Paris is ringed by chateaux, gardens and forests that offer an easy escape whenever the city starts to feel too crowded, most of them within a little over an hour by train. Each of these excursions has its own personality, from the sheer splendor of Versailles to the intimacy of Vaux-le-Vicomte or the wide forested grounds of Fontainebleau, so there is a fitting day trip for almost any mood.
Before you book Chartres from Paris: Train or Day Tour?
The Chateau de Versailles
Home to the kings of France for more than a century, Versailles remains the essential day trip from Paris, with its Hall of Mirrors, State Apartments and gardens laid out by Le Nôtre stretching as far as the eye can see. Booking a ticket in advance and arriving early are the best ways to dodge the midday crowds.
The Chateau de Chantilly
Quieter than Versailles, the Chantilly estate wins visitors over with its more intimate scale, its French-style gardens and the Musée Condé, home to one of the finest collections of old master paintings outside the Louvre. The nearby Grandes Écuries, among the most impressive stables in Europe, are a treat for horse lovers. Our dedicated guide covers train times and how to plan a full day on site. Also in the Oise, about 80 km from Paris, the Château de Pierrefonds, a medieval fortress rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc, is another day trip.
Vaux-le-Vicomte
This 17th-century chateau, whose splendor directly inspired the building of Versailles, can be visited in a far more peaceful and intimate setting. Candlelit evening openings held on certain summer weekends turn the visit into something particularly magical.
The Chateau de Fontainebleau
A favorite imperial residence of Napoleon, Fontainebleau draws smaller crowds than Versailles while offering interiors just as lavish, surrounded by a vast forest well suited to hiking or bouldering.
Disneyland Paris
For a family day out, Disneyland Paris remains a reliable choice, reachable directly by RER from central Paris and easy to combine with an overnight stay if time allows.
Giverny, Monet's House and Gardens
The water garden and lily ponds that inspired Claude Monet are best visited between spring and summer, when the flowerbeds are at their peak. The painter's house, preserved in its original decor, rounds out the visit. Another artists' village, Auvers-sur-Oise, about 30 km away, preserves the room where Van Gogh spent his last days.
Tips
- To compare travel times at a glance: Chantilly is the quickest (25 minutes on a direct train from Gare du Nord, 45 minutes on RER D), followed by Disneyland Paris (40 minutes on a direct RER A, no transfer needed) and Fontainebleau (a 40-minute train from Gare de Lyon, then a 15-minute bus to the chateau). Versailles takes close to an hour on RER C depending on your starting station in Paris, and Giverny just under 45 minutes by train to Vernon followed by a seasonal shuttle: Monet's gardens are only open from April to November. Vaux-le-Vicomte remains the hardest to reach by public transport, with a 25-minute train to Melun followed by a shuttle or taxi of about ten minutes.
- Book your Versailles ticket online to skip the ticket line, and aim for a weekday visit rather than a weekend if your schedule allows it. Most chateaux close one day a week and some gardens are only open in the warmer months, so it is worth checking opening hours before you set off. For a weekend further afield, Amsterdam is about 3 h 20 by train from Gare du Nord.
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