5 Ideas for Day Trips From Paris France

{Pin It}

You’ve booked your trip to France and decided to make Paris your home base for your time in the country. But, if the sights and sounds of the City of Lights lose their appeal or if you just want to get a taste for other areas, there are plenty of day trips from Paris France that you can take from the hustle of the city.

Day Trips From Paris France:

Giverny

If art is something you admire, then a visit to Giverny should be on your radar. This was once home to Impressionist master Claude Monet. He spent years cultivating and painting the gardens here. A small museum that traces the impressionist period paying particular attention to the American artists who came to study under Monet. The gardens bloom from April to October but to see the water lilies in full bloom visit in July and August. To get here a fast train departs Saint-Lazare station to Vernon. Then take a taxi or bus into town.

Read more on visiting Monet’s Garden at Giverny. It’s the perfect escape for art and nature lovers.

Fountainebleau

Just a 35 minute drove southeast of Paris is this impressive 16th century palace. It once was a hunting lodge and has been the country home to decades of French kings – and primary home for Napoleon.  It now is a museum preserving the styles that developed over the ages. Onsite gardens are also particularly interesting to visitors. The site is also accessible by taking a train from Gare de Lyon to Fountainebleau-Avon station.

Versailles

Perhaps one of the grandest homes in the world, Versailles is a world renowned site. You can walk the halls of this famous home, admire the hall of mirrors and see where the 1919 treaty of Versailles was signed. Queen Marie Antoinette’s fairy tale farm and dairy are also part of the property. As are the stables that are home to the famous Academie de Spectacle Equestre horses. You can get here by taking RER train C to the Versailles-Rive Gauche station.  It is gorgeous with more on Versailles coming soon!

Disneyland Paris

If you’re traveling with children you may want to consider a visit to Disneyland Paris. While you will find the costs to be more expensive than a trip to Disneyland or Disney World in the United States the park experience will be different. There are more rides here catering to those middle ages, when kids are too big to find Dumbo much fun but not quite big enough to take on Space Mountain. There’s also a heavier presence of the “old west” found at Disney Paris. Get here by taking the shuttle bus from either Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports. Or RER A train from Nation station.

Parc Asterix

If you want to step away from the Americanized Disneyland, Parc Asterix will be a treat for any child (or adult). The characters at this park are famous from children’s books by the same name. It is also home to the largest roller coaster in Europe. Visitors can visit zones split into Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Vikings, Egypt and the Gaulish village. There are plenty of activities for all ages and the price is more affordable than its Disney counterpart. Shuttle buses depart from Charles de Gaulle airport – look for the Parc Asterix desk in the RER station.

Please share with us your ideas for day trips from Paris France!

You might also like my post on 4 Questions to Consider When Visiting Paris with Kids.