The best day trips from Paris

For all of its wealth of world-class culture, food, activities and sights, Paris does not quite have it all. While the French capital is for good reason one of the most visited cities on the planet, it would be a shame not to discover the diverse and terrific treasures that lie on its gilded doorstep.

Thanks to France’s renowned rail links, breathtaking châteaux, otherworldly modernist architecture, buzzing multicultural suburbs, historic artistic hubs and immense biodiverse forests, are all within a short train ride – under two hours from central Paris, but often much less.

So, all aboard: here are some of my favorite half- and full-day trips from Paris.

1. See a rawer side of France in the suburb of Saint-Denis

Travel time: Less than 30 minutes
How to travel: By RER, by metro or by bike

Only a small step away, but often a giant leap for most visitors, and indeed Parisians, the banlieues (suburbs) are well worth exploring and remain far from the beaten path. Prime among the options is Saint-Denis, a short hop to the north of central Paris. Start by strolling through the medieval historic center, where you can visit the covered market that dates back to 1893 (open Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings), the Basilique de Saint-Denis, a Gothic cathedral containing the tombs of most of the kings of France, and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, which has an impressive collection of 40,000 archaeological, religious and artistic artifacts set in a gorgeous restored 17th century convent.

But Saint-Denis, one of the poorest areas in the country, also offers a rawer vision of France far from pristine pictures of the Eiffel Tower. The massive Brutalist social housing block, L'Îlot 8, built beside the metro station Basilique Saint-Denis by French architect Renée Gailhoustet during the 1970s and 1980s will bewitch urbanists. Le 6b, a sprawling cultural center in a former industrial warehouse, contains 200 artists studios and holds all kinds of exhibitions, performances, screenings and parties. To get a real taste for modern Paris, head to the legendary Restaurant le 129 and try the fast food phenomenon known as French Tacos, which are nothing like Mexican tacos and must always be referred to in the plural (seriously). Grab a coffee or wine at the no frills but cheerful Au Pavillon to rest your legs.

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If you’ve still got energy to burn, head to the Stade de France, the national stadium, which also hosts footballs and rugby games and international music acts, or head to the immaculate new Olympic Aquatics Centre, whose 50-meter pool, 800 square-meter climbing space, padel courts, and cafe, opened to the public in June 2025.

How to get to Saint-Denis from Paris: The simplest way is to jump on the RER, the express train line network in Paris. RER D, for example, shoots from Châtelet les Halles to Saint-Denis in under 15 minutes. A number of metro lines will also get you here, including line 13, which runs to the Basilique de Saint-Denis station, although it will take slightly longer. It’s also not too difficult to go by bike if you’re a confident cyclist, particularly if you’re already staying in the north of Paris (Saint-Denis even has several municipal Vélib bike stations).

2. Marvel at the urban arts of Ivry and Vitry-sur-Seine

Travel time: Less than 30 minutes
How to travel: By RER, by metro or by bike

Just outside the southern perimeter of central Paris are the twin municipalities of Ivry-sur-Seine and Vitry-sur-Seine, both of which, as their names suggest, straddle the edge of the iconic French river. But don’t expect a languid, pretty resort: Ivry and Vitry are very much urban destinations, gritty and with plenty of concrete. They are, however, an excellent place to see urban and contemporary arts.  

The streets of Vitry are filled with murals, particularly near Avenue de l'Abbé Roger Derry, including those of the established street artist C215, France’s answer to Banksy. Indoors, there’s the MAC VAL, home to over 2,500 contemporary art works, and the Galerie Municipale Jean-Collet, a gallery set in former public baths. For an even more industrial feel, check out Le Crapo, an artistic hub focusing on sustainability with regular events, and Le Kilowatt, an open air concert space circled by factories.

To the north in Ivry, stroll around Les Étoiles, a set of star-shaped housing blocks made by architect Jean Renaudie, before pausing at Lilia's Coffee, a Studio Ghibli-inspired cafe with delicious Japanese snacks and cakes. Or if you want something more substantial, try authentic Vietnamese food such as Hanoi-style bún chả (grilled pork and rice noodles) at Restaurant Viet 37. By night, if you’re in the mood for an (affordable) show, head to performance arts space Théâtre des Quartiers d'Ivry, which usually has a packed agenda, or La Briqueterie, a top-notch theater that is dedicated to dance.

How to get to Ivry and Vitry-sur-Seine from Paris: The RER C line, which passes through Champs de Mars, Saint Michel and Austerlitz, will get you to Vitry-sur-Seine in about 15 minutes. Otherwise, you’re going first to Ivry, metro line 7 will take you directly to outside the city hall. Again, do consider cycling, as the journey from central Paris isn’t far and there are Vélib stations in the area. The Palace of Versailles served as the seat of the royal court until the French Revolution in 1789. Felix Lipov/Shutterstock

3. Channel your inner Marie Antoinette at the Château de Versailles

Travel time: About 45 minutes
How to travel: By train

Several million tourists visit the Château de Versailles every year and while the 700-room palace is spellbinding, it should be avoided like the plague during peak times such as weekends and during school holidays due to the great chaotic hordes that descend on it like revolutionary dissidents.

Originally a hunting lodge, Versailles was transformed into a palace by Louis XIV during the mid-17th century and then served as the seat of the royal court until 1789. The last royal occupants were King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette until bloodthirsty revolutionaries executed them by guillotine.

Don’t miss the opulent Grands Appartements du Roi et de la Reine (King’s and Queen’s State Apartments), the latter decorated with true Marie Antoinette flamboyance, and the 246ft-long (75m-long) ballroom Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), which shimmers with 17 massive mirrors.

Visitors, who often dress up for the occasion, should also set aside time to stroll around Versailles’ exquisite gardens and park, which feature geometrically aligned terraces, towering hedges, as well as 300 statues and fountains that “dance” to classical music in the summer months. 

For those on royal budgets, feast at the elegant, palace-housed Ore, otherwise the rest of us plebs will be satisfied with cheaper options in the pretty surrounding town of Versailles and its covered market. Meanwhile, stock up on mouthwatering macarons at Les Petites Duchesses de Gantet. 

How to get to Versailles from Paris: Take the RER C from several Left Bank stations to Versailles-Château–Rive Gauche station, which will take about 40 minutes. If you’re coming from the Right Bank, take the L train line from Saint Lazare station to Versailles Rive Droite station, and the journey will take about the same time.

4. Gawp at the monumental architecture of Montigny-le-Bretonneux

Travel time: About 45 minutes
How to travel: By train

Although it’s located just beyond the opulence of Versailles, the town of Montigny-le-Bretonneux, which was constructed in the 1970s, couldn’t be any more contrasting. 

Here the futurist and monumental architecture – including Le Viaduc, an imposing complex of 74 concrete apartments that jet out over an artificial lake – is like something out of a science fiction film.

Indeed, perhaps the truth is stranger than fiction, since Le Viaduc’s influential Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill also built the similarly hulking Espaces d'Abraxas in Noisy-le-Grand, another Parisian suburb, where parts of the blockbuster series The Hunger Games were filmed. This is far from a standard tourist destination, but it will show adventurous visitors a different side of France.

Montigny also has a number of outdoor artworks to the north of town, including bold modernist installations by French-Hungarian artist Marta Pan and gargantuan statues, including a giant man sitting on a sofa with his dog and a woman gazing into a mirror, by sculptor Denis Mondieu. 

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Nearby, the Parc des Sources de la Bièvre, home to a pretty pond and a mini maze labyrinth, is a peaceful place to spend a few hours and have a picnic.

How to get to Montigny-le-Bretonneux from Paris: Train line N from Montparnasse station, in the south of Paris, will get you to Saint-Quentin-en-Yveline station in about half an hour. You’ll probably need to get the metro to Montparnasse in the first place.

5. Bathe in the glorious nature of the Chevreuse Valley

Travel time: About 45 minutes
How to travel: By RER

The Parc naturel régional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse, a 25,000-hectare protected area southwest of Paris home to sumptuous forests, lesser-known chateaux, waterfalls, and age-old stone hamlets is one of the finest places to do some nature bathing if the pace of the city gets too much.

Ramble through the town of Chevreuse itself, nicknamed the Little Venice of Yvelines, which has 22 petits ponts, or little bridges, that traverse the Yvette canal. Along the way, you’ll encounter charming cottages, medieval tanneries and even a number of watermills. Make sure to stop by L’Alchimiste, an artisanal producer of delicious sirops (syrup-based drinks) that can be tested in its cosy tea room.

Afterwards, soak in the sweeping views of the Chevreuse Valley from La Madeleine, a crumbling 11th century chateau, or take your pick from others in the area – Domaine de Dampierre, Breteuil, and Saint-Jean de Beauregard – or the abbeys of Vaux-de-Cernay and Port-Royal des Champs.

But my favorite thing to do in Chevreuse is to get on my bicycle. There are several beautiful routes through the region, both on and off road and of differing lengths, and if you don’t have your own wheels then you can rent one (e-bikes, too) from L'Aiguillage, right beside the RER station. 

Otherwise, there are plenty of activities to do, including forest hikes, horse riding and wild swimming.

How to get to the Chevreuse Valley from Paris: Take the RER B, which passes through the stations of Gare du Nord, Chatelet, and St Michel to the end of the line at Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. The journey should take about 45 minutes.

6. Gorge yourself on decadent whipped cream in Chantilly 

Travel time: About 45 minutes
How to travel: By RER or train

The world-renowned crème Chantilly, a whipped, vanilla-infused dairy cream, is often attributed to the pastry chef François Vatel, who worked at the Château de Chantilly, about 30 miles (51 km) north of Paris, between 1663 and 1671. And what better excuse to pair gluttony with history?

It’s probably best to start at the château, which rises up from a shimmering lake and is home to the treasures of Prince Henri d'Orléans, alongside its splendid gardens, which seem out of a fairy tale. There’s then an extraordinary collection of paintings that fills its Musée Condé. Here you can taste the renowned crème Chantilly or otherwise head to the nearby tea room l'Atelier de la Chantilly.

The domain is otherwise best known for its hippodrome (horse-racing track) and stables, the Grandes Écuries, which contain the Musée Vivant du Cheval, filled with riding-equipment displays, and which also mount dressage shows. From here, riding and walking trails fan out into the forested former royal hunting estate, the Forêt de Chantilly.

How to get to Chantilly from Paris: The TER direction Creil links Gare du Nord station with Chantilly–Gouvieux train station in just 25 minutes.

7. Climb the famed sandstone ridges of Fontainebleau

Travel time: About 45 minutes
How to travel: By train

The 108-sq-mile Forêt de Fontainebleau is one of the best places in the region to do break a sweat, whether hiking or cycling along the vast number of trails in the forest or climbing on its sandstone ridges and plunging gorges, which are regarded as some of the best in the world for bouldering.

There are more than 200 climbing areas with more than 30,000 routes for climbers of all levels, and many are set in beautiful forested locations. 

If you need to rent some gear, head to the excellent  S’cape climbing shop in the centre of the town of Fontainebleau. Here you can patronize the lively local bistros such as Le Bistrot 9, or alternatively get some picnic supplies at the wonderful pâtisserie Dardonville or the bustling town market, which runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and feast in the forest.

However, Fontainebleau is better-known for its royal château, a gem of Renaissance architecture that spans over 1900 elaborately gilded, frescoed rooms, so make time to visit that before, after or indeed instead of climbing. The formal French and free-flowing English-style gardens offer plenty of nature.

How to get to Fontainebleau from Paris: The train line R runs from Gare de Lyon station to Gare de Fontainebleau–Avon station, taking about 40 minutes.

8. Frolic among the flowers at Giverny’s painterly gardens

Travel time: About 1 hr 30 mins
How to travel: By train

The quaint village of Giverny in Normandy was home to Claude Monet from 1883 until his death in 1926 and inspired his famous Water Lilies series, making for a truly unique opportunity to see both the art works of the French Impressionist painter and the original subjects themselves.

Monet’s rose-pink, green-shuttered house and the flowering gardens he painted, including the iconic Japanese bridge and water lily pond, are now in the Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet. You can also visit the painter’s tombstone, located on the eastern side of Giverny’s L'église Ste-Radegonde.

To deepen your knowledge of the wider Impressionist movement, which included other important painters such as Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, and Cézanne, stroll the galleries of the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, which also regularly holds lectures, readings, and concerts.

If all that admiring has worked up an appetite, head to the enchanting Michelin-starred inn Le Jardin des Plumes, which serves sublime modern French cuisine or La Capucine Giverny, with its staple dishes in a ravishing garden setting.

It’s best to visit Giverny between April to October, when the key sights are open and the gardens are in glorious bloom. But beware that it can get very busy, so try to go early and avoid weekends.

How to get to Giverny from Paris: Trains run from Paris’ Gare St-Lazare station to Vernon, about 4 miles to the west of Giverny. Shuttle buses link Vernon with Giverny in season; alternatively, you can walk, cycle along a dedicated track or take a taxi. Driving from Paris takes roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes.

9. Marvel at the giant surrealist cyclops of Milly-la-Forêt

Travel time: One to two hours
How to travel: By car or by mixed public transport

Set in the Parc naturel régional du Gâtinais français, 34 miles (55 km) south of Paris, the tranquil town of Milly-la-Forêt has an unexpectedly rich art heritage. French artist and writer Jean Cocteau, Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely and Franco-American artist Niki de Saint-Phalle once called this place home.

In fact, in a forest a short walk to the north of the town is The Cyclops, a 22.5-meter-high, 350-ton sculpture of the mythical beast by Tinguely and Saint-Phalle, lovers and collaborators. Made with 60,000 fragments of mirror and possessing a giant moving eye, it is a fantastical creation with all kinds of wonders inside, such as a Japanese kabuki-inspired theater with chairs that rise and fall, and a cacophonous installation evoking a giant xylophone that visitors can – slowly – walk through. Several 45-minute guided tours are run on weekends (and weekdays in summer), including one at 5.45pm in English.

Nearby, you can also visit the Maison Jean Cocteau, where he spent the last seventeen years of his life. Inside, you can see photographs of Cocteau’s life as well as a collection of his writing and drawings spread across small, intimate rooms. Guided tours are available in English.

Milly is also famed for its cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, and the Conservatoire National des Plantes, which is home to over 700 species and a delightful tea room with local peppermint infusions, is highly recommended, especially on the rare days when there are guided tours.

How to get to Milly-la-Forêt from Paris: It’s not the easiest place to get to by public transport. By car, you can arrive here in an hour. Otherwise, take RER D from Gare de Lyon station to Maisse station and then get the bus 4342, or bike along the cycle path, to Milly-la-Forêt. In total, it could take nearly two hours.

10. Make a pilgrimage to France’s best-preserved medieval cathedral in Chartres 

Travel time: About 1hr 30 mins
How to travel: By train

Paris is certainly not left wanting when it comes to beautiful churches, but none of them are quite like the 13th-century Cathédrale Notre Dame in Chartres, known to be the best-preserved medieval cathedral in France.

Built on the site of a Romanesque predecessor that was all but destroyed by a 1194 fire, the staggering structure is topped by Romanesque and Gothic steeples, and is revered for its 176 luminescent, deep-blue stained-glass windows. The sanctuary also houses a number of sacred relics, including the Sainte Voile (Holy Veil), believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary during Jesus' birth. 

Nearby, you can learn more about stained glass at the Centre International du Vitrail, which occupies a half-timbered former granary, and admire the fine-arts collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, in the 18th-century Palais Épiscopal (Bishop’s Palace). 

From the cathedral’s steps, steep streets lined by medieval houses descend to the western channel of the Eure River. In the newer part of town, bistros surround Chartres’ iron-canopied market (Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Make time to visit Maison Picassiette, a masterpiece of naïve architecture that is entirely decorated with mosaics made from pieces of broken crockery. Its creator, Raymond Isidore, constructed the building between 1930 and 1962 with manipulating millions of pieces of ceramic, glass, paintings and sculptures.

How to get to Chartres from Paris: Chartres is 57 miles (91km) southwest and can be reached by car in roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes. Frequent TER trains link Paris’ Montparnasse with Chartres’ train station, with a journey time of around 1 hour 15 minutes.