Although Paris draws throngs of tourists, it remains a thoroughly beguiling city with an almost unparalleled wealth of attractions. It wouldn’t be at all difficult to spend an entire vacation just in the city center, exploring the museums, cafés, bistros, markets, boutiques and parks. But with so many wonderful sights within easy reach of the city, it seems a shame not to make at least one day trip. And if you love Paris but feel no need to return because you’ve already seen the sights, consider using the city instead as a base to visit some of the remarkable places nearby.
It takes less than an hour by high-speed TGV train from Paris to reach the capital of Champagne, Reims. This historic city has an astonishing 13th-century gothic cathedral which witnessed centuries of coronations of French kings.
Click here to read more about taking a day trip to Reims, France.
One of the easiest and most famous day trips from Paris is Versailles, home of the extravagant château which inspired so many other royal palaces. It was here that Marie Antoinette strolled in the gardens and pretended to be a shepherdess in her Hameau (hamlet).
Click here to read more about taking a day trip to Versailles, France.
Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny rank among the most famous in the world, and their renown is amply justified. The impressionist’s house and gardens were in a sorry state when the French Academy of Fine Arts inherited them in 1966.
Click here to read more about taking a day trip to Giverny, France.
This piece originally appear in the April/May/June 2015 Traveler magazine. Click here to access the full issue.
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