Day trips from Paris: the stories behind each place

Versailles was more than a home. It was a stage. Thousands of nobles lived at court, where every moment of the king's day, from waking up to going to bed, was a public ceremony. Keeping the aristocracy busy at Versailles was also a clever way to keep them away from plotting in their provinces.

The Hall of Mirrors is the star of the visit. Mirrors were a luxury product dominated by Venice at the time, and France wanted to prove it could do better. In 1919 the same room hosted the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War.

The palace was also the last home of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. In October 1789 a crowd marched from Paris and forced the royal family to leave. They never came back.

The Benedictine abbey grew from 966 onwards, stacking churches and halls on top of each other to fit the shape of the rock. The Gothic part, called La Merveille (the Marvel), was built in the 13th century.

The bay has some of the strongest tides in continental Europe. When they come in, the water can rise very quickly, which made the crossing dangerous for pilgrims. The rock was also a fortress that resisted English sieges during the Hundred Years' War.

After the Revolution the abbey became a prison for more than 70 years, before writers like Victor Hugo campaigned to save it. On the way back, Honfleur is a complete change of scene: a small harbour of tall, narrow houses that inspired the Impressionist painters.

Monet designed his garden like a painter mixes colours. The flower garden in front of the house is a riot of colour, while across the road he dug a pond, planted water lilies and built the famous green Japanese bridge.

He painted the pond again and again, at every hour and in every season. Those Water Lilies became his great late work, and the huge panels he offered to France can be seen today at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris.

The house itself is just as charming: a yellow dining room, a blue kitchen covered in tiles, and his collection of Japanese prints on the walls.

Chambord was built for François I. Its famous double-helix staircase lets two people go up and down without ever meeting, and many believe Leonardo inspired the design.

Chenonceau is nicknamed the Ladies' Castle, because women shaped its story: Diane de Poitiers, then Catherine de' Medici, who added the gallery that crosses the river Cher. During the First World War it was used as a hospital.

Cheverny is still lived in by the same family who owned it centuries ago, and its look inspired Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin comics.

Omaha Beach was the bloodiest. American soldiers landed under heavy fire from cliffs and bunkers, and many never made it past the sand. Above the beach, the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer looks out over the sea.

At Pointe du Hoc, US Rangers climbed cliffs about 30 metres high with ropes and ladders to destroy German guns. The ground is still covered with bomb craters.

The battle of Normandy lasted until the end of August 1944 and opened the road to the liberation of Paris. Visiting with someone who knows the stories turns a landscape of beaches into something very moving.

On the very first day, the British Army suffered about 57,000 casualties, the worst day in its history. By November more than a million men had been killed or wounded on all sides.

The Thiepval Memorial carries the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers who have no known grave. At Beaumont-Hamel, the Newfoundland Memorial Park keeps real trenches and shell holes, preserved since the war.

Amiens, nearby, has the largest Gothic cathedral in France, which survived both World Wars.

It was in the courtyard of Fontainebleau, in April 1814, that Napoleon said goodbye to his Old Guard before leaving for exile on Elba. The horseshoe-shaped staircase where it happened is still there.

Vaux-le-Vicomte has a more dramatic story. It was built by Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's finance minister. On 17 August 1661 he threw a dazzling party for the young king. Three weeks later, Fouquet was arrested, and he spent the rest of his life in prison.

Louis XIV then hired the same team, the architect Le Vau, the painter Le Brun and the gardener Le Nôtre, to build Versailles. In a way, Vaux-le-Vicomte is the rough draft of Versailles.

His one condition: nothing could be moved. That is why the paintings still hang exactly where he placed them. The Musée Condé holds the second largest collection of old master paintings in France, after the Louvre, with works by Raphael, Poussin and Ingres.

The Great Stables are just as impressive. Legend says a prince believed he would be reborn as a horse, so he wanted stables worthy of him. Built in the 18th century, they once housed hundreds of horses and dogs.

Chantilly also gave its name to the famous whipped cream, served here since the 17th century.

Chartres is famous for its stained glass: more than 170 windows from the 13th century, including the deep 'Chartres blue' that no one has ever managed to reproduce. During the Second World War, the windows were taken down piece by piece and hidden to protect them from bombing.

The cathedral has two mismatched spires, one Romanesque and one Flamboyant Gothic, and a labyrinth inlaid in the floor of the nave. Pilgrims once walked it on their knees; today the chairs are moved aside on Fridays so visitors can do the same.

Below the hill, the old town of Chartres is worth the detour: half-timbered houses, an old stone bridge and the quiet banks of the Eure river. From spring to the end of the year, the cathedral facade lights up at dusk for Chartres en Lumieres.