other areas outside of Paris

We are traveling next week for a week in Paris (yeah!) I know there is only so much to cram in and we decided against going to Normandy or the Loire Valley and making sure we gave Paris its due. But, I know there are surrounding towns, I was wondering if any of them were worth a trip out of town ( we are planning on Versaille) where there might be a quaint town with charm, some intersting shopping ( we like antiques and deals) at better pricing than in Paris......

Thanks in advance for your help

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Reims

Provins

Melun (for Vaux-le-Vicomte and Blandy les Tours)

Chartres

Chantilly

Giverny

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Here are some interesting and easy trips from Paris:

Auvers-sur-Oise

http://www.auvers-sur-oise.com/

For instruction on how to reach Auvers-sur-Oise by train

www.transport-idf.com/frontal…

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Chantilly

http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/

For instruction on how to reach Chantilly by train

www.transport-idf.com/frontal…

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Chartres

sacred-destinations.com/france/chartres-cath…

http://www.mymaze.de/chartres_technisch_e.htm

http://www.chartres-tourisme.com/

For information about visits with the renown guide Malcolm Miller:

diocese-chartres.com/cathedrale/…guieng.htm

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Château de Pierrefonds

…wikipedia.org/wiki/…A2teau_de_Pierrefonds

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Château de Vincennes

http://en.chateau-vincennes.fr/

Located at the end of Métro line 1

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Fontainebleau

http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/

Take SNCF train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon in the direction of Montargis Sens and disembark at Gare de Fontainebleau Avon

Fare 9.40€

En route time 1+02

http://www.transilien.com

From Gare de Fontainebleau-Avon, take Aérial bus line A to Château

Fare: 1.40€

Buses every 15 mintues.

Entrance fee: 8€

Students: 6€

Free entry the first Sunday of each month

Entrance plus one hour guided tour (in French only): 11€

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Giverny

http://giverny.org/gardens/

Open daily except Mondays from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm from April 1st to October 31st

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Provins

http://www.provins.net/

Low Season

Open from January 2nd to March 21st and from November 3rd to December 31th 2008:

Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Weekends %26amp; public holidays from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

High Season

From March 22nd to November 2nd :

Daily from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m..

General closure December 25th and January 1st

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Vaux-le-Vicomte

http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

Open from March 15th to November 9th from 10.00 am to 06.00 pm, last admission at 5.30 pm

RER D to Melun

Shuttle (3.50€) or taxi (15€ to 19€) from Melun station

Entrance: from 14€

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Versailles

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/

RER C: direction Versailles-Rive-Gauche-château

Gare Montparnasse: SNCF train serving Versailles-Chantiers

Gare Saint-Lazare: SNCF train direction Versailles-rive-droite

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Since you specifically ask about towns, I%26#39;ll throw Rouen and Senlis (whose cathedral is older than either Notre Dame or Chartres) into the mix. Rouen would give you a better shot at antiquing I would think, though I can%26#39;t give you much help outside of that. I think it would be the best of the towns mentioned so far for antiquing. Actually the flea markets around Paris would probably be your best bet in terms of finding deals, unless you%26#39;re looking for really high end stuff in which case it probably doesn%26#39;t matter where you go within an hour or two of Paris. You%26#39;ll still probably pay close to Paris prices just without the selection.

Barbizon near Fontainebleau, the village that was home to many of the pre-Impressionist painters such as Rousseau, Millet and Corot is another option.

An easy trip from Paris is St. Germain en Laye with its 16th century château built by François I and its historical ties to Louis XIV who was born here. The château houses the Musée National des Antiquités.

Another nearby town is Rueil-Malmaison. The Château de Malmaison was the Empress Josehine%26#39;s home and from time to time also the home of Napoléon Bonaparte. It now houses a Napoleonic museum.

Not for the town but the Basilique St. Denis on the northern edge of the city is a %26quot;must see%26quot; in my book. It predates even Senlis and houses the magnificent tombs of most of the French kings and queens from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Finally there is the Château d%26#39;Écouen, a place which nobody but me ever seems to mention on these forums (or fora...). The château itself is a fine piece of Renaissance architecture. More to the point it is home to the Musée National de la Renaissance and has a splendid collection of furniture and artifacts of the period including a magnificent set of tapestries on the theme of David and Bathsheba.