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Episode 63: The Highlights of Paris- Part 3

• Chandra Alley • Season 1 • Episode 63

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In today's third and final episode of The Highlights of Paris miniseries, Chandra shares 5 amazing day trips you can take while visiting Paris. From history and elegance, to nature, great food, and art these places have something for everyone!

Plus, listen to the end for a delicious "Chan Select" this is linked to one of the day trips in this episode.


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"Live and Travel in the Know" with Expatriotical!

Bienvenue, Benvenuti, and Welcome to Expatriotical, the podcast for expats, travelers, and other adventurous souls. I’m Chandra Alley and after living as an expat with my husband and 4 children in two different countries for 6 years, I’ve learned the arts of pivoting during pitfalls, traveling tastefully for less, and soaking in amazing new cultures without losing your own.


Join me, as we dive into the joys and challenges of travel and the expat life in every episode!


Hello everyone! So glad to have you back for the third and final part of our Highlights of Paris miniseries! Today as promised, we will be covering five different day trips that you can take from Paris to see some pretty incredible sites!


Those five places include Versailles, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Château Malmaison, and Giverny. Now, don't worry if all of those names except for Versailles, don't make any sense to you. I will explain what each of them is and what they offer as we get to them.


All of these places, I have been to personally, sometimes more than once. And all of them have really different things to offer. We're going to start with Versailles, which is actually one that I've been to a couple of times, and would say that I don't actually care to go back to the palace itself, but would maybe enjoy exploring the grounds a little bit as I really haven't gotten to do that.


As a little bit of history or backdrop, Versailles was built by King Louis the 13th when he had gone or after he had gone to the area of Versailles that was thick with woods and great for hunting and fell in love with it, he didn't build anything initially, because at that time, he was simply the Dauphin or Prince, but after he became the king and had visited again, he decided to build a small hunting lodge. If any of you have ever been or anyone has even ever seen the pictures let alone visited, you would say that the Palace of Versailles is anything but small. But it was of course added on to, over time.


Obviously, it went on in history for being known as the place where Marie Antoinette resided before she was beheaded along with her husband, King Louis the 16th. And one of its most famous rooms is the Hall of Mirrors.


Versailles is located about a 40 minute drive from the center of Paris. Let's say you're staying right by the Louvre, and if you had a rental car you could get to Versailles if there was no traffic in about 40 minutes, but if you're not up for driving in Paris, you could take the RER C train and that will pretty much dump you off right at the doorstep in an hour’s time. That's including walking as well.


A ticket to Versailles cost €21, but that's only to see the palace, and we had read things about the gardens, being free, so the first time we went there we didn't buy a ticket for the gardens and then it happened to be a day that the fountains had a music show and so entry into the gardens wasn't free, so I would recommend that you buy the Passport ticket, which includes timed entry into the palace, which is basically where you choose the time you want to go inside, the ability to see the estate of Trianon, which I honestly don't know what that is. You can see any temporary exhibits, the gallery of coaches- every weekend, the Royal tennis court, the gardens until the 31st of October or also during the musical fountain show, and the park. And those tickets cost €24 in the low season and €32 in the high season.


I would definitely recommend getting this. This is what we got the second time when I took my mom, and due to time limitations I was only able to just see a little bit of the gardens, and they looked vast and like there was a maze and it's something that my husband, Chris, would like to go back and see because he's never seen the gardens at all.


But beware, visiting Versailles, especially in the summer months can be a bit stressful. Even though you have a timed entry, the lines to get in are extremely long and you're standing on cobblestone so if it's a hot day, be prepared to sweat.


The palace itself is beautiful, but it's going to be packed with people. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but if you don't really know a whole lot about Versailles anyway and you just want to see a castle or château as they're called in French, or a palace, I've got a couple more options that I'm going to list for you that you'll love, which aren't nearly as busy.


One of those is Château Chantilly, which is spelled like “chantilly lace” and that’s actually where it was originated. It's located just under an hour outside of Paris by car or it's an hour and a half commute on public transportation from the center of Paris. Again, I used my reference point as the Louvre museum.


This was the first château that Chris and I ever saw when we moved to Paris and I have to say it is imposing and impressive and absolutely gorgeous. It is surrounded by a large lake, which is probably originally purposed as a mote- for protection. And it has large grounds where you can rent golf carts if you don't have the ability to walk much and I think you can rent bikes there as well, which I have to say that is something that you can do at Versailles also, though I've never done that- renting bikes that is.


Château Chantilly has a really cool zoo, where there's kangaroos, there's a maze, there are different restaurants, and there's a lovely playground as well.


When we took Chris's parents there when they first came to visit us, we had finished walking around and seeing things right around lunchtime and we ate at the restaurant that's actually located inside of the Château and it was absolutely delicious. And honestly not crazy overpriced. And for admission to the Château itself, it's €18 per person for anyone over the age of 25 and €14.50 for anyone between the ages of seven and 25 and that includes visiting the Château, the park, and the gardens, etc. Or you can buy a family ticket which includes two parents and two or three kids for €55.


They also have extremely impressive stables that you can visit, and I think sometimes they have horse races there, but I've never actually seen one. And getting into the château is a lot easier and way less crowded than Versailles.


The next two places I'm going to mention are also steeped in history and one is deeply connected to Napoleon. That is Château Malmaison. This is the home that Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte lived in during their marriage, and Josephine lived there, even after their marriage was annulled. It's interesting because we went there a year ago and it's so crazy to see how very much it looks the same as it did a couple hundred years ago when Napoleon and Josephine lived there.


The stylings of their home were so much different than let's say the elegance or glamour of Versailles. I can't really put it into words very well, but Napoleon and Josephine had a kind of particular taste. And you really have to kind of see it in person to know what I mean.


Château Malmaison is located on its own grounds which are a little bit smaller but next to a really big Bois or Wood or park if you will, that is so fine for strolling in having a picnic playing games we had seen a family playing baseball there or catching balls and playing soccer and they even had a festival in part of it when we were there.


The town of Rueil-Malmaison is right there next to the surrounding woods, and it's also a very cute in the old town part and we went there and had a really nice lunch after visiting the Château. Or actually maybe before visiting- I can't remember the order. But regardless, it does make for a really nice and beautiful day trip outside of Paris.


It's about a 40 minute drive by car from the center of Paris or a one hour commute on public transit. The tickets to get in are extremely expensive. I want to say that the kids were free and when I look at regular admission, it's only €6.50 to see the Château and the permanent collections or exhibits.


And the final of the châteaus or castles that I think maybe my favorite is actually called Château Fontainebleau. From the center of Paris, it's just over an hour drive to get there and it takes about an hour and a half on public transportation. This is one of the options, other than Versailles, that I've actually gone to with public transportation and once I figured it out, it was super easy to do, due to the fact of the RATP or rapid area transit Paris changing the tickets as I've mentioned in a previous episode and now the Metro and train tickets are basically the same thing so if you load your Navigo pass, you can just tap your pass or tap your phone if you have the Bonjour app and go.


But also due to the change, you'll need to purchase bus tickets on your pass as well, because to get from the train station in Fontainebleau to the Château or into the town, you'll need to take the 3401 bus.


I had originally gone to Fontainebleau on a women's retreat with my church. And I just loved the town. It was so quaint and walkable and beautiful. It had boutique shops, an open air market on that day, a carousel, and all the things. But I really wanted to take Chris and the kids, so when my mom came to visit and she said she wanted to see another castle or château while she was in France, we decided to go down there and since Chris didn't want to drive, we took public transit.


And I was looking forward to it as well because when I went to see  Fontainebleau the first time I didn't go into the Château I walked on the grounds, which is free, but I didn't see inside.


So once we got to the town, we actually had a quick lunch (well it wasn’t quick, but it was a good lunch), which I have a few places, different places. I can recommend to eat there, since I have been there a couple of times, and then we went to the Château.


Tickets for the Château are only €14 and anyone under 18 is free. The château itself has over 900 years of history. From the middle ages until the 19th century. That is literally paraphrased from their website. It was Francis I, who was known for his love building castles, that commissioned redevelopment in 1528. But it was the family home for the kings of France- all of them- all the way up until Napoleon the third. And it has the only Napoleonic throne room still in existence- that wasn’t taken down by the Revolution. In fact, Napoleon the first abdicated his reign at Château Fontainebleau on April 4th and the sixth- apparently- and gave a farewell address before he left for exile on the island of Elba.


Now, with that miniature history lesson behind us, I have to say that the reason why I like it so much is because it's like a miniature-ish, because it's certainly not small, version of Versailles. In fact, I feel like you get to see more of it than what you're allowed to see at Versailles. It's royal and elegant and decadent, although maybe decadent is only supposed to be used to describe food, and it's not crowded the way Versailles is.


And it also has beautiful gardens, the same way Versailles does. In fact, the landscape architect, Andre Le Notre, who did the gardens of Versailles also designed Fontainebleau’s gardens.


Honestly, I like Fontainebleau so much that I would say that it would be a great place to stay. If you actually don't want to stay inside of Paris and you would want to take a day trip to Paris to see it. That might be a big statement, but I think it could be true. It’s a great place to stay!


OK and for the fifth and final place, I would recommend that you can take a day trip to from Paris, it's not a Château and has nothing to do with the kings. But rather it has to do with my favorite artist, Claude Monet. Giverny is the location of Claude Monet's home and gardens. Many of his artworks came from his inspiration of being in his gardens there. It's about an hour and 12 minute drive from the center of Paris, and this is one, I hate to say is really a drive. Because to try to commute there on public transit would take you closer to 2 1/2 to 3 hours.


But I'm happy to tell you that I looked on the GetYourGuide app and you could do a day trip from Paris with a tour purchased through the app for about €65-67 per person. And that would get you the bus right there and back, entry ticket into the house and gardens, an audio guide, and free time to stroll around and explore the town of Giverny.


I can say from experience that it has some delicious restaurants and cafes, other beautiful gardens, quaint boutiques and shops, and it's just overall a delightful village to visit. Especially if you enjoy impressionism, like I do. Not that I'm an expert in it at all. I will say that I've learned a lot more about the impressionist artists since I’ve  lived in Paris, but I've always known that it was my favorite type of art, and it's really interesting to see the garden just as they were over 100 years ago, still looking the same as in Monet's paintings.


Also, it's really cool to see his house. It's very specific and eclectic, if you will. He had a definite fascination with Asia and you can see that throughout his home. And you can even see the studio where he actually worked, preserved perfectly.


And that's it for the Five Day Trips that you can make from Paris wrapping up our Highlights of Paris miniseries. As a final note, make sure you check which days different châteaus or museums are closed. For example, Château Fontainbleau is closed every Tuesday. As well as Christmas Day, May 1st, and New Year's Day. And for example, if you want to go to Giverny, Monet’s house and gardens aren't open until April 1st and they close the 1st of November.


And now for a few recommendations for eating in Fontainebleau, with the last of them being my “Chan Select”. The first two establishments that I ate at were during that first trip for my church's Women’s Retreat. There was a lovely dinner that was arranged at Le Nouveau Franklin our first night there. So that's my first recommendation.


And then the next day we had free time at lunch and so a friend and I went to La Taverne or La Taverne and that is where I had my first ever salad Chèvre Chau. Which means hot goat cheese salad. And for those of you that don't like goat cheese you can pass on this, but they are served throughout Paris and obviously beyond the city limits, and I absolutely love them! The crisp lettuce with the warm or grilled goat cheese, topped with Lardon, or grilled bacon, and a lot of times, tomatoes, and apple slices and walnuts, all come together to be an absolutely succulent and delicious meal.


But my final recommendation and today’s actual “Chan Select” is where I went most recently. Le Bristo 9 or Le Bistro Neuf, as you would say in French, because that’s how you say nine in French. As we were looking for a lunch spot, and I wanted to try something I hadn't tried before, thus not going to La Taverne or La      Nouveau Franklin, we were looking at menus as we typically do which are usually located outside of the restaurant. And a lot of things seemed a bit pricey to try to feed four children.


But we walked by the “menu of the day” chalkboard at Le Bisto 9, and it said it had tartiflette, a family favorite of ours, for only five euro. And we thought we know our kids love tartiflette, so let's go here.


So we sat down and then discovered that you couldn't actually order tartiflette all by itself. It was part of the formule, or entire menu selection of the day. I honestly don't remember what the actual main dish was, I believe it was a succulent, roasted chicken with vegetables. So because the prices were higher than what we thought, we decided, you know what let's do the formule, and we’ll get the kids the tartiflette, and then we can share some of the main dishes and then it also came with a tasty choice of dessert.


And I am super happy to tell you that the portion sizes were huge. And the tartiflette was the best tartiflette we have ever had. Just so you know tartiflette is like potatoes with cream and bacon and some onions and it’s a very hearty wintery dish and it’s a dish that we normally have every year when we go to the Christmas markets at the Tuileries Gardens. Because you get a lot and it's an easy meal that we all like. But this tartiflette was incredible. And so even though for seven of us, I actually think we only ordered three formules, we all walked away full with a delicious meal and we were very happy. And we didn’t end up spending that much for seven people, especially the kids loved it because the formule came with dessert!


And now for our quote of the day. It comes from someone that we've talked a lot about today or at least a bit about today. We visited several of his homes, and he's someone that most people once they reach, I don't know maybe the fourth or fifth grade if they are in a first world country I’m assuming, have probably learned about him. And that's Napoleon Bonaparte. The more I learn about him the more he actually surprises me, and so it surprises me that this quote has been attributed to him.


Because so many of the places that I mentioned today are ingrained as pictures in my mind because of their beauty or their grandeur, and I believe that when you see these places they will be for you as well. This quote by Napoleon will make sense. He said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” and he is absolutely right.


That's it for today, everybody! I can't wait to meet you back here again next week. We will probably be having another travel episode as my family and I just finished an eight day train trip through Germany with all four kids, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.


As a reminder, if you would like the list of Paris “Chan Select” eateries that I talked about in Episode 61, make sure you go to Expatriotical.com and scroll to the bottom of the homepage to enter your email address and sign up for the Expatriotical newsletter. And you will also not only receive that first newsletter, but with it a PDF or it might be a PNG, of the Paris “Chan Select” eateries that we have had so far!


Thank you all and I look forward to meeting you back here again next week. Don’t forget to share this or any of our three Highlights of Paris episodes. And until then, this is Chandra Alley reminding you to “Live and Travel in the Know” with Expatriotical.