"T" minus one week until my wife and I are off to Paris for one week, then onto Florence for another. It's her first trip to Paris, and my first in a long while.

We'd like to take at least one Day Trip from Paris. Chartres and/or Versailles are on obvious short list. We are interested in something perhaps a bit more unkown . . .seeing country side, chateaux, interesting little restaurants, sampling wines and cheeses, and liesurely exploring.

We are not afraid of doing a little walking, and we'd prefer to not spend more than approx 1 hour each way for a day trip. We won't have a car, so some combo of public transport would be ideal.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Go to Versailles
In Paris don't miss Musee d'Orsay and St. Chappel

Hello,
I highly recommend Vaux Le Vicomte. This is the model they used for Versailles. From Paris you can reach it by train and a short taxi ride.
Someone on the board made a recent posting about it so they will be able to help out more than me.
It keeps popping up in my research about Italian Gardens so I am hoping to visit it soon as it sounds so wondeful.
Wendy

For an enjoyable day trip to a less-visited place, you might consider Chantilly, with its lovely small chateau set on water, and Senlis, one of the most charming towns in France, with winding, cobbled streets and a well-protected, large ensemble of 17th- to 19th-century houses. The travel time is about 40 minutes by train from the Gare du Nord in Pairs to Chantilly, and then 20 minutes by bus from Chantilly to Senlis, with a bus stop near the Chantilly chateau. This and other day-trip options have been discussed in two earlier threads on the Slow Travel message board:

http://slowtalk.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3956056284/m/77310528321

http://slowtalk.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3956056284/m/35810263321

My favorite day trip from Paris was to Giverny. See this thread for more info. I recently posted some photos from our visit to Giverny in September-- here's the first of the series... you can click on "next image" in the top right hand corner to scroll through the others. Monet's home/gardens open for the season April 1, so the timing is right!

Kathy

I second Giverny. I don't recall it being that far away by train (St. Lazarre station), an hour or less I think.
I always compare it to that part in Marry Poppins where they jump into the sidewalk chalk illustrations - in Giverny, you literally feel like you have just stepped into one of Monet's paintings. It's a complete fairy tale - and the aroma of all the flowers is wonderful. The views are breathtaking. Especially if you are a fan of Monet - this is a must-see.

CameronS,
You can`t go wrong with any of these great suggestions. It depends a lot on your personal style, I guess. Of the places named so far, I would go back first to Vaux le Vicomte because it is a chateau that is both unbelievably beautiful and one in which you can actually imagine someone (even you) living. The furniture is there; you can pay one Euro extra and go up into the top floor which has not been refurbished for a real feeling of what a place like this might have been as a residence. And you can climb up into the dome for a breathtaking view of the gardens which are smaller than Versailles but just as fine. You can also rent a little golf cart and ride around the gardens, which I thought was fun. The restaurant even has good food in a charming atmosphere, and the collection of carriages is not to be missed.There are more famous places you could go that would make a stronger impression on your friends when you got home and said you had been there, but this is the place I would go to have the best time. It`s in the countryside with great walks all around it. If you wanted a more in-town experience, I`d recommend Chartres. Have a great time--you`ll want to return!
Dennis M M

Dijon is about an hour away from Paris by train and you go through beautiful countryside filled with vineyards and fields. The old city is a short walk from the train station and you past the tourist information office on the way so can pick up a map of the town. There is a great cathedral there, lots of wonderful archetecture, a must see museum and, of course, many places to buy or sample burgundy wine. There is a huge forum type of set up where all sorts of wine can be sampled. Also, don't miss the Maille Mustard Boutique there full of all sorts of mustards to try and cute little mustard pots.
Second choice-either Chartres or Chantilly with nearby Senlis.

That was a very nice description of Vaux-le-Vicomte, our favorite of the day trips we've taken. Of particular interest is the history of it's creation and the tragic fate of its creator, who was thrown into prison after enraging Louis IV with the opulence of the opening party he threw--a truly amazing story. All of this is detailed on the web site [www.vaux-le-vicomte.com] along with some very nice pictures.

You get there via a train to Melun and a taxi to the chateau. The gift shop people will call one when you are ready to leave.

For train/RER schedules for any of these day trips, use [http://www.transilien.com/GB/default.htm] which is a lot friendlier than the regular SNCF site. One thing you will notice, particularly with places served by both the RER and the regular train, is that there can be big differences in travel times.

I have a daytrip file that can be requested by e mail [rzolezzi@aol.com].

On the topic of daytrips, could someone explain the difference between taking either the RER vs. the regular train? I am specifically looking for detailed and specific information on how to get to Vaux le Vicomte and Aveuers sur Oise. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for all of the great tips.

So, here's a question for everyone. I am not sure if we'll get two two day trips in our 7 days in Paris.

If my choices are Versialles, Vaux Le Vicomte, Giverny, or Chartes, I'd appreciate hearing which location you'd choose if you could only do one day trip, and which two you'd choose if you could do two day trips.

Thanks!

It's hard to answer this question for someone else--it depends so much on what you like. If I were choosing only one, I'd choose Vaux Le Vicomte because I haven't been there, and if two, my second choice would be Giverny, because it's so intoxicatingly beautiful and I'm a gardener. It depends so much on what you like best. With only 7 days in Paris, I'd only spend one on a day trip.

Cameron,
I asked my wife about your choices since she has been to each of these places you're considering. She says Versailles and Chartres, even though she loved Vaux Le Vicompte as much as I did. She says I picked Vaux because it's the place we've been most recently. Maybe. But Cameron, wait 'till you see how beautiful Paris is. You'll want to stay there. You really will.
Dennis M M

You probably don't have time before you go, but a film that will pique your interest in Vaux le Vicomte is "Vatel" starring Gerard Depardieu, which was filmed there. It certainly gives you a vivid look at the extravagant excesses of the court of Louis XIV.

As for your original question, I would choose Chartres, especially if you can get a tour with Malcolm Miller. He is an Englishman who has devoted his life to interpreting Chartres for English-speaking visitors. But when we were fortunate enough to take his tour a few years ago, he seemed in pretty bad health, so I hope he is still doing them. Much depends on your personal interests though. Versailles is one of those things that I guess everyone ought to see once. But for me it's something that once seen, I don't need to see again, whereas I feel as if I could keep going back to Chartres and finding more depth of experience. As Malcom Miller himself said, the cathedral is like a piece of music that he never tires of.

Miller was doing the tours a year ago, Roz - we did one in May, and it was phenomenal.

He also was doing tours last month.

Dave

Can anyone recommend how to find a tour led by Malcolm Miller?

And Ann, FYI we are kama'aina. My wife and I were living in Manoa up until 2002. Aloha!

The tourist office across from the cathedral will know if Miller is giving a lecture-tour. One on-line source suggests he does one at noon and one at 2:45 daily except Sundays, but I'm not sure you can count on that.

Dave

Giverny is good but varies by time of year, is limited and while the garden is outstanding, unless you spend the night and get there as it opens, it tends to be very crowded. Chartes as viewed through the eyes of Malcolm Miller is wonderful but sooner or later everyone should see Versailles and once is enough. In addition to a wonder of man's ingenuity, it is of such historical import from several points of view including that someone had the where-with-all to have it built. As for Paris, as wonderful as it is, it is only a small part of France and give the rest of it at least one day. And aloha, from lower Manoa.

Right you are L.H., on all fronts! The best time to visit Monet's house and garden is early in the morning; 8:30 a.m. is the opening time, I believe. Earlier in this thread, I suggested Chantilly and Senlis for a day trip. That reflects personal preferences, of course (I don't like the scale of Versailles, and I enjoy wandering interesting old streets), but also a bit of Cameron's original query, about something "unusual" -- a bit off the beaten path. The Chartres cathedral is great, but that, too, is "limited," a one-attraction trip.

Dave

Well, we're off tomorrow morning! Thanks for all the great tips. We've narrowed it to Versailles or Vaux le Vicomte. We'll figure it out when we get there. Au revoir!