We had a few days in Paris and decided to sneak in some day trips to nearby places. As much as I appreciate art and museums, there’s only so much I can take in one go—and I was itching to explore a bit more beyond the city. 😛
The trips were mostly spontaneous. The weather forecast claimed it would rain all week, so we didn’t commit to much in advance. Instead, we went with the flow—and it turned out great!
We ended up visiting three spots:
Palace of Versailles
Ever since my first trip to Paris, I’ve kicked myself for not visiting Versailles — so this time, I wasn’t going to miss it. This was actually the only trip we semi-planned in advance… meaning I booked tickets about a week before. 😄
The Palace of Versailles (aka Château de Versailles) is one of France’s most iconic landmarks. It all started when Louis XIV decided to turn his dad’s hunting lodge into the royal headquarters.
If you’re planning a visit and want some tips to make it smooth and enjoyable, check out this post.
Provins
Just an hour’s train ride from Paris, Provins is a charming medieval town that’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I hadn’t heard much about it before, but I’m a total sucker for medieval towns. Add the fact that it wasn’t raining there, and we were sold!
And wow—it absolutely blew me away. I only wish we had more time to explore!
Curious why I loved it so much and what not to miss? Read more here.
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
Mont-Saint-Michel has been on my travel bucket list for years. It’s a stunning island abbey off the coast of Normandy, about 4–5 hours from Paris by car or train. We weren’t originally planning to go because of the distance, but near the end of our trip, my fiancé had officially had enough of all the walking (apparently, I “destroyed” his feet 😂), and suddenly, a 5-hour bus ride sounded like a dream to him.
So off we went — and I’m so glad we did! It was absolutely magical.
Curious how to get there and what to do once you arrive? I’ve got a separate post for that too: here.
There were definitely more day trips I had bookmarked, and if we’d had more time, we’d have done them all! But I was super happy with the ones we managed to fit in — spontaneous, scenic, and totally worth it.
