10 Day Trips Outside Paris Part 3

10 day trips outside Paris Part 3 highlights the final 4 fabulous locations for you to visit - each one is less than an hour from the centre of Paris and the usual tourist crowds.

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7. Montfort l'Amaury

There are some wonderful villages in France, and Montfort l'Amaury is one of them.  Only 50 minutes from Paris, the village has several Chateaux (castles), a zoo, a weekend antiques fair and even a B&B (which isn't so common in France).

Travel time:  50 minutes, starting from Paris Montparnasse in the direction of Dreux. Hop off at Mere/Montfort-l'Amaury, and grab a taxi at the station for the 4km trip to the village.

8. Chateau de Malmaison

The beautiful Chateau de Malmaison with its lake and lovely gardens  is to the west of Paris - only about 35 minutes by train - and was the private home of Napoleon and Josephine. If you're interested in art - Renoir's in particular - you might like to visit a restaurant he immortalised in his painting, called restaurant Fournaise - http://www.restaurant-fournaise.fr

Travel time: grab the RER A (or take metro line 1) to La Defence. http://rueil-tourisme.com - http://www.chateau-malmaison.fr

9. Vaux le Vicomte

When you see the Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte, you just might recognise it - it's been featured in a few famous movies like "Marie Antoinette".  The Chateau was also built by Louis XIV, and he was so impressed with it, he commissioned the architects to design and build Versailles.  In 2008 it was hired for the wedding reception of tv star Eva Longoria. This one day trip will be easy - only 35 minutes from Paris, you can easily get around in a rental golf buggy, and why not have lunch in the converted stables? Fabulous.

Travel time: only 35 minutes starting at Gare de Lyon - or grab the RER D - to Melun. If you're visiting on the weekend, grab the shuttle bus;  on week days, grab a taxi for the 6km trip.

10. Chateau de Vincennes

I used to live in Daumesnil, a suburb of Paris which was very close to the Bois de Vincennes (the forest) and I feel naughty to say I never visited the Chateau de Vincennes (the castle) - but - it is definitely on my list to visit in the future.

This beautiful medieval royal Chateau features in much French history with many famous prisoners (heard of the Marquis de Sade?). You can hire bicycles and ride around the forest and lakes, or grab a sandwich at the boulanger on Avenue du Chateau, maybe even pop into one of the many bistros and restaurants.

Travel time:  An easy 20 minutes from Paris, simply take Line 1 right to the end to Chateau de Vincennes. http://www.chateau-vincennes.com

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 Whatever you choose to do, smell the roses, smile at the clouds and enjoy yourself :-)

Railway Timetables in English

Pop over to the English website http://www.transilien.com for up-to-date information.

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