France Info Guide

Day trips from Paris, by train first

Six classic day trips, with the real train time, the entry price and an honest view on when a tour is worth paying for. Fastest first.

Day trips from Paris by train, fastest first. Checked November 15, 2026.
DestinationFromTrain timeGood to know
VersaillesRER C, central Paris35–40 minPalace closed on Mondays
Reims (Champagne)Paris Gare de l'Est46 minBook cellar tours ahead
Giverny (Monet's garden)Saint-Lazare → Vernon-Giverny46–58 min + shuttleClosed in winter; 2026 season was Apr 1–Nov 1
Chenonceau (Loire Valley)Montparnasse → St-Pierre-des-Corpsfrom 1 h 36Station 400 m from the château ticket office
Bayeux (D-Day beaches)Paris Saint-Lazarefrom 2 h 12American Cemetery free, open daily
Mont-Saint-MichelMontparnasse → Rennes + busabout 3 h 30Abbey €13 until March 31

How to use this guide

Most of these places are easy to reach by public train from a Paris station. We give the fastest time we could verify and the station you leave from, so you can compare at a glance.

Some trips are much easier with a tour: places with only a few buses a day, or sites spread along a coast. For those we say so, and link to tours on Tiqets.

Read the day trip guide

Schematic map of day trips from ParisLines from Paris to Versailles, Reims, Giverny, Chenonceau, Bayeux and Mont-Saint-Michel with the fastest train times. Not to scale.Reims46 minGiverny46–58 min + busBayeuxfrom 2 h 12Mont-Saint-Michelabout 3 h 30Versailles35–40 minChenonceaufrom 1 h 36Paris
Schematic, not to scale. Fastest train times from Paris.

Booking French trains

  1. Long-distance and regional trains (TGV, TER): book on SNCF Connect, the national railway's official app and site.
  2. Paris suburban trains to Versailles (RER C): a standard Île-de-France ticket, bought in the Île-de-France Mobilités app or on a Navigo Easy card.
  3. Check the exact station: Paris has several (Saint-Lazare, Gare de l'Est, Montparnasse) and each trip leaves from a different one.

How we earn money: some links on this site are paid links to Tiqets. If you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. This does not change what we write.