2 Days in Paris Plus Day Trips
2 Days in Paris Plus Day Trips
Two days is enough to settle into Paris and still get one real gateway in: a light orientation day in the city, then Versailles, the closest payoff this family of day trips has to offer. Need more gateways? See the 3-day , 4-day , 5-day , 6-day or 7-day version of this route, or our full Paris day trips guide for the whole gateway roster.
Book these before you go: Versailles requires a timed palace slot even for free-admission visitors, and it doesn’t wait for you to show up and decide. Book your Le Marais or Saint-Germain hotel early too, both neighborhoods sit close to the RER lines that feed these gateways.
The 2-day route at a glance
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Paris orientation, Le Marais | In the city |
| Day 2 | Versailles | 35 to 40 min (RER C) |
Day 1: Settle Into Paris
Morning: check into a hotel in Le Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés, then load a Navigo Easy card (EUR 2) right away, Versailles runs on a separate point-to-point fare that your flat Metro ticket won’t cover. Compare stays in either neighborhood before booking further out to save on the room rate.
Afternoon: walk the Seine from Notre-Dame, which reopened free to the nave in December 2024, toward Saint-Germain. No timed-entry ticket required for any of this, it’s the easiest orientation walk in the city.
Evening: dinner in Le Marais, one of the few Paris neighborhoods where shops stay open Sundays too. For the deep Louvre-and-Eiffel-Tower version of this city, our 2-day Paris itinerary and Paris travel guide cover the in-city side properly.
Day 2: Versailles
Morning: RER C from a Left Bank station such as Invalides or Saint-Michel to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, 35 to 40 minutes, then an 8 to 10 minute walk to the palace gates. Book your timed entry slot before you leave Paris, it’s mandatory even with free admission and the palace is shut on Mondays.
Afternoon: the Hall of Mirrors and the state apartments, then the gardens, free daily from 7am to dusk, even on the palace’s own Monday closure.
Evening: the RER runs late enough for a relaxed return and dinner back in Paris. Book a Versailles skip-the-line tour if you’d rather not manage the timed slot yourself, or check current tickets at chateauversailles.fr .
Is 2 days enough to add a day trip to Paris?
Yes, if Versailles is the one gateway you actually want. It’s the closest of the group by transit time and the only one that still feels like a half-day rather than a full logistics project. Anything beyond Versailles, Giverny, Reims, Disneyland Paris, needs a third day at minimum.
Do you need to book Versailles even with a free ticket?
Yes. Under-18s and EU residents 18 to 25 get free admission, but everyone still books a timed entry slot online before arriving, the free ticket does not mean walking straight in. Current fares for the RER C leg are listed at iledefrance-mobilites.fr .
Buy your Navigo Easy card on Day 1 and load the Versailles RER fare separately, it’s not covered by the same flat ticket as your Metro rides around Paris itself.