Day trips from Paris by train

Since January 2025, the whole Île-de-France region has used a single flat-fare Métro-Train-RER ticket. In 2026 it costs €2.55 (€1.30 reduced) and takes you from any station in Paris to any other station in the region, whatever the distance, with transfers allowed for two hours. A Paris–Versailles round trip is therefore €5.10. The one exception is the airports: Orly and Charles de Gaulle stations need the separate €14 airport ticket.

Paper tickets have largely been phased out, so load your tickets onto a Navigo Easy card (€2) or a phone. Each traveler needs their own card.

The Chantilly trap

The RER D runs to Chantilly-Gouvieux, but the station is in the Oise, in Hauts-de-France, outside the region. The €2.55 ticket does not cover it, even on the RER. Buy a ticket valid all the way to Chantilly, or take the faster TER, which takes 25 minutes. The same applies to Giverny (Vernon is in Normandy), Chartres, Rouen, Reims, the Loire and everything further out: these need an SNCF ticket.

SNCF Connect (sncf-connect.com and its app) is SNCF’s official booking platform for TGV INOUI, OUIGO, Intercités and regional TER trains. Book there rather than through resellers unless a pass or package saves you money.

• TGV sales open in seasonal batches, not on a fixed rolling window. On September 30, 2026, for example, TGV INOUI opened sales for travel from December 13, 2026 to January 6, 2027. As a rule of thumb, TGV tickets go on sale about three to six months ahead, and the cheapest fares go first.
• TGV INOUI tickets can be exchanged or refunded free of charge up to seven days before departure.
• OUIGO is SNCF’s low-cost, single-class brand. Its slower OUIGO Train Classique services sell for €10–€59, go on sale 45 days ahead, and include one small bag and one cabin bag. An extra bag costs €5 online but €20 if you add it at the station.
• Eurostar runs Paris-Nord to Brussels in about 1 hour 22 minutes, with about 24 trains a day. From Brussels, Belgian trains reach Bruges in about an hour. France and Belgium are both in Schengen, but France has notified temporary border controls from November 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, so non-EU travelers should carry a passport.

Versailles. Take the RER C to Versailles Château – Rive Gauche, an 8–10 minute walk from the palace, or a Transilien train from Saint-Lazare or Montparnasse. Remember that the palace is closed on Mondays. Our Versailles guide has tickets, hours and tours.

Reims. The TGV from Paris-Est takes 46 minutes at its fastest. The cathedral is free to enter and the champagne houses sell timed visits online; treat booking ahead as essential at weekends. Direct trains also reach Épernay, home of the Avenue de Champagne, in about 1 hour 20 minutes. See Reims and Champagne.

Giverny. Trains from Saint-Lazare reach Vernon-Giverny in about 45 minutes, and a shuttle bus timed to the trains covers the last 6 km to Monet’s house for €10 return. The house and gardens closed for the 2026 season on November 1; the 2027 opening date is not yet published. See Giverny.

Fontainebleau and Chantilly. Two châteaux most visitors skip. For Fontainebleau, take a Transilien train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon (about 40 minutes, covered by the €2.55 ticket), then a local bus that runs about every 15 minutes. Chantilly is 25 minutes from Gare du Nord by TER, with an SNCF ticket.

Auvers-sur-Oise. Van Gogh’s last village. A direct “Train des Impressionnistes” runs from Gare du Nord at weekends and on public holidays until November 1, 2026 (the season began April 4), taking 44 minutes. On other days, change at Pontoise or Persan-Beaumont.

Chartres and Rouen. Two great cathedral cities, about an hour (Chartres, from Montparnasse) and 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (Rouen, from Saint-Lazare) away. Rouen Rive Droite station is about a 10-minute walk from the city center.

The Loire Valley. The TGV reaches Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, next to Tours, in about an hour. From Tours, a regional train reaches Chenonceaux station, 400 meters from the château, in about 25 minutes, or Amboise in 20. For Chambord, take a train from Austerlitz to Blois (about 1 hour 23 minutes), then the Rémi line 2 shuttle. Both Chambord and the Château royal d’Amboise discount entry for visitors arriving by train, so keep your ticket. We found no official public transport to Cheverny, so it is best done by car or tour. See the Loire Valley guide.

Normandy and the D-Day beaches. Trains from Saint-Lazare reach Caen in about two hours and Bayeux in about 2 hours 15 minutes. The beaches themselves are the hard part: public transport is intermittent, and the Nomad “D-Day line” bus runs only in July and August. The practical answer is to take the train to Bayeux and join a local tour there:

Note that the Bayeux Tapestry is not in Bayeux until its new museum opens, expected around October 2027; it is on loan to the British Museum until July 11, 2027. Our Normandy guide compares every D-Day option.

Mont Saint-Michel. The direct Nomad “Train du Mont-Saint-Michel” runs from Montparnasse to Pontorson, with a shuttle to the Mont, in from 3 hours 53 minutes. It runs daily from April to October and at weekends all year; on off-season weekdays it terminates at Villedieu-les-Poêles, with an SNCF coach onward. The 2025 fare was €32 for an adult single, including the shuttle, and a Nomad ticket also gets you a reduced abbey ticket within five days. See Mont Saint-Michel.

Bruges. Eurostar to Brussels-Midi takes about 1 hour 22 minutes, then a direct Belgian train takes about an hour to Bruges. Allow time for the connection and the walk into the center. See Bruges.