Thursday, April 19, 2012

Hourly trips outside Paris?

Hi there,



We off to Paris in a week and would like to get a glimpse of life outside Paris.



Any recommendations for places inside an hour by train? We%26#39;ve already planned to see Versailles.





thanks a lot!





popi70




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Hi popi70





You may go to Chantilly, north of Paris. Direct trains run for Gare du Nord and will take you there in half an hour.





A former royal hunting place next to a large forest, this small city has specialised in horse-breeding. You can enjoy a visit at the chateau which hosts a large painting collection and experience the so-called Living Museum of the Horse, with live representations. And of course, there are also regular horse races.





More info is available on the tourist office website: www.chantilly-tourisme.com/_UK-chantilly.php




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Chantilly is a good suggestion (Musee de Conde). Also, Chartres and Giverny would be within reach.




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You are new to TA so I suggest you put in the blank search box the words %26quot;Day Trips from Paris%26quot; and hit the %26quot;GO%26quot; button!





There are 153 pages of information on the TA Forum that suggest places such as :





Reims and the Champagne region



Chantilly/Senlis



Chartres



Fontainebleau, Blois, or an all day bus tour to Loire Valley



Vaux-le-Vicomte



Barbazon



Auvers-Sur-Oise



Giverny (the home of Monet)



Provins



St.Germain-en-Laye



Sceaux





I would also suggest you get a copy of Michelins %26quot;Flanders, Picardy and the Paris Region for some great reads about all of them.





Sorry I can not tell you my favorite because those all are!!




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To comment on Discover%26#39;s list:





Reims and the Champagne region: all the more now that the new TGV Est is going there in 45 mn



Chantilly/Senlis: 24 to 50 mn



Chartres: 1 hour +



Fontainebleau,: gare de Lyon, 45 mn



Blois: 2 hours ex Austerlitz



Vaux-le-Vicomte: complicated, about 1 hour to Melun + taxi. But worth every minute and penny



Barbazon - actually Barbizon, it%26#39;s from Fontainebleau



Auvers-Sur-Oise: about 50 mn with a change (station = Chaponval) there isn%26#39;t much to see apart from the famous church and Van Gogh%26#39;s grave



Giverny (the home of Monet): a circumvoluted and long trek. Very few direct trains (45 mn), most involving one change and stretching to 3 hours + taxi or whatever to get to Giverny



Provins: very good idea, often overlooked; 1 1/2 hours ex gare de l%26#39;Est



St.Germain-en-Laye: on the RER line. Nothing to write home about.



Sceaux: on the RER line. Second class château





For grande banlieue schedules: www.transilien.fr





For bigger towns on the TGV:



Lille: 1 hour



Dijon: 1h35



Rouen: 1h10 to 1h30



Nancy: place Stanislas, art nouveau, 1h30



Metz: great German architecture, good food, Mosel wine, 1h25



If you are a history buff, the Verdun sites from TGV Meuse, 1h00





If you read French, the best thing is to get yourself a copy of the Guide du Routard %26quot;Week-ends autour de Paris%26quot;. Otherwise the Time Out Paris guide has plenty of ideas.




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thanks to everyone for their recommendations!





you have saved me a lot of time searching for it.




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