The Palace of Versailles, west of Paris
Versailles
- Train
- RER C from central stations such as Invalides or Musée d'Orsay to the end of the line, Versailles Château Rive Gauche. About 35 to 40 minutes; trains run about every 15 minutes in the day. Check that your train ends at Versailles Château Rive Gauche: some RER C trains stop at Versailles-Chantiers, a longer walk away.
- Train ticket
- A standard Île-de-France ticket, €2.55 each way in 2026. Buy it on a Navigo Easy card or in the Île-de-France Mobilités app.
- Entry
- Passport ticket (palace, gardens, Trianon): €22 for EEA residents and €25 for other visitors; €32 and €35 on Musical Fountains and Musical Gardens days. Free under 18, and free for EU/EEA residents under 26.
- Open
- The palace is closed on Mondays. The gardens and park are usually open every day.
Easy to do on your own: the train is cheap and simple. A tour is worth it if you want a guide inside the palace or transport from your hotel area.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
Reims, capital of the Champagne region
Reims (Champagne)
- Train
- Direct TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est to Reims: 46 minutes on the fastest trains. Some trains need a change at Champagne-Ardenne TGV station and take longer.
- Champagne houses
- Many of the big Champagne houses in Reims run paid cellar tours with a tasting. Places are limited, so book ahead, especially in high season.
- Good to know
- Book the train on SNCF Connect; the earlier you book, the cheaper the fare tends to be.
By train, Reims is the quickest big day trip after Versailles. A small-group tour adds vineyard visits outside the city, which are hard to reach without a car.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
Claude Monet's house and gardens, Normandy
Giverny (Monet's garden)
- Train
- Regional train (TER) from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny: 46 to 58 minutes. Then about 6 km to the gardens: a seasonal shuttle bus (about €10 return), a taxi, or a bike.
- Entry
- Monet's house and gardens: €13 for an adult (self-guided, 2026). The nearby Musée des impressionnismes is €12.
- Open
- Seasonal only. In 2026 the house and gardens opened every day from April 1 to November 1, 10 am to 6 pm (last entry 5:30 pm). They are closed now and reopen in spring; the 2027 dates are not published yet.
Plan this one for spring to autumn. Half-day tours from Paris save you the shuttle connection.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
Château de Chenonceau and the Loire châteaux
Chenonceau (Loire Valley)
- Train
- TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours) in about 1 hour, then a regional train to Chenonceaux in about 25 minutes. With the connection, the fastest trips take about 1 hour 36 minutes.
- Good to know
- Chenonceaux station is about 400 m from the château ticket office. Other châteaux, such as Chambord, are hard to combine in one day without a car.
One château is an easy train day. To see two or three (Chenonceau, Chambord, Cheverny or Amboise) in a day, a coach tour from Paris is the simple way.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
The D-Day landing beaches and the Normandy American Cemetery
Bayeux (D-Day beaches)
- Train
- Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux: the fastest direct trains take 2 hours 12 minutes. The beaches and memorials are spread along the coast from there.
- American Cemetery
- Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer: free entry, no booking needed. Open every day, 9 am to 6 pm from mid-April to mid-September and 9 am to 5 pm the rest of the year.
- Bayeux Tapestry
- Not in Bayeux right now: the Bayeux museum is closed for renovation and the tapestry is on show at the British Museum in London from September 10, 2026 to July 11, 2027.
Without a car, a guided tour is the simplest way to see several D-Day sites in one day. Day tours from Paris last about 13 to 14 hours.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
The island abbey on the Normandy–Brittany border
Mont-Saint-Michel
- Train + bus
- TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes, then a bus to Mont-Saint-Michel (about 1 hour 15 minutes, €15 for an adult). As little as about 3 hours 30 minutes in total. There are only 2 or 3 buses a day each way, so plan the return first.
- Abbey entry
- €13 from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027; €16 from April 1 to September 30, 2026. Free under 18, and free for EU citizens and residents aged 18 to 25.
- Open
- 9:30 am to 6 pm from September to April (last entry 5 pm), 9 am to 7 pm in summer. Closed on December 25, January 1 and May 1. Free entry on the first Sunday of each month from November to March.
It is a long day either way. A coach tour from Paris avoids the train-and-bus connection; going by train gives you more time on the island.
The first button is a paid link to Tiqets (tickets and tours, prices shown there). The second goes to the official site.
All day trips from Paris on Tiqets