LoveParis9

My sister and I are considering a day trip from Paris. Is it better to take a tour bus or the train to these places? Chartres, Giverny and Reims. What is a good tour company?

Gourmand

I've taken the train to both Chartres and Giverny. The cathedral in Chartres is very close to the train station. When I went, which was quite a few years ago, Malcolm Miller, an Englishman, was the tour guide extraordinaire. In order to get to Monet's house in Giverny, you have to take a taxi from the train station--or walk a ways along a road. (I prefered to take a taxi.) I don't think there was a tour available at the time. All of the rooms in the house are fun to walk through and the gardens are so beautiful. This is a great time of year to visit the gardens. Both trips are great. I have never been to Reims.

wordsmith

I have been to Reims-easy to get to by train and it has the most amazing Cathedral I have seen in a long time---known for its stained glass.

cls2paris

Giverny is very easy to do on your own. To get to Giverny, you take a train from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon. There is a bus that takes visitors to the gardens. When you exit the station, it should be parked about 1/2 block from the station on the right side. The bus times its departures with the train arrivals. I don't remember the cost. Or you can rent a bike, or you can walk, or you can take a cab.
You can find more information here (including the bus schedule):
www.giverny.org

The train ride is about 45 minutes from Paris. Be sure to check the schedule because there are some departures that make more stops and thus take longer to get to to Vernon.

You can check the train schedules here:
www.sncf.com there is a link for English on the upper right part of the screen (the British flag). You can wait to buy the ticket when you get to Paris. I am doing this trip in May and there is a 6:45 and a 8:15 train from Paris to Giverny. The gardens open at 9:30.

Have a fun trip!

ira

HI L,

Just take the train to Chartres.

See www.voyages-sncf.com