10 days out in the sunshine

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Pack a picnic and a good book or two, and spend a lazy day in this magical park, with its waterfall, sinuous trails, romantic belvedere and hip café, Rosa Bonheur (open till midnight).

Pass through Passy

A day is easily whiled away in Passy, one of the city's lesser-known quarters, in the 16th. It's great for strolling, shopping and wine tasting in the Musée du Vin.

Vintage Paris on a Vespa

If parklife's not your forte, hire a Vespa (we suggest Left Bank Scooters) and get mobile with this vintage shopping itinerary. Bardot and Belmondo eat your heart out!

Bois de Vincennes

• Critics choice
• Free

A boating lake, cycle paths, a farm and even a racetrack keep you occupied for hours in this former royal hunting grounds. Once you've done the park, head to Château de Vincennes to explore Europe's tallest dungeon.

Bois de Boulogne

Take in a race at the famous Longchamp and Auteuil tracks, or race the kids around the Jardin de l'Acclimatation funpark, before heading to the Jardin de Shakespeare for a rendition of one of the Bard's works.

Château de Versailles

Hop on RER C to spend a day at the Sun King's palace in Versailles. It's easily the most sumptuously clad château in the world, a brilliant, unmissable cocktail of extravagance with gardens to match.

Château Vaux Le Vicomte

This is the château that inspired Versailles – an opulent 17th-century affair by architect Le Vau. The Le Nôtre-designed gardens are especially lovely in the evening, when you can visit them (and the castle) by candlelight.

Giverny

Jump on a train at Saint-Lazare, and 50 minutes later you're in one of the world's most beautiful green spaces – Monet's garden at Fondation Claude Monet in Giverny. Tiptoe through the tulips to the famous lily ponds, which are seemingly unchanged by time.

Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau is about more than just its castle: the green expanses surrounding the château and town centre are plum destinations for hiking, cycling and picnicking.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres

An hour from Paris awaits one of the world's finest cathedrals – Notre-Dame de Chartres – surrounded by a chocolate-box medieval town, criss-crossed by a tangle of narrow streets.