Day trips from Versailles

In June we will be staying in Versailles with a car for a few weeks. We have planned overnight trips to Brittany and Normandy, but could use some suggestions for day trips by car. This is my first trip to Paris having a car.

Champagne region. About 2 hours or so to Reims (pronounced Ramse, not Reems as I'd always assumed), a bit less to Epernay.

Do not - under any circumstances - drive in Paris. I'd sooner drive through Times Square on New Year's eve.

That said, here are some suggestions for Normandy
1. Caen - you can walk through the Chateau of William the Conqueror where he planed his invasion of England in 1066. I did that daily on my way to university classes many years ago. Also, you may be interested in the D-Day Memorial museum there. Very impressive and informative
2. Mont St. Michel - Even though it is touristy with schlocky souvenir shops, it is still a place where you can step back in time (15th Century or so). Don't sleep there, but do walk up to the Abbey on the top of the Mont. If you get there when the tide rushes in or out, it is a fascinating thing to watch;
3. Bayeux - Walk around the village, but plan to visit the Bayeux Tapestry - depicting the Battle of Hastings in cloth. English speaking ear pieces are readily available and inexpensive;
4. By all means visit the iunvasion beaches at Normandy. Although somewhat crowded in June, it is a fascinating place and is almost impossible to comprehend what went on there in 1944.
5. Please visit the American Cemetery on Omaha beach. The beauty and respect of the place is breathtaking and awesome. My wife and I came away with tears in our eyes.
6. Spend a night or two in any town along the coast that does not cater to tourists.
7. Turn in your car before you get within 25 miles of Paris.

Enjoy your trip

Thanks for the advice. We will take the train into Paris. We have two days booked at St Quay in Brittany, and two day in the Normandy area. The rest will be day trips.

Except for Caen and not driving in Paris we ended up doing most of what was recommended by Ken.
We walked along the cliffs near St Quay. Visited the walled city of St Malo.
Near Versailles, we took a trip to the Monet Gardens and Impressionist museum. It was a cloudy day, but no rain. It being the end of the school year, there were lots of groups of young children (6-8 years old) touring the gardens and home. A word of warning when touring in June.

We took another day trip to France Miniature which was about 45 minutes away. It has all the major sites in France only smaller in an outdoor garden setting. It was worth the stop but I would not go too far out of my way to see it.

If you enjoyed St. Malo I highly recommend the book All The Light We Cannot See. The fictional story takes place mostly in St. Malo and I felt I was re-living my trip there as I read the passages. All the Light We Cannot See is written by Anthony Doerr and was #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />