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Updated January 2020
Paris is the hot spot for everyone who likes culture, food, fashion.. or life in general. On the list of the most popular cities in the world Paris ranks in place 3, but did you actually know that France is the most visited country in 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.
Highlights: the most popular day trips from Paris!
 | Mont-Saint-Michel | |
 | Normandy: D-Day Landing Beaches | |
 | Versailles Palace & Gardens |
Day and half-day trips from Paris
Content of this post
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 you from decision paralysis, I compiled a list of travel bloggers’ most favorite day trip destinations around Paris. Discover the best day tours from Paris!
• Chateau de Versailles – a full or half-day trip from Paris
Favorite day tour from Travelvoila
We have been to several castles in France and were awed by Palace Versailles. Palace Versailles is a castle you must visit if you are visiting Paris. It takes around 30 minutes 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 is highly recommended to visit the castle during summer or during a visit to Paris in spring. The colors of the garden are much more vibrant but even a winter visit is nice.
Where is Versailles? Versailles lays 24km southwest from Paris and can be accessed by train or bus
Best activity in Versailles: visit the Palace of course! Considering the huge queues, I strongly advise purchasing a “Skip the Line Ticket“ in advance. If you don’t want to deal with public transportation, you can purchase even a “Skip the Line Ticket” in combined with private transportation and Hotel pickup
Have a look at all available tours from Paris to Versailles here if you are up for something special – like a sightseeing trip by bike or segway or if you want to attend one of the famous Versailles fountain shows.
Where to eat in Versailles? Versailles has quite a few really good restaurants, especially if you fancy gastronomic French cuisine. You find lots of nice restaurants around the Market Place and also at Rue Satory, just left from the castle [/su_note]
• Reims – take a Champagne day tour from Paris
Favorite day tour from The Globe Diary Blog
Only an hour’s train ride to the north-east of Paris, Reims is a MUST on your next visit to the City of Lights. While the small town is undoubtedly known for it’s Champagne houses, the capital of France’s Champagne region is also complete with a world-class fine-dining scene, historical monuments, and incredible Art Deco architecture, too.
That said, the Champagne was the real reason we made this day trip from Paris — and we loved it! Keep these important tips in mind in order to make this day trip worthwhile: Avoid Sundays or Mondays when most of the town is closed. Be sure to include vintage or reserve tastings in your options when visiting Tattinger, Veuve Cliquot and Pommery — where else are you going to get to taste those Champagnes at a fraction of the price of the bottle?!
Your day is sure to be filled with multiple bubbly flutes and several cellar staircases, so remember, you do not need to finish all the Champagne given to you (although you should definitely try!). And lastly, be sure to make reservations ahead — some Champagne Houses require it!
Full Champagne Wine day -Tasting Day Trip from Paris
- small group, hotel pick up and transportation in a comfortable minivan
- visit at least 2 Champagne Houses and try 8 different Champagnes
- masterclass held by a wine expert on a vineyard
- Champagne and food pairing lunch
Don’t miss our detailed “how to visit the Champagne in one day” guide!
• The Gardens of Monet: visit Giverny
Favorite Day tour from Paris from Ipanema Travels
Giverny is the perfect one-day trip for Paris, and you don’t need to be a great fan of Monet and Impressionism to enjoy the beautiful gardens. You can reach Giverny easily by car from Paris, it takes about an hour without traffic. Alternatively, you can take the train direction 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.
best rated tours from Paris to Giverny
| Sightseeing | Lunch | Transport | Hotel Pick up | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giverny (half day) | ❌ | coach | ❌ | |
| Giverny and Versailles | ✔️ | mini van | ✔️ | |
| Giverny (full day) | ✔️ | coach | ❌ |
Giverny’s single attraction is the house in which Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926. He created the splendid gardens that served as a source of inspiration for his paintings. Visiting the gardens feels like an invisible door opens to one of his paintings and you enter the magic world of flowers, water lilies, wisterias and the play of sunlight on the water surface. Besides 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 the end of March till the beginning of November. Although it can be very crowded on a sunny day, the beauty of the gardens is so immense that it is worth visiting it!
Where is Giverny? Monets Gardens in Giverny are located 75km northeast 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. Click here to get more info on the most popular trip to Giverny!
Opening times: The Gardens of Monet are closed during the winter months.
Editors Tip: Take a guided tour or – and I really can’t advise this too much – buy at least your ticket in advance! 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.
This actually happened to me despite better knowledge – it took us an hour to find a parking place and when we finally arrived the queue was so long and did not move at all, that we just went back to Paris
• 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 galette 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 on the Alabaster Coast is located a bit less than 200km from 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 advise to visit Ètretat as well. The cliff formations are impressive and the itinerary is perfect for a little road trip from Paris to the sea.
• Day trip to Bordeaux from Paris
Bordeaux day trip from Paris – Favourite 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. So, even if it’s quite far in distance, the fantastic train coverage in France makes it possible, that a day trip to Bordeaux from Paris is actually something that you do! Bordeaux is a great 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. For example during a 4h tour to the beautiful medieval wine village of St. Emilion (click here for more info). You can also take an open-top bus tour to discover Bordeaux, 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.
Click here for a step by step guide on how to get to Bordeaux by train!
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 – perfect for a day trip to Bordeaux from Paris.
How to get to Bordeaux? The train leaves from the train station Paris Montparnasse (reachable by Metro Line 4, 6, 12 and 13). The earliest departure from Paris to Bordeaux is at 6:09 in the morning. The last train that eaves Bordeaux direction Paris at 21:04. visit this page to know more
What to do in Bordeaux? Tasting Wine of course! Click here to see the best-rated wine and cheese tasting course, which leaves you enough time to explore Bordeaux in the afternoon.
Don’t worry if self-organizing a day trip is not your specialty – you can leave the fiddly part to someone else and book a pre-made tour including transportation and activities – check here to know more about a day tour from Paris to Bordeaux
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!