Treize is your lucky number: here are our 13 perfect picks for a two-day trip from Paris.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Oscar Fiz. Image Location: Disneyland Paris City Hall, Paris, France
Disneyland, Paris
Train stations: Châtelet to Marne-La-Vallée Chessy
Journey time: from 3h 9m
Be our guest, be our guest! Spend two days experiencing the best Disneyland Paris rides and attractions like Ratatouille: The Adventure, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, and Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure. From Toy Story and The Avengers attractions to Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean rides, Disneyland Paris has fun for the whole family. A two-day stay is recommended, but if you plan ahead and get an early start, you can knock out a visit to Disneyland Paris in a single day.
🚆Trainline Tip: You can visit the real life castles that inspired Disney’s creations in two-day trips from Paris, too. You’ll find Beauty and the Beast’s castle in Chambord and Tangled’s castle in Mont Saint-Michel.
Marseille, France
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Austerlitz to Marseille St-Charles
Journey time: 3h 15m
Taking the train from Paris to Marseille reels you in with an opportunity to sit at the Vieux Port and watch the fisherman haul in your dinner. If you’re content to let the fishmongers manage the process without your supervision, you can eat up time until supper by touring the Palais Longchamp, the Abbey of Saint-Victor, and the Mucem museum.
🚆Trainline Tip: Stay at one of the best hotels in Marseille like Hotel Le Rhul or Les Bords de Mer where bouillabaisse and sea bream ceviche are served daily.
Nice, France
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Austerlitz to Marseille St-Charles
Journey time Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille St-Charles: from 3h 4m
Journey time Paris Austerlitz to Marseille St-Charles: from 3h 4m
Go to the Louvre and then to a sun lounger in the South of France after a half-day train ride to Nice. Getting around the Cote d’Azur by train is fast and fuss-free, which means you can spend hours lounging in luxury at a famous French Riviera hotel — like Le Negresco — then take a quick train to Cannes for dinner and a movie.
🚆Trainline Tip: Country counters can easily add a Monaco stamp to their passports. Simply take the 30-minute train from Nice-Ville to Monaco Monte-Carlo and visit the tourist information office for a stamp.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Train stations: Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal
Journey time: from 3h 19m
Museum hoppers and art lovers will see their cultural cup runneth over with a two-day trip to Amsterdam from Paris. Visit the Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt House Museum, Anne Frank House, and more while strolling across canals and relaxing at coffeehouses.
🚆Trainline Tip: A bouquet of freshly cut tulips, a box of Belgian chocolate, and a dinner date at the top of the Eiffel Tower: you can plan a perfect three-city date night by adding a mid-way stop in Brussels to this journey.
Berlin, Germany
Train stations: Paris Gare du Nord or Paris Gare de l’Est to Berlin HBF or Berlin Südkreuz
Journey time Paris Gare du Nord to Berlin HBF: from 5h 4m
Journey time Paris Gare du Nord to Berlin Südkreuz: from 8:24m
Journey time Paris Gare de l’Est to Berlin HBF: from 5h 4m
Journey time Paris Gare de l’Est to Berlin Südkreuz: from 8h 24m
A city break awaits after an overnight train from Paris to Berlin. One of the tastiest ways to get a feel for the German capital’s hip neighborhoods is to go on a tour of Berlin’s best currywurst stands. You’ll find them near landmarks like Volkspark Humboldthain, Brandenburger Tor, and Checkpoint Charlie.
🚆Trainline Tip: Paris is a prime location for exploring WWI and WWII history. Consider adding day trips to the Beaches of Normandy or the battlefields of Belgium to your vacation itinerary.
Barcelona, Spain
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Austerlitz to Barcelona Sants
Journey time Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants: from 6h 45m
Journey time: Paris Austerlitz to Barcelona Sants: from 6h 45m
A train journey through the beautiful French countryside is reason enough to take the train from Paris to Barcelona. When you arrive, check-in to one of the great Barcelona hotels with a pool, take a break from tanning to admire the La Sagrada Familia, and catch an FC Barcelona match.
🚆Trainline Tip: If you’ve been to Barcelona before, consider planning your trip around Primavera Sound. This two-day music festival is a great excuse to return to Barcelona while soaking up the sun.
Madrid, Spain
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Austerlitz to Madrid Atocha
Journey time Paris Gare de Lyon to Madrid Atocha: from 10h 3m
Journey time Paris Austerlitz to Madrid Atocha: from 10h 3m
You’ll have a connection at Barcelona Sants, so, if you plan ahead, you can maximize your 2-day trip from Paris with visits to two of Spain’s best cities. No matter how much time you spend in Madrid, the Gran Via and Prado Museum are must-sees.
🚆Trainline Tip: Maybe instead, buy a ticket from Madrid to Marseille. Soak up the French coastline then make your way back to the City of Light.
Image Credit: Getty Images, mr-fox. Image Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Gare de l’Est to Zürich HB
Journey time Paris Gare de Lyon to Zürich HB: from 4h 4m
Journey time Paris Gare de l’Est to Zürich HB: from 4h 4m
Seeing all of Switzerland is impossible in two days, but you can get a good sample with two days in Zurich. Take a walking tour around Old Town, a boat ride on Lake Zurich, and take advantage of weight-free luggage restrictions and — most importantly — pack that suitcase full of chocolate.
🚆Trainline Tip: If you’re visiting in the winter, two days is the perfect amount of time to merrily hop around Zurich’s Christmas Markets, with a special stop at the Singing Christmas Tree.
Geneva, Switzerland
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon to Genève Cornavin Station
Journey time: from 3h 10m
Geneva is an excellent first choice for a dual-day trip from the French capital. You won’t have trouble keeping track of time with a visit to the Patek Philippe Museum. Swiss cheese, chocolate, and coffee (Nespresso, naturally) are worth every minute of your time and every moment on your tongue.
🚆Trainline Tip: Some of the best hotels in Geneva have views of Lake Geneva, which are great for cozying up when traveling in the winter.
Rome, Italy
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Gare de l’Est to Roma Termini
Journey time Paris Gare de Lyon to Roma Termini: from 10h 52m
Journey time Paris Gare de l’Est to Roma Termini: from 10h 52m
Rome wasn’t built in two days — and we won’t foolishly claim that you can see all of the Eternal City in two days. But, instead, you can use Rome’s metro to see a handful of the Ancient Rome bucket-list sites. The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Saint Peter’s Square are more than doable with two days of time.
🚆Trainline Tip: Got a crazy case of wanderlust? Dive into our long list of the best day trips from Rome by train and start planning yet another amazing European getaway.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Ian.CuiYi. Image Location: Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Gare de l’Est to Venezia Mestre
Journey time: all from 10h 12m
Don’t be shy about visiting Venice with only two days in your pocket. It’s a city you’ll neither forget nor regret a moment in. You already have the dream itinerary in your head so buy the ticket and get your fill of the big “g”s: gelato, gondolas, the Grand Canal, and the Gallerie dell’Accademia.
🚆Trainline Tip: Venice Mestre is not the closest station to the historic center. But during busy tourist seasons like Carnival, you may want to stay at a nearby hotel instead. It will give your budget some cushion while still having a quick connection to Venice Santa Lucia train station in the lagoon.
Milan, Italy
Train stations: Paris Gare de Lyon or Paris Gare de l’Est to Milano Centrale or Porto Garibaldi
Journey time: all from 7h 25m
Fashion and food are the reasons you came to Paris, and they’re the same reasons you’ll leave. A two-day catwalk stroll through Milan is more than enough time to strut your stuff with new threads and satiate your appetite at trendy Italian cafés and restaurants.
🚆Trainline Tip: Don’t rush out of the train station without first admiring the beauty that is Milano Centrale. Milan is a top city for fashion, but also one of Italy’s most underrated architectural cities — so make sure you appreciate the many Neoclassical buildings.
London, England
Train stations: Paris Gare du Nord to London St-Pancras
Journey time: from 2h 18m
And, finally, we’ve arrived at one of the best two-day trips from Paris: London. The Eurostar runs beneath the English Channel, getting you from mainland Europe to the UK faster than you’d believe. Two days in London is plenty of time to see Big Ben and the Tower of London, tour the British Museum and the V&A, and sit for both a proper cup of tea and a proper pint in one of London’s oldest pubs.
🚆Trainline Tip: London is large and so is Paris. One of the best tips we have for maximizing your time in each is to plan your flight home from London instead of Paris. Enjoy the two-day trip from Paris to London then get to the airport via the Heathrow Express or Stansted Express instead of going all the way back into the city center of Paris, only to leave the city center and go to the airport.
If you’re having way too much fun in the French capital but still want to get out of the city, we’ve got you covered with this list of perfect single day-trips from Paris by train.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Gary Yeowell. Image Location: Paris, France
