These Are the Best Small Towns Near Paris that You Cannot Miss!

Beautiful Towns to Visit Near Paris

Uncover the best small towns near Paris where time seems to stand still, and the quintessential French experience awaits. If you are in a hurry, jump to the list of small towns to visit near Paris here.

Paris is a great city, with many exciting things to see and do. But it can also be a busy and crowded city, and after some days of sightseeing from dawn till dusk, you may need a break.

Luckily, the countryside near Paris is stunning, and there are many picturesque small towns close to Paris perfect for getting out in the fresh air and seeing a different side of France. Most of these small towns and beautiful villages near Paris make excellent day trips by train.

So if you are doing great visiting Paris and have an extra day in the city, why don’t you give a chance to some of these towns? Here are some cute towns near Paris to visit on a day trip.

Table of Contents:

• Best Way to Explore the Paris Countryside
• Map of the Best Small Towns Near Paris to Visit
• Best Small Towns and Villages Near Paris

2. By Guided Tour

Forget about planning, entrance tickets, or train schedules; just hop on a coach or minivan and enjoy your day with the company of an expert guide!

Best Guided Tours to Visit the Paris Countryside

By Car

If you need to rent a car, choose a car rental office located on the outskirts of Paris. They usually have better prices, and you avoid the hassle of driving through the city – Check out this quick guide to driving in France

I use and recommend DiscoverCars.com. DiscoverCars compares 900 companies at over 53,000 locations to guarantee you the best price. Click here for our best tips for renting a car in France.

Best Small Towns and Villages Near Paris

Here’s a summary of the best small towns near Paris:

• Provins
• Versailles
• Fontainebleau
• Moret-Sur-Loing
• Auvers-sur-Oise
• Bougival
• Chevreuse
• La Roche-Guyon
• Chantilly
• Senlis
• Giverny
• Les Andelys
• Chartres
• Epernay and Hautvillers

If you are wondering where to stay outside of Paris to take the train in, the first three towns in this list are a great option.

READ MORE: Click here for the best weekend getaways from Paris by train

1. Provins

Provins is one of the best medieval towns near Paris to visit. It is located 90 km southeast of Paris and it makes a great day trip from Paris by train.

In Medieval times, Provins was the capital of the powerful Counts of Champagne. Thanks to the Counts’ protection and its strategic location, the town became one of the main actors in the early development of international trade fairs and the wool industry in Europe during the 9th to 18th centuries.

Walking around medieval Provins is like stepping back in time! The town is surrounded by impressive walls, and the half-timbered houses are beautiful to see. Provins is especially known for its medieval fair and unique underground galleries that you can visit with a guided tour.

What to Do in Provins:

• Sightseeing
• Provins’ Medieval Fair and Medieval Christmas Market (June and December)

How to Go from Paris to Provins:

• Direct trains leave from Paris Gare de l’Est train station to Provins (1 hr 22 min, hourly)
• Provins is a 90 km drive that takes around 1 hour 13 minutes.

2. Versailles

Versailles is one of the best small cities near Paris, world-renowned for the magnificent Château de Versailles. Located 21 km southwest of Paris, a day trip to Versailles from Paris is very easy to organize.

If this is your first visit to Versailles, I recommend visiting the Château, but you can also decide to spend all your time exploring the Gardens of Versailles or other parts of the city.

The list of the best things to do in Versailles, apart from the Château, includes the King’s Kitchen Garden, the Academy of Equestrian Arts, the Carriage Museum, and the Chuch of Notre Dame. The local market, not far from the Château, is also fun to explore.

What to Do in Versailles:

• Sightseeing
• Versailles by bike, boat riding in the Grand Canal
• Fountains of Versailles shows
• Classic music concerts

How to Go from Paris to Versailles:

• Here are all the ways to get from Paris to Versailles.

3. Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau is a cute small town near Paris with a lovely historical center. Located 25km southeast of Paris in the Ile-de-France region, Fontainebleau is surrounded by the large Forest of Fontainebleau.

For many centuries, the Forest of Fontainebleau was the French Kings’ favorite hunting place, and they built a magnificent castle to get the most out of Fontainebleau.

The Château de Fontainebleau is one of the best castles near Paris to visit. Known as “the true home of the French Kings,” its different rooms and halls are grand and magnificent! After visiting the Château, explore the surrounding gardens and the Old Town.

What to Do in Fontainebleau:

• Château de Fontainebleau and Gardens
• Hiking and bouldering in the Fontainebleau Forest
• Hot air balloon over the Fontainebleau Forest (read my experience here)

How to Go from Paris to Fontainebleau:

• Direct trains leave from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon train station (40 min, every 20 min)
• Fontainebleau is a 69 km drive that takes around 48 minutes.

4. Moret-Sur-Loing

If you are interested in medieval villages near Paris, far from the tourist circuits, you’ll love Moret-sur-Loing. Moret is located on the eastern side of the Fontainebleau Forest in the Ile-de-France region.

One of the cutest villages near Paris to visit, Moret-sur-Loing has a beautiful medieval heritage and a couple of interesting museums. It is also an excellent place for outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, or hiking.

Moret-sur-Loing was home to the impressionist painter Alfred Sisley, who found in Moret the source of inspiration for many of his masterworks. The Tourism Office in Moret proposes a self-guided walking tour itinerary to see all the spots that inspired the painter.

Things to Do in Moret-Sur-Loing:

• Sightseeing
• Outdoor activities

How to Go from Paris to Moret-Sur-Loing:

• Take a train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Moret-Veneux-Les Sablons train station (48 minutes, every 30 minutes). Then, there is a pleasant 15-minute walk to Moret-Sur-Loing
• Fontainebleau is a 77 km drive that takes around 58 minutes.

5. Auvers-sur-Oise

If you are looking for beautiful towns close to Paris that are related to arts, Auvers-sur-Oise is the place to go. Auvers-Sur-Oise is known as the Impressionists’ Village because it attracted many artists by the end of the 19th century. People like Cézanne, Pissarro, Sisley, and Monet lived or frequented Auvers-Sur-Oise and painted the village in some of their masterworks.

But most of all, Auvers-Sur-Oise is known for being Vincent Van Gogh’s last home. Van Gogh discovered Auvers by the end of his life, and although he lived in the village for less than two months, he painted 70 works in Auvers, most of them related to the village and its landscapes.

The Painters’ Pathway is a lovely self-guided walk that visits several views appearing in some Impressionist paintings. You can also see the room at Auberge Ravoux, where Van Gogh lived and passed away, the famous Church at Auvers, and Van Gogh’s tomb in the local cemetery.

What to Do in Auvers-sur-Oise:

• Sightseeing
• Nature walks

How to Go from Paris to Auvers-Sur-Oise:

• Take a train from Gare du Nord to Auvers-sur-Oise train station (41 minutes)
• Auvers-Sur-Oise is a 33 km drive that takes around 28 minutes.

6. Bougival

Bougival is one of the best towns around Paris with direct train connections to the capital. During the 19th century, the Impressionists chose this peaceful place by the Seine River as their favorite open-air workshop. People like Monet, Sisley, or Berthe Morisot spent long periods in this village trying to catch the beauty of the river and its banks, and soon Bougival’s landscapes became the subject of some of their masterworks.

Visit Bougival’s picturesque historic center, with its beautiful Romanesque-style church, before heading to the Seine River’s banks to follow the Impressionist Walk. This walk has real-scale panels showing reproductions of famous Impressionist paintings at the exact point where the painters found inspiration.

In Bougival, you will also find the remains of the Machine of Marly, built under the rule of King Louis XIV to transport water from the Seine River up to the Fountains of Versailles! At that time, the Machine de Marly was considered the eighth-world wonder.

Things to Do in Bougival:

• Sightseeing
• Seine River walks

How to Go from Paris to Bougival:

• From La Défense SNCF train station, take train L (direction St. Nom de la Bretèche) to Bougival (1 hour, every 20 minutes)
• Bougival is a 15km drive that takes around 14 minutes).

7. Chevreuse

The Haute Vallée de la Chevreuse is a hiking paradise with the perfect mix of nature walks and cultural heritage. If you are looking for day trips in the French countryside near Paris, you’ll love Chevreuse, a small village nestled in the Valley.

Chevreuse is dominated by the Château de la Madelaine, a beautiful fortified castle (11th century) on the top of a hill with panoramic views of the Valley. This village near Paris is also known for its Chemin des Petits Ponts along one of the legs of the Yvette River. This picturesque pedestrian walk is lined with old laundries, tanneries, and watermills.

Things to do in Chevreuse:

• Nature walks
• Sightseeing

How to Go from Paris to Chevreuse:

• This is a beautiful day kike (18 km) that starts at La Verrière train station and ends at St Rémy La Chevreuse train station. If you only want to visit the village, take the RER B to Saint Rémy La Chevreuse train station (45 minutes, hourly), then walk 3 km to Chevreuse
• Chevreuse is a 34km drive that takes around 40 minutes.

8. La Roche-Guyon

If you are looking for the very best towns near Paris to visit, consider La Roche-Guyon, on the right bank of the Seine River. La Roche-Guyon is the only village in the region of Ile de France with the “Most Beautiful Villages of France” label.

In the 19th century, La Roche-Guyon was a holiday resort that saw many artists and writers. This picturesque small town near Paris is known for its intriguing 12th-century castle. The keep, built on the top of the hill, offers panoramic views of the village and the Seine Valley and is connected to the main building through a 100-step underground staircase dug into the side of the plateau.

The Kitchen Garden is another interesting place to visit in La Roche-Guyon. This French-style vegetable garden was created in the 18th century by the La Rochefoucauld family, the owners of the castle. This family shared the ideas of the physiocrats and encyclopaedists, and they wanted for their château a scientific and experimental garden rather than a pleasure garden.

Things to Do in La Roche-Guyon:

• Sightseeing
• Nature walks

How to Go from Paris to La Roche-Guyon:

• La Roche-Guyon is a 72 km drive that takes around 53 minutes.

9. Chantilly

Chantilly is a lovely town in the Hauts-de-France region famous for its Grand Stables and beautiful château. This is one of the best day trips from Paris by train.

The Château de Chantilly was built in the 16th century for the House of Montomercy. Later, it was owned by the princes of Condé, cousins of the King of France. The surrounding gardens are spectacular, and you can visit them with or without the Château.

In the 17th century, Les Grandes Ecuries (the Grand Stables) were built for the Prince of Condé, and they could host 240 horses and 500 hounds. Today, Les Grandes Écuries is a very reputed center of dressage for the most expensive horses in the world. They also host the Horse Museum, and the ticket includes a very entertaining dressage show.

Things to Do in Chantilly:

• Racecourse in the Hippodrome de Chantilly
• Sightseeing
• Nature walks

How to Go from Paris to Chantilly:

• Direct trains leave from Gare du Nord to Chantilly-Gouvieux train station (30 minutes, hourly)
• Chantilly is a 42 km drive that takes around 40 minutes.

10. Senlis

Senlis is one of the nice towns near Paris that you cannot miss, with a rich history and beautiful architecture. Senlis is located not far from Chantilly, so you can visit both towns on the same day trip.

Senlis is a royal town, the cradle of the Capet dynasty. Hugh Capet was lord of Senlis before becoming the first French king of the House of Capet in 987. Since then and until King Henry IV, all his successors lived or spent some periods in the Royal Palace of Senlis.

Today, the historical center of Senlis still keeps its medieval layout, with picturesque cobbled streets and beautiful architecture dating from the 10th-18th century. The town is also well known for its Roman heritage, and you can still see some remains of the Roman fortress and towers (3rd century) and a Gallo-Roman arena (1st century).

Things to Do in Senlis:

• Sightseeing
• Nature walks

How to Go from Paris to Senlis:

• From Chantilly-Gouvieux train station (see above), take bus #645 to Senlis (20 minutes, every 30 minutes. Check out the bus schedule here
• Senlis is a 51 km drive that takes around 35 minutes.

11. Giverny

Giverny is one of the most famous villages near Paris, where the Impressionist painter Claude Monet lived and worked from 1883 until he died in 1926. Giverny is located 74km northwest of Paris, in the Normandy region.

Every year thousands of visitors take a day trip to Giverny from Paris to admire Monet’s House and Garden to admire the water lily pond that inspired Monet for many of his paintings. However, Monet’s house and studio are as attractive as the gardens; they are a visual experience of different spaces, colors, and materials where the painter left nothing to chance.

Apart from Monet’s house, Giverny has a main street with cute shops, cafes, and an Impressionist Museum.

Things to Do in Giverny:

• Sightseeing
• Nature Walks

How to Go from Paris to Giverny:

• Take a train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon train station (1 hour, hourly), where you can take a bus shuttle to Giverny
• Giverny is a 74 km drive that takes around 54 minutes.

12. Les Andelys

Les Andelys are two beautiful towns close to Paris located in one of the meanders of the Seine River 90km northwest of Paris. A pleasant walk along the canal connects the two towns.

Les Andelys are overlooked by the splendid ruins of Château-Gaillard. This medieval fortress is one of the best castles in Normandy and was built in the 12th century under the orders of King Richard Lionheart (who was also Duke of Normandy) to protect his lands against the French King Philippe Auguste. The view from the castle (see picture above) over Les Andelys and the Seine River is terrific!

Les Andelys (and the Château Gaillard) make a nice stop, perhaps on your way to Giverny or Rouen by car. Apart from the ruins of the Château, the towns have different religious buildings from the 13th century and beautiful family houses from the 16th-19th centuries.

Things to Do in Les Andelys:

• Sightseeing

How to Go from Paris to Les Andelys:

• Les Andelys is a 90 km drive which takes around 1 hour.

13. Chartres

Chartres is one of the most attractive big towns /small cities near Paris to visit. It is located 96 km south of Paris, in the region of Centre-Val-de-Loire.

Chartres is best known for its impressive Gothic Cathedral, one of the Grandes Cathédrales de France, and (like Amiens Cathedral and Saint-Denis Basilica-Cathedral) an essential milestone in the evolution of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe.

Apart from the magnificent Cathedral, Chartres has a cute historical center with some half-timbered houses. Walk down to the River Eure, where you can see pretty small houses, some of them with their private boats.

Things to Do in Chartres:

• Sightseeing
• Chartres en Lumières (sound and light show)

How to Go from Paris to Chartres:

• Direct trains leave from Gare de Montparnasse to Chartres Train Station (1hour 10minutes, every 30 minutes)
• Chartres is an 89 km drive that takes around 53 min.

14. Épernay & Hautvillers

Epernay and Hautvillers are two of the best towns near Paris for wine lovers, and they are usually visited together on a champagne day tour with tastings.

In the heart of the Champagne vineyards, Epernay is the capital of champagne wine, where some of the most luxury champagne brands, like Moët-Chandon, Vranken, Mercier, Pol Roger, or Perrier-Jouët, have their headquarters and champagne cellars.

The village of Hautvilliers, north of Epernay, is also worth visiting. Here, the monk Dom Perignon developed the method of champagnisation of wine. Dom Perignon is buried inside this abbey, just in front of the main altar.

Things to Do in Epernay and Hautvillers:

• Sightseeing
• Nature walks
• Champagne tasting and shopping

How to Go from Paris to Epernay and Hautvillers:

• Trains to Epernay leave from Gare de l’Est to Epernay train station (1 hours 15 minutes). From Epernay, you can take a taxi to Hautvillers (10-minute drive).
• Epernay is a 140 km drive that takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes.

And there you have it, the list of cute towns near Paris to visit on a day trip. Now all you need to do is decide which towns you will visit during your trip to Paris (but I suggest doing them all!).

Click here for more Side Trips from Paris

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