5 Days in Paris Plus Day Trips
5 Days in Paris Plus Day Trips
Five days adds Reims and the Champagne region, a genuine splurge day, to the Versailles, Giverny, and Disneyland Paris trio, with one orientation day in the city first. Need a different length? See the 2-day , 3-day , 4-day , 6-day or 7-day version, or the full Paris day trips guide .
Book these before you go: Versailles’ timed palace slot (mandatory even for free admission), a Giverny day tour in season, a dated Disneyland Paris ticket, and Reims champagne-house tours, which need booking well ahead, especially in peak season.
The 5-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 3 | Giverny (seasonal) | 45 min train plus shuttle |
| Day 4 | Disneyland Paris | 35 to 40 min (RER A) |
| Day 5 | Reims and Champagne | 45 min (TGV, direct) |
Day 1: Settle Into Paris
Morning: check into Le Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés and load a Navigo Easy card (EUR 2), both neighborhoods sit close to the stations these gateways use.
Afternoon: walk the Seine from Notre-Dame, free to the nave since December 2024, toward Saint-Germain.
Evening: dinner in Le Marais. Our 5-day Paris itinerary and Paris travel guide cover the in-city sightseeing this trip skips over.
Day 2: Versailles
Morning: RER C from Invalides or Saint-Michel to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, 35 to 40 minutes. Book your timed slot before leaving Paris, mandatory even with free admission, and the palace is shut Mondays.
Afternoon: the Hall of Mirrors and state apartments, then the gardens, free daily 7am to dusk.
Evening: back to Paris. Book a Versailles skip-the-line tour or check tickets at chateauversailles.fr .
Day 3: Giverny, in Season
Morning: between 1 April and 1 November, train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon, about 45 minutes, then the seasonal Petit Train shuttle or a taxi into the village.
Afternoon: Monet’s house and gardens, EUR 13 adult. Outside the season, swap in Fontainebleau instead, Transilien R from Gare de Lyon, about 40 minutes, château entry EUR 17.
Evening: an easy return. Book a Giverny day tour or check the season at fondation-monet.com .
Day 4: Disneyland Paris
Morning: RER A direct from Châtelet-Les Halles, 35 to 40 minutes to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy. Buy the dated park ticket separately from your train fare.
Afternoon and evening: a full day in the park, 1-Park tickets from around EUR 56 to 62 on quiet dates. Book a Disneyland Paris ticket ahead of your date.
Day 5: Reims and the Champagne Houses
Morning: TGV direct from Gare de l’Est, about 45 minutes, fares from EUR 18 to 75 depending on how far ahead you book.
Afternoon: the cathedral, then one or two champagne-house tours booked well in advance, this is not a show-up-and-taste day. Full-day costs, cathedral, tours, lunch, transport, run roughly EUR 180 to 250 per person.
Evening: the last direct TGV back to Paris runs late enough for a relaxed dinner beforehand in Reims itself. Book a Reims champagne day trip if the tastings are the point, or book the train alone at sncf-connect.com .
Is Reims worth the price compared to the other gateways?
Yes, if a genuine splurge day fits your trip. At EUR 180 to 250 per person once tours and lunch are included, it costs far more than Versailles or Fontainebleau, but the payoff, a real cathedral plus working champagne houses, is a different kind of day trip entirely rather than a cheaper version of the same one.
Do champagne house tours need booking in advance?
Yes, especially in peak season. Reims rewards planning far more than Versailles or Chartres do, a walk-up visitor can see the cathedral freely but will often be turned away from house tours booked solid weeks out.
Book your Reims champagne tours before you fix the rest of this itinerary, they sell out faster than any other day on this route.