Versailles in Paris's outer suburb is more than the palace: the chateau-side town has bistros, a Saturday market on Place du Marché Notre-Dame, plus a Trianon hotel.
Tip: Skip the chateau cafeteria. Lunch at Gordon Ramsay au Trianon or the bistros on Rue de la Paroisse instead.
Giverny is Monet's Normandy garden village, an hour from Paris. Hotel Baudy, the 1880s artists' canteen across from the garden, still serves a French bistro lunch.
Tip: Hotel Baudy is the historic spot; the apple-orchard ciders served alongside are the Norman pick.
Provins is the UNESCO-listed medieval town 1h20 from Paris, with cheese fairs, honey shops and the 12th-century Ramparts. Lunch at La Table Saint-Jean for game.
Tip: Saturday and Sunday are market days. Combine with the medieval festival weekend (early June).
Chartres is the Beauce cathedral town an hour from Paris by SNCF. The cathedral is the spine; lunch at Le Tripot for Beauce-regional bistro plates.
Tip: Lunch at Le Tripot Mon-Fri; the cathedral has English audio guides from 10:00.
Chantilly is the 25-minutes-from-Paris chateau town that gave its name to whipped cream. The Hameau in the chateau gardens plates the cream with meringues and tarts.
Tip: The cream is plated in the Hameau in the gardens; €8 for a meringue and crème de Chantilly.
Barbizon is the 19th-century painters' village south of Paris. The Musée des Peintres de Barbizon sits in the former Auberge Ganne; bistros line the Grande Rue.
Tip: Combine with a morning at Fontainebleau forest and chateau; lunch at one of the bistros on the Grande Rue.
Reims is the Champagne capital, 45 min from Paris by TGV. Pommery, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger and Ruinart all run cellar tours; lunch at L'Assiette Champenoise.
Tip: Book a 10:00 train and a 14:00 cellar tour; lunch at one of three local bistros between tastings.