Our top pick of the best getaways outside of Paris

Verdant countryside, picturesque villages and a patchwork of varied landscapes… south of the Ile-de-France region, the ancient county of Gâtinais is a treasure trove of sights and attractions less than 50 miles outside of Paris. After enjoying a relaxing drive through the rolling scenery, take a peek at the Domaine de Courances, a sprawling 17th-century château set in a delightful Renaissance garden featuring a wooded park, ponds, stone bridges and canals.

Make Milly-la-Forêt your next stop to rouse your senses at the Conservatoire National des Plantes à Parfum (National Conservatory of Perfume Plants) before  continuing on your way to the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau where the Massif des Trois-Pignon is a prime bouldering spot. Here visitors are treated to an exhilarating hiking trail strewn with rocks in odd shapes, centuries-old pines and caves until you get as far as your curious destination: Cul-du-Chien, a huge expanse of sand surrounded by trees. An unlikely find in this landlocked part of France!

Just a one hour’s drive north of Paris, the Nonette valley makes for a perfect getaway where nature and heritage promise a weekend of total disconnection. One of the main attractions here is the Château de Chantilly, steeped in history and a host of fascinating treasures where you can delve deep into the history of royal France. From the opulent private apartments of the Duke of Aumale and the Great Stables to the grounds designed by the celebrated landscape gardener Le Nôtre and the forest full of game that surrounds the estate, this stunning Renaissance palace offers something for everyone.

In the main Château, don’t miss the sublime collection of paintings housed in the Musée Condé where many of the great art masters are represented, the likes of Delacroix, Botticelli, Poussin… not to mention Raphael and his chef-d’œuvre, The Three Graces. To end your delightful getaway on a delicious note, take a stroll along the Rue du Connétable, Chantilly‘s main foodie destination, and snag a table at one of the many excellent places to eat.

For a destination that ticks all the boxes as a romantic getaway, you don’t have to travel very far out of Paris! In the village of Chevreuse, the Promenade des Petits-Ponts, a tranquil footpath along the River Yvette that winds past ancient tanneries and small bridges decked out in flowers, is a pocket of France at its most bucolic. Continue your exploration of Chevreuse by taking a stroll around the medieval castle that looms over the town.

A fan of horses? The dense forests of the Regional Nature Park of Haute Vallée de Chevreuse make a superb destination that is fun to explore on horseback. If you’re in Chevreuse for the weekend, marvel at the house and workshop of French-Japanese painter Foujita in Villiers-le-Bâcle before treating yourself, in the late afternoon sun, to a long ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the breathtaking Domaine de Dampierre. Experience life in the slow lane…

Looking for activities to keep the whole family entertained? Then make a beeline for Thoiry, in the département of the Yvelines, just an hour west of Paris. A zip wire over a pride of lions, an aerial adventure park, a mini farm, an interactive labyrinth… your little ones will be spoilt for choice in Thoiry! The most original feature in the park is the Reserve, a safari area where you can observe along a 5-mile track, roaming freely, incredible wildlife hailing from Africa (giraffes, zebras, antelopes), the Americas (bison and bears) and Europe (fallow dear, Przewalski’s horses) – all from the comfort of your vehicle.

The entire family will love visiting the Château de Thoiry, where tour guides in costume will keep your kids amused, and the “Arche des petites bêtes”, which is home to a host of small and curious creatures from far and wide that inhabit our planet. Another highlight is the lion tunnel, made completely out of glass, which brings you unbelievably up close and personal to the resident big cats.

Once a tiny village in the heart of the French Vexin countryside, Giverny is today one of the most popular destinations in Normandy as the capital of Impressionism in France since painter Claude Monet settled here in the late 19th century. On the banks of the Epte, marvel at the  pink-painted house with green shutters where the father of Impressionists once lived, the Japanese-inspired garden that featured so many times in his paintings and the fascinating museum dedicated to Impressionism in Giverny, a little further up the road from the house and garden.

The environs are not too shabby either: the landscapes that like muses so inspired the Impressionists form an entrancing tableau, from the hillsides bordering the Seine through the Val Étourdi and the traditional winegrowers’ cottages in Vétheuil to the old mill in Vernon and the ancient Château de La Roche-Guyon.