region
Île-de-France
Sleep in Paris; do Versailles, Giverny and Fontainebleau as day trips from one kept bed.
Not field-verified
Rules in force · 4
- France ↗France is in the Schengen area. Check the entry rules for your passport on official sources; the EU's Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors' fingerprints and photo at the first Schengen border, and further pre-travel authorisation rules are being introduced.
- France ↗TGV (including the low-cost Ouigo) and Intercités night trains need a seat reservation: a rail pass alone does not let you board.
- France ↗Paris, Lyon and other large cities run low-emission zones that require a Crit'Air sticker on cars; check before you drive a hire car or your own car into a city.
- France ↗Carry your passport or national ID card: police can ask for identification, and hotels register foreign guests.
Île-de-France is the region around Paris. The city is the base; the palaces and gardens are day trips by RER or train, and the airports are in the region, not the city.
Where to sleep
Parissleep base
Marais or Latin Quarter for first-timers.
Versaillesday trip
RER C, about 45 min.
Givernyday trip
Train and shuttle; April to November.
Fontainebleauday trip
Train from Gare de Lyon, about 40 min.
Night sequences
- 4 nights
- Paris 4, Versailles as a day trip
- 6 nights
- Paris 5 + Giverny or Fontainebleau day trip
- Paris + Versailles + Giverny in two days is mostly transfers.
Day-trips door to door
| To | From | Door-to-door p50 | Last return | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versailles | Paris | 60 min | unknown | The palace is closed on Mondays; book a timed ticket. |
| Giverny | Paris | 120 min | unknown | Seasonal: roughly April to November. |
Bags between cities
No luggage forwarding culture: leave the big bag at the Paris hotel and take a day pack.