3 Day Trips From Paris

If you’re heading to Paris, there are plenty of attractions to see in the city. But, if you’re going all that way and have some extra time on your hand, you might want to get outside of the city and experience more of the country. On our trip to Paris, we wanted to experience the city and also leave it. Here are 3 easy day trips from Paris that you can take.

3 Days Trips from Paris

The Palace of Versailles

How to get there:
When planning our trip to France, I knew I had to see the Palace of Versailles Estate & Gardens. There are a few different ways to visit the Palace of Versailles: on your own, or on a tour. If you go on your own you can rent a car, take an Uber or taxi, or use public transportation. We chose to go via tour company. They picked us up at our hotel and drove us directly to the Palace.

About the Palace:
The palace dates to the 17th century and was built first as a hunting lodge and then morphed into the palace so famous today. The grounds and gardens of the estate require a full day to explore on their own! We were there for the afternoon, but I could have easily spent a full day just in the garden. The interior of the Palace of Versailles Museum is stunning! My favourite room was definitely the Hall of Mirrors which was refurbished in 2018. All of the rooms are very intricately designed and decorated, and I absolutely loved seeing it in person.

Good to know:
On our tour we learned that they have approximately 25,000 visitors each day. Each day! And on the hot day we visited, getting through that palace was certainly stuffy. Try to plan for cooler weather or a less popular day (if that exists!). If you go via tour, know that 4-hours is not enough time to spend here, so look for a longer tour or just spend the money on an Uber.

The Loire Valley – Chateaus and Wine Tasting

How to get there:
If you want to venture out to Loire Valley, your transportation options are fairly limited. I’d only suggest renting a car, or taking a tour that includes transportation. Any sort of taxi or Uber would be astronomically expensive, plus there is very little public transportation that would get you to and around the Loire Valley. We decided not to rent a car because we didn’t want to drive, and we wanted to do some wine tours. In the end, we booked a full day wine tour that left from Paris city centre.

About the Loire Valley:
The Loire Valley is a famous wine region in France. Here you will find over 1000 chateaus, some of which are even open to the public for tours. If that’s not enough of a reason, you can also visit a few local wineries and sip your way through the countryside as you take in the beautiful sights.

Good to know:
Getting to the Loire Valley is quite the journey. It took approximately 3-hours each way by bus. You can read my post on our Loire Valley Wine Tour for more details on our tour. I’d highly suggest the tour we did.

Normandy & the Beaches of D-Day

How to get there:
There are a few options to visit Normandy and the Beaches of D-Day from Paris. These include an organized tour (how we went), renting a car and driving, and taking the train. We opted for an organized tour to maximize our day and allow us to travel stress-free.

About Normandy & the Beaches of D-Day:
This historic area was where the battles of “D-Day” took place in 1944. Allied troops from Canada, the USA, France and England (to name a few) engaged in an operation to attach the coast and take back France from the German forces. Today, the area is full of museums and memorials to commemorate their successful mission and the lives lost.

The drive from Paris to Caen took approximately 3-hours each way, and our tour departed at 7:00am. Our tour began with a visit to the Mémorial de Caen followed by lunch with wine (included in our tour price) in the visitors’ centre. After lunch we visited the Pointe du Hoc, site of the D-Day battle, and then made our way to the American Cemetery and memorial at Saint Laurent. The next stop took us along the coast to see Arromanches and the ruins of the artificial port that was built in only 15-days. Our final stop of the day was at the Canadian Memorial at Juno Beach.

Good to know:
If you enjoy history, this day trip from Paris is a must for you itinerary. While it’s easy to see the main highlights of this area in a day, I’d highly suggest spending a few days in this area to truly experience history. There are countless memorials and museums to visit. You can read my full experience of our Tour of Normandy and the D-Day Beaches for more information.

Day Trips from Paris Summary

Paris is a phenomenal city to visit, but the countryside in France has many attractions to draw you out of the city for a quick day trip from Paris. If you have the time, I’d highly suggest adding all 3 of these day trips from Paris to your itinerary. Alternatively, find your own option for a day trip from Paris – there are plenty of organized tours and transit options to get you to your desired destination in France. If you’re looking for itinerary inspiration, take a look at my 1-Week France Itinerary to see how I spent my full week.