or check out all available tours from Paris to Versailles here
My recommendation: Take a full day tour to Versailles, visit the Castle and explore the Versailles gardens by bike
- Paris – Versailles by public transportation together with your tour guide, train tickets included
- Bike, Helmet and insurance included, children seats available on requests
- Entrance fees and Audio guide included
Where to eat? Versailles has quite a few really good restaurants, especially if you fancy gastronomic french cuisine. A very good address is the Les Trois Marches, a restaurant just next to the castle in a cute cobbled stone alley (click here to receive 30% off and to book online).
If you prefer a more budget friendly alternative, I can personally recommend the Crêperie Le Blé Noir that serves Galette (hearty Crêpes) and Crêpes. Book here and receive up to 40% discount.
4. The Gardens of Monet: Giverny
Favourite Day tour from Paris from Ipanema Travels
Giverny is the perfect one-day trip for Paris, especially if you are a great fan of Monet and the Impressionism. You can reach Giverny easily by car from Paris, it takes about an hour without the traffic. Alternatively, you can take the train to Rouen/Le Havre from the Paris Sainte-Lazare train station and arrive in less than 45 minutes at the Vernon-Giverny station. At the station there are shuttle buses to Giverny.
Giverny’s single attraction is the house in which Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926. He created there splendid gardens that served as a source of inspiration for his paintings. Visiting the gardens feels like an invisible door opens on one of his paintings and you enter the magic world of flowers, waterlilies, wisterias and the play of sunlight on the water surface. Beside the home of Monet, you can also visit the Museum of Impressionism in the village. There are also lovely art galleries and cafés.
The house of Monet is open for visitors from end of March till beginning of November. Although it can be very crowded on a sunny day and the ticket queue at the entrance would take 30 minutes of your life, the beauty of the gardens is so immense that it is worth visiting it!
Where is Giverny? Monets Gardens in Giverny are laying 75km north east from Paris.
How to visit the Gardens of Monet best? If you’re not up for visiting the Gardens on your own or taking a train from Paris to Giverny, you can simply take a guided day trip tour from Paris. Depending on your travel date, I would personally even strongly recommend this: on sunny bank holidays and weekends it can be nearly impossible to find a parking place and the waiting time to purchase tickets can be more than 2h.
Tour Destinations Museums Transport Price
Skip the Line: Giverny and Monet House Half-Day Trip from Paris
Giverny Giverny - house and gardens
self guided tour air-conditioned coach see prices
Giverny and Versailles small group Day Trip Giverny and Versailles Guided tour and entrance fees for:
- Monets house and Gardens
- Versailles Palace
-Versailles Fountain Show
-Lunch mini van with hotel pick up see prices
5. A day tour from Paris to Normandy – visit Dieppe!
Favorite day trip from Paris from Impulsive Adventures
Sweating in Paris in the summer? Hop on a train to Dieppe to enjoy the food and beaches of Normandy! The water’s incredibly blue, the limestone cliffs are an artist’s dream, and my gallete with 4 types of local cheese was life changing. A day trip to Dieppe is the perfect escape!
For the practical part: Dieppe is around 200 km North of Paris in the region of Normandy. The best way to get there is by train, from Paris Saint Lazare. It costs 19-36 Euros each way and takes around 2 hours. If you’re on a really tight budget, there’s also bus service to Dieppe through Flixbus.
Once you’re in Dieppe, throw away your detailed itineraries, because this is a location to be wandered without a plan. The winding streets of the little port town are filled with adorable restaurants, boutiques, colorful houses, and Canadian flags (to honor the fallen from WWII). You can’t miss the gorgeous beach, which is pebbly at high tide and sandy at low. Make sure to bring water shoes to explore cliffside caves and forgotten bunkers. Bored of the beach? Head to the castle, hike the topside of the cliffs, enjoy some pastries, or learn about WWII history.
Where is Dieppe? The town at the Alabaster coast lay a bit less than 200km away in the north west of Paris.
How to visit Dieppe: Dieppe is easily (and affordably) reachable from Paris by train or Flixbus. Alternatively I recommend renting a car (click for info): The Alabaster Coast has quite a few beautiful and history loaded landmarks and if you are around, I strongly advice to visit Ètretat as well. The cliff formations are impressive and the itinerary is perfect for a little roadtrip from Paris to the sea.
Where to eat at the Alabaster Coast? Click here to book your restaurant online for Dieppe and here for Ètretat
Great post- there are so many great choices. I love visiting Disneyland Paris and make sure to visit every time I go to Paris. I agree that the crowds are much less than the other Disney parks in the world (except maybe Hong Kong Disneyland). It makes it easier to see everything in the park in one day with fewer crowds. There are so many fun attractions. I love Crush’s Coaster so much- one of my favourite Disney attractions ever.
Thank you so much for your comment.. that reminds me that I really have to go back to Disneyland Paris soon! 🙂 Have a nice day!