the best day trip away from the city

What day trips outsie the city would you recommend? I%26#39;ve thought about Normandy? Do you know of any tour companies that do day trips?

Thank you.

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We like Parisvision and Cityrama for day trips. You can book on line

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CHARTRES, Monet%26#39;s Home %26amp; Gardens at GIVERNY (in season from Apr-thru-Oct), ROUEN, VERSAILLES, CHANTILLY %26amp; SENLIS, DIJON or LYON (via TGV), LONDON (via Eurostar)...........

Use the %26quot;..SEARCH IN:..%26quot; feature of this TA forum, using %26#39;..Paris Daytrips..%26#39; or %26#39;..Day trips..%26#39; to find dozens of threads--a bunch of information in the briefest span of time) on this topic...with a grerat many responses (including many on Normandy %26amp; D-Day Beaches escorted and DIY tours)....many of which provide a lot of specific detail, direction, recommendations. From this wealth of information, narrow you choices down to a short few and then return for any additional detail or questions you may have.

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Normandy is incredibly moving and memorable. However, I would recommend Chartres. It%26#39;s easy to do and not as far as Normandy. The cathedral is one of my favorite places in France and Malcolm Miller%26#39;s tours of the cathedral are very interesting. Plus, it%26#39;s just nice to get out of the city and see a smaller town.

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I did the Normandy Coast with Parisvision

Also Mont St. Michel. Either is a FULL DAY.

If the weather is good take the TGV to Chartres (not far).

Definitely if Malcolm Miller is leading tours that day.

If you have more than a day, check out the chateaus

Walking tours IN Paris are very worth considering:

Marais, Latin Quarter, French Revolution, etc.

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Randy -

There are no TGVs between Paris (or anywhere else for that matter) and Chartres. However it takes only about an hour to get there by train.

I suggested on tthe OP%26#39;s other thread, where (s)he mentioned that they would be travelling in December that the long day trips to Normandy, the Loire valley and Mont-St-Michel, however worthwhile they may be in summertime, don%26#39;t make a lot of sense in winter when most of the travel would be in darkness.

There *are* organized tours with e.g. ParisVision to such places as Fontainebleau and Versailles, but these are easy trips to organize without outside assistance.

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Irish,

Didn%26#39;t notice that they would be in Paris in December.

Thanks for the update.

Randy

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If you are a Van Gogh fan, you might want to consider a day trip to Auvers sur Oise, a small city North-West of Paris.

This is the place where Vincent Van Gogh lived the last three months of his life. You can see the room where Van Gogh used to live (and where he shot himself) in the Auberge Ravoux and visit several locations in the city made famous in Van Gogh paintings. Vincent and his brother Théo are buried side by side in the local cimitery in very humble graves.

If you are on your own, you can take a suburban train to Auvers sur Oise or take a tour from Paris. I went on my own so I cannot comment on the tours´quality or cost

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There is no such thing as the %26quot;best%26quot; day trip. It all really depends on your personal interests. Here are some ones we%26#39;ve really enjoyed.

Reims - the Cathedral is astounding and we enjoyed visiting the champagne houses.

St Germain des Pres - a cute little village feel literally at the doorsteps of the city. We enjoy long rambles in the forest here and it is nice because it is really only a 1/2 day trip, with plenty of time to make it home for dinner.

Compiegne - a chateau, modern history, and some easy bike paths.

Vernon - Monet%26#39;s home at Giverney, the American Impressionist museum, a decent country market and a nice bike ride along the Seine and some kitchen gardens.

Fountainbleau - stunning chateau, interesting town, great forest, also good for biking.

Sceaux - Again, EASY trip, nice town and impressive formal gardens.

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; St Germain des Pres - a cute little village feel %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

I suppose it all depends on your definition of a village, phread! :-)

You meant perhaps St. Germain-en-Laye?

And there are many others - Chantilly, Rueil-Malmaison, Créteil, Écouen (a personal favourite) and on and on...

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