15 Palace Day Trips in France to Put on the Itinerary

1.Giverny and Versailles Palace Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,324 reviews · 11h 30m · from $163Our pick

Travel from Paris by air-conditioned coach to Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny, then continue to Versailles for a guided palace visit and free time in the gardens. Guides such as Hendrix, Lawrence, Anais, and Helin have been praised for lively storytelling. Expect an 11.5-hour day, walking, crowds, and little time for a long lunch.

“Great! Eric at Versailles was knowledgeable and entertaining, and so was our Giverny guide (Emma I think)”

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2.Giverny Monet’s Home & Versailles Palace Day Trip from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 746 reviews · 11 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $167

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Paris to Versailles and Giverny in about 11.5 hours. A guide leads the Versailles palace visit, while you explore Monet’s house and gardens with an offline audio app. Expect separate guides, timed entry, lots of walking, and free time in both gardens.

“The trip to Giverny was great. Our guide was Hendricks.He was pleasant and gave informative info and showed photos to small groups on the bus to and from Giverny. Seeing inside Monet’s house was wonderful, the gardens were lovely. Hendricks left our group before we traveled to Versailles to pickup a different guide. The trip to Versailles was nice. However, our new guide, Frederick was not so nice! Once we got into the palace, had a restroom stop, etc. we had an unpleasant issue with Frederick. My sister and I are in our late 70’s and were already tired from the Monet tour. We asked if we could use the…”

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3.Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte Châteaux Day Tour from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 454 reviews · 9 hours · from $123

Travel from Paris to two remarkable châteaux in one day. Explore Vaux-le-Vicomte’s furnished rooms, kitchens, dome, and formal gardens, then visit Fontainebleau, the royal residence used for seven centuries. Round-trip coach transport, admission, and audio guides are included, but there is no live guide or lunch.

“As expected, it was just round trip from Paris to the 2 castles and entrance tickets plus audio guides for the venues. The schedule was ok, 3.5 hours for Fontainebleau and 2.5 hours at Vaux-le-Vicomte, just enough for the castles and a bit of gardens. Luckily, everyone was on time for each leg of the trip so everything went as planned.”

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4.St-Emilion & Médoc Wine Day Tour: Chateaus, Tastings and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 430 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $235Top rated

Travel from Bordeaux in a small group of up to eight with an English-speaking wine guide such as Karim, Pauline, Yev, or Daniel. Visit Saint-Émilion, tour family estates and a 1855 Grand Cru Classé château, taste across both wine regions, and share a French picnic lunch. Bring extra water and expect a long day on the road.

“The day was a wonderful and informative experience. Karim,our guide was exceptional, - he filled us in with many details about the region, culture and history of this wine making area. Highly recommend.”

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5.Full Day Tour & Shuttle from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 356 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $107

Travel by air-conditioned coach from one of three central Paris meeting points to Versailles. You receive timed palace admission and a multilingual audio guide, then explore the State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, chapel, gardens, Park, and Trianon estate independently. The host helps with departure, but this is mainly transport and entry rather than a guided tour.

“The mirrored rooms were beautiful! The jardines were incredible! Large and tranquil. A must do attraction!”

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6.Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte Chateaux Day Trip from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 339 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $138

Travel from Paris to two remarkable French châteaux by air-conditioned coach. Explore Vaux-le-Vicomte’s grand rooms, cellars, dome, and 99 acres of gardens, then tour UNESCO-listed Fontainebleau with an audio guide. This is an independent visit, not a guided tour, so you set your own pace at both sites.

“A no hassle trip. It is self guided but the coach ride was relaxing and they are timely and give you plenty of time to explore and eat. The Chateau Fontainebleau was not crowded and really let you see so much more of chateau life. The Vaux le Vicomte Chateau was also amazing although smaller.”

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7.Luberon and Chateauneuf-du-Pape Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 142 reviews · 9h 30m · from $199

Travel from Avignon in a small, air-conditioned minivan to Roussillon, Gordes, Fontaine de Vaucluse, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Expect scenic viewpoints, Provençal history, and tastings at two wineries with an English- or French-speaking guide. Guides such as Rémi, Florian, and Oliver are praised for clear commentary and warm group handling.

“This was a nice tour. We did not rent a car on this trip so this tour made it possible to access wineries. The driver was friendly and had engaging dialogue for the drive to and from.”

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8.Saint-Émilion day tour: village visit, Châteaux and lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 121 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $187

Spend about seven hours with an English-speaking guide such as Xavier, Margaux, René, or Valentin, traveling in a small air-conditioned van from Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion. Walk the UNESCO-listed village, visit three varied wine estates, taste several wines, and enjoy a château picnic with regional charcuterie and cheese.

“Our St. Emilion city tour and wine tasting were exceptional. Our guide, who holds degrees in enology and hospitality, expertly explained the wines and wineries. The tour, personalized to our group of two couples and a single traveler, featured a picnic among the vines and visits to three Grand Cru Classé wineries, each offering informative tours and tastings of 3-5 wines. Our guide knew all the best spots for wine, sightseeing, and photography.”

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9.Half day tour Saint-Emilion : Village & Château with wine tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 114 reviews · 4 hours 20 minutes (approx.) · from $108

Travel from Bordeaux in a small, air-conditioned van with an English-speaking guide such as René, Xavier, or Valentin. See the vineyards, walk Saint-Émilion’s steep medieval lanes, then taste three wines with charcuterie and cheese at a partner château. The group is capped at eight, but the tour visits one château, not several.

“Knowledgeable and friendly guide, other participants are also nice. Incredible experience to walk around the town and taste great wine.”

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10.Excursion from Paris to Versailles Palace by Tootbus

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 91 reviews · 6 hours · from $69Best value

Travel from central Paris to Versailles by air-conditioned coach, then spend four hours exploring the palace, gardens, park, and Trianon estate at your own pace. Your ticket includes entry and audio commentary through the official Versailles app. The bus leaves Paris at 12:30 PM and returns at 5:30 PM.

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11.Saint-Emilion Village Day Trip, 2 Chateaux & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 57 reviews · 6 hours · from $199

Travel from Bordeaux in a small air-conditioned minivan to Saint-Émilion, then visit two châteaux, including a Great Growth Classified estate. You will taste five or six wines, learn the basics of wine tasting, share a traditional picnic lunch, and explore the medieval town with an English-speaking guide such as Dorian, Vicky, Kaio, or Chloe.

“Vicky was a great guide, she got to know us, what we wanted from the tour and planned accordingly. The chateaux we visited were very intimate, the wine was exceptional and the lunch exceeded expectations. In St Emillion, Vicky gave us a mix- half guided tour half free time. In all, I found the small group tour to be the best option for exploring the region- not a massive tour bus, but a carefully curated day that felt unique.”

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12.Versailles Palace and Gardens Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 57 reviews · from $124

Meet your English-speaking guide at Saint-Lazare and travel together to Versailles by train. In a group of 15 or fewer, explore the chapel, royal apartments, Hall of Mirrors, and gardens. Choose the 1:45 PM departure for access to the King’s Private Apartments, but note that this later tour leaves little time for Trianon.

“Very interesting and enjoyable. Our guide Manual was charming with a great sense of humour and excellent ability to bring history to life!”

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13.Full Day Tour Saint Emilion with lunch two Chateaux and Village

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 49 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $203

Spend about six hours exploring Saint-Émilion with an English-speaking guide and up to eight guests. Walk the UNESCO-listed village, visit two château wineries, taste five or six wines, and enjoy a picnic lunch of local products in a château garden. Guides have included Marion, Gabriel, and Melanie.

“Excellent way to spend our day! Amazing guide! Gabriel was very Informative and delightful! Nice food and wine pairings and beautiful environments and exploration!!”

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14.From Tours/Amboise: Chenonceau & Chambord Chateaux Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 44 reviews · 9 hours · from $199

Travel by comfortable eight-passenger minivan from Tours or Amboise to Chenonceau and Chambord. An English-speaking guide leads both castle visits, while you get 2.5 hours for lunch and free time in Amboise. Guides may include Mary, Kyllian, or Marie, depending on the departure.

“The whole day went pretty well. Marie was a bit hard to understand at times but we got by ok. Definitely worth doing the tour.”

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15.Mont Saint-Michel & Chateaux Country 3-Day Tour from Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 31 reviews · 60 hours - 3 days · from $849

Travel by air-conditioned coach from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, and the Loire Valley. You’ll tour the abbey, Omaha Beach, and several castles, including Chenonceau and Chambord, with a multilingual guide. Two 4-star hotel nights, breakfasts, one dinner, monument tickets, and porterage are included.

“Un voyage extraordinaire. Pris en charge avec Paris city vision. Notre guide Leila a été exceptionnel elle connaît son histoire et elle très intéressante. Elle nous donne beaucoup d’informations sur tout les sites visiter. Je lui donne 10/10 et même plus. Le conducteur Bryan aussi est super gentil et prudent nous étions en sécurité . Je conseil vraiment ce voyage il en vaut plus que la peine, et surtout si vous avez notre chauffeur et notre guide cela va être magnifique. Un gros merci”

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