Package trips to Paris, France, are vacations to excite even the most jaded of travelers. La ville lumière is a destination without comparison. Distilling the essence of French culture into a city with something for everyone.
With trains letting you build incredibly layered package trips to Paris, France and Paris rail vacations, we’re spotlighting how the City of Light is the launchpad for some of Europe’s most compelling rail vacations.
Paris as a Rail Destination: The Allure of the City of Light
Rail Escape offers package trips to Paris, France, that allow you to savor moments in the French capital while exploring more of France and its neighboring countries. Speak with our travel team to request an itinerary that has everything you need for an unforgettable Paris rail vacation.
Paris is a magnetic destination for rail vacations, whether using it as a base for exploring France by train or as a headline destination on tours across Europe.
In any other city, the Eiffel Tower would take top billing. But this city boasts the world’s largest museum, the Louvre, and Europe’s busiest theme park, Disneyland Paris.
Across 20 arrondissements, each with their own personality, is an intoxicating array of museums, art galleries, boutiques, and parks. Gastronomic delights extend to picnics on the banks of the Seine to dining in Michelin-starred restaurants (129 and counting). Or the literary cafes of the Latin Quarter or the cozy bistros in Paris’ last village, Montmartre, the setting for the evergreen Amelie movie.
That barely scratches the surface of what makes package trips to Paris, France, so irresistible.
How Rail Travel Enriches Package Trips to Paris, France
It might be impossible to get bored in Paris, but its excellent rail links hold the key to adding more layers to a French vacation.
Paris has six major train stations, each serving different regions and countries. Its two major airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, are busy hubs for transatlantic flights. Together, they offer a world of choices for package trips to Paris, France.
France is bordered by eight countries, all reachable on fast, direct trains. That includes high-speed services to Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and even the UK via the Channel Tunnel.
Some of the most popular cross-border itineraries routing through Paris can be discovered in our destinations guide, which focuses on Rail Escape’s leading pre-crafted tours country by country.
Meanwhile, TGV high-speed trains radiate out across the country, making it a breeze to explore France.
Paris and Beyond: Multi-Country Rail Tours
Package trips to Paris, France, deliver an incentive to thread together journeys that cross borders and cultures.
We highlight some in our destination guide to France, where you can find rail vacations designed by our travel team to showcase the best of Europe. But you can find inspiration for package trips to Paris, France below.
A Trio of Capitals: Paris Rail Vacations to Brussels and Amsterdam
French TGVs leave Paris daily, zipping through vineyards and valleys in northwestern France en route to the Belgian capital, Brussels.
The de facto capital of the European Union is a food lover’s delight and a city with a rich cultural heritage that extends from the baroque splendor of the Grand Place to the belle of the 1958 World Fair, the Atomium.
Another short and relaxed high-speed train can whisk you from the waffle houses of Brussels directly to Amsterdam.
The canals and brown bars of the Dutch capital are another destination that can elevate package trips to Paris, France. With yet more world-famous cultural attractions to explore, including Anne Frank’s House and the Van Gogh Museum.
This journey can be booked directly on our ever-popular Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam tour. But let us know if you want to see other parts of Belgium or the Netherlands. From Bruges to Delft, our travel team will tailor the itinerary to match.
Extend Package Trips to Paris, France, into Germany and Switzerland
Our Grand European Capitals Tour illustrates the potential of visiting adding destinations to Paris rail vacations.
This rail vacation takes a circuitous route from Amsterdam to Paris, calling into the history-packed German capital, Berlin. A city of irrepressible energy and grand monuments.
High-speed German ICE trains then reveal more of Germany on a view-filled journey to the Bavarian capital, Munich.
The home of Oktoberfest and some of Germany’s oldest bierkellers, Munich is a place to visit royal palaces and roam around an atmospheric old town before checking out the BMW Museum.
A day trip from Munich is the inspiration for Disney’s Castle, the majestic Neuschwanstein Castle. While trains also link historic cities across Bavaria, including Augsburg and Nuremberg, home to some of Europe’s most colorful Christmas markets, feature a stop on our captivating German Christmas Market Tour.
Trains snake out of Munich along scenic routes through Alpine foothills into Switzerland. This tour makes one last stop in the refined financial hub, Zurich, on the shores of the picturesque lake that shares its name.
Augmenting package trips to Paris, France, with visits to neighboring countries is made easy with Rail Escape. Our travel team listens to what you want and builds seamless itineraries to match for a Paris rail vacation.
North to South: London to Madrid via Paris
The Channel Tunnel adds another grand capital to the mix when planning package trips to Paris, France.
London makes a convenient starting point for our sweeping South West Europe: From London to Madrid tour. And combines brilliantly with Paris. Utterly different yet so much in common when comparing the dizzying variety of museums, architectural jewels, restaurants, and shopping.
Another dynamic capital, Madrid, sits at the end of a leisurely rail journey through France and Spain. With a pause to enjoy the beaches, tapas bars, and inspiring Gaudí architecture in Barcelona.
Madrid adds its own magic to this tour of Western European capitals. Another city stacked with cultural jewels, from the Prado Museum and Royal Palace to colorful neighborhoods that reward unhurried exploration.
Rail Escape crafts bespoke itineraries, inviting you to include your dream destinations in package trips to Paris, France, that go to the places you want to visit.
Alpine Journeys: Paris to Switzerland
Switzerland’s proximity to Paris brings the Alps into the reckoning when planning a Paris rail vacation.
Our Paris to Basel tour highlights this connection, linking the bright lights of the French capital with the natural wonders of the Alps.
The route includes a stop in Strasbourg on the German border, a short high-speed journey from Paris.
The capital of Alsace offers a contrasting perspective on French culture, with its distinctive Franco-Germanic character. You can feel it around the half-timbered houses in the evocative old town and in restaurants serving Alsatian wines and culinary specialties.
A rail trip along the German border brings you to the Rhine city, Basel, Switzerland’s cultural epicenter. Day trips from Basel head deep into the Alps, to mountain resorts like Interlaken, where you can extend the rail trip to Jungfraujoch, a rail station at the top of Europe.
For travelers enjoying an extended break in Europe, Switzerland offers a seductive array of scenic rail journeys. Like the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, two extraordinary journeys featured on our Scenery and Elegance Swiss tour.
Paris: The Ultimate Base for Exploring France
Paris is the ultimate anchor city for discovering more of France. Whether on day trips from the capital or extended tours that let you appreciate the joy of slow travel.
The French Riviera: Mediterranean Dreams
The Mediterranean charms of the French Riviera offer the chance to balance urban escapades with beachside relaxation.
From Paris, the TGV reaches Nice in under six hours. Nice is the gateway to exploring the Côte d’Azur, AKA the French Riviera. A city of beaches and grand promenades with easy rail links that snake east and west along the ravishing coastline
On our Sun & Sea Tour of the French Riviera, trains head west to glamorous Cannes and onto effervescent Marseille. Then turns slightly inland to enjoy moments on colorful public squares and a thriving culinary milieu.
Customize your Paris rail vacation with Rail Escape to head east out of Nice. A picturesque journey rolling along the glittering coastline into chic Monaco. Stay on the same train to cross the border into Italy, where you can extend your bespoke rail tour through another coastal jewel, the Italian Riviera on the Ligurian Sea.
History Lessons Along the Atlantic Coastline: Paris Rail Vacations to Normandy
Normandy is a sprawling region of France packed with historical wonders and towns built around medieval centers. Parts of Normandy can be visited on day trips from Paris. Add a few days to dive deep into a region that could not be more different than Paris.
Highlights of the region include:
Giverny, where you can visit the garden that inspired Monet’s water lilies.
Rouen, with a Gothic cathedral that inspired more Monet masterpieces, is another easy day trip from Paris.
The D-Day landing beaches; a slightly long day trip through the northern French countryside to Caen or Bayeux.
Rail Escape designs package trips to Paris, France, that can incorporate destinations in Normandy to experience two contrasting sides of French heritage.
Chateaux and Vineyards: A Train Trip Through the Loire Valley
The Loire Valley further demonstrates how trains can enrich a Paris rail vacation. Less than an hour from Paris is Tours, gateway to the fabled Loire Valley, where kings built castles as vacation homes and some of France’s wine is produced.
While a rental car can help follow regional wine routes, local trains let you roam between Loire Valley towns and majestic chateaux.
Destinations which can be added to package trips to Paris, France, include:
Azay-le-Rideau is home to a Renaissance jewel of a castle that graces the front page of local travel guides.
Orleans, where Joan of Arc made her name by hoisting a flag and exhorting her compatriots to lift the city’s long siege and turn around the Hundred Year War.
Blois, which boasts its own royal palace and is also the closest town to the magnificent Château de Chambord, the most famous of Loire Valley castles.
Rail Escape offers fully customizable rail tours of France. Let us know if you hear the Loire Valley calling, as it did for generations of French monarchs; then let us take care of planning a seamless itinerary that reveals the best of the region.
Explore Further with Rail Escape’s Package Trips to Paris, France
France’s efficient and extensive rail network entices curious travelers to tailor their Paris rail vacation to see more of what makes France the world’s most visited country.
Request an itinerary from our travel team to customize a rail vacation exclusively for you. Branch out on high-speed day trips from the French capital. Or drop anchor in Paris for a few days before continuing on a multi-country tour, making the most of the city’s excellent international rail connections.
With Rail Escape’s package trips to Paris, France, you can look forward to first-class seats, seamless rail connections, and select hotels in prime locations that let you enjoy more of the moments that matter on a Paris rail vacation. With every detail designed so you can explore the France you want to see.
