If you happen to have been to search for the “greatest day journeys from Paris,” inevitably one of many prime ones that may come up could be a day journey to Giverny.
The village of Giverny, situated roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) away from Paris in Normandy, is most well-known for being the house of Impressionist painter Claude Monet for greater than 40 years. A few of Monet’s most well-known works – together with his Water Lilies collection – have been impressed by scenes from his personal private gardens.
Monet lived in Giverny up till his dying in 1926, and in the present day his colourful former home and gardens are open to the general public as a museum. You solely need to see a couple of photographs of this place to grasp why Giverny is among the hottest day trips from Paris.
I lastly visited Giverny for myself on my most up-to-date trip to Paris, and wish to share all the things I realized about planning your individual go to there. And whilst you CAN e book a tour to Giverny from Paris, you can also do that journey by yourself, which offers you extra flexibility to spend longer in these stunning gardens.
Learn on to discover ways to do it!
Planning the right Giverny day journey
When to go to Giverny
You possibly can go to the village of Giverny any time of yr. BUT, it is vital to know that Monet’s Home and Gardens are ONLY open to go to from early April by way of the top of October (opening dates are sometimes April 1-October 31 every year).
If you happen to’re visiting Paris within the winter or early spring, I’d not advocate making the day journey to Giverny. (Monet’s Home and Gardens are behind a wall, too, so you may’t actually see something with out going inside.)
From April to October, the home and gardens are open 7 days every week, and there are all the time flowers in bloom. However if you wish to see particular issues in Monet’s gardens, you may wish to know these tough blooming dates:
- April: Tulips and wisteria (wisteria typically in late April)
- Might: Wisteria (early Might), irises, and rhododendrons
- June: Roses
- July: Water lilies (second half of July)
- August: Water lilies
And so far as days of the week to go to… Monet’s Home and Gardens is all the time busy, however going early on a weekday would be the least crowded time to go to.
Getting tickets for Monet’s Home
Monet’s Home and Gardens is run by the Fondation Monet, and they’re those you should purchase your tickets from.
You do not *HAVE* to buy tickets upfront for Monet’s Home and Gardens, but it surely’s extremely, extremely advisable. In any other case, you may in all probability be standing in a ticket line for and hour (or extra for those who do not arrive early). And no one desires to waste that a lot time!
As soon as you understand the day you’d wish to go to Giverny, go online here and pre-purchase your entry ticket. Tickets are all timed, and price €11.50 for adults.
Monet’s Home and Gardens are open day by day from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., however you do wish to comply with the recommendation on the positioning and examine out there practice occasions from Paris to Vernon-Giverny earlier than you e book your time slot, retaining in thoughts that to get from the practice station to the doorway of Monet’s Home takes some further time (extra on this within the subsequent part!).
In my case, the most effective timing for me was the second time slot of the day at 10:30 a.m., in order that’s once I bought my ticket for.
As soon as you choose your variety of tickets and the date/time of your go to, you may must register on the positioning earlier than buying your e-ticket utilizing a bank card. You don’t want to print this e-ticket out; put it aside in your cellphone, and simply present it if you arrive. (Extra on the place to enter later, as you get to skip the lengthy ticket line if you pre-buy on-line!)
NOTE: If you happen to simply Google “Monet’s Home tickets,” you are going to get loads of totally different outcomes. The perfect place to purchase your tickets is straight by way of the Fondation Monet web site. Giverny.org additionally sells tickets, however they price extra and embrace further charges.
Attending to Giverny from Paris
Since it is a self-guided day journey to Giverny, let’s speak about the right way to get to Giverny from Paris! The journey could embrace a metro, practice, and bus – which sounds daunting, however I promise it is not unhealthy.
Practice to Vernon-Giverny
You will wish to take a regional TER practice from Paris’ Saint-Lazare practice station to Vernon-Giverny (the practice station is within the village of Vernon). This can be a direct practice (no adjustments needed), and there are a number of that run this route on daily basis from Paris. Saint-Lazare is on a number of Paris Metro traces (Line 3, 12, 13, and 14), so it must be straightforward to achieve the practice station from wherever you are staying.
You should buy your ticket to Vernon-GIverny on the practice station utilizing a ticket kiosk machine, or upfront by way of an app like Trainline. (Tickets will not promote out, but it surely’s typically simpler simply to pre-buy a ticket in a app.)
You will wish to examine practice occasions earlier than shopping for your entry ticket to Monet’s Home, because the practice occasions aren’t at even intervals all through the day. After I did my journey (with an entry time of 10:30 a.m.), I took a practice from Saint-Lazare at 8:14 a.m., as there wasn’t one other out there that may get me there in time.
The practice journey from Paris to Vernon takes roughly 50-60 minutes, and costs often vary from €10-€20 one-way (you may get cheaper pricing for those who e book upfront). I booked my Paris-Vernon ticket upfront, however waited to purchase the ticket for my return journey to permit myself extra flexibility in Giverny.
Taking the Giverny shuttle
When you arrive on the Vernon practice station, you may wish to take the pedestrian underpass beneath the railroad tracks to the practice station itself (do not simply stroll out the fence subsequent to the practice). Your journey will not be fairly accomplished, as Vernon is definitely a pair miles away from the village of Giverny.
Giverny runs shuttle buses that join Vernon to Giverny that coincide with all arriving/departing trains from/to Paris after about 9 a.m. When you get to the practice station, comply with indicators for the Giverny shuttle – or simply stroll out the entrance of the station and search for the road of buses with Monet work on them.
A round-trip bus ticket between Vernon and Giverny prices €10 (or it is €5 one-way), and you will purchase your ticket utilizing money or card if you board the bus. They often have sufficient buses to satisfy demand, so do not stress an excessive amount of about getting a seat.
The bus journey to Giverny is lower than quarter-hour, and you will be dropped off within the village’s primary public parking zone. The return bus occasions to Vernon are posted proper on the bus cease, and I like to recommend snapping a photograph so you understand when to return again. (Once more, the bus occasions often match up with practice occasions again to Paris with some buffer in-built.)
How you can get to Monet’s Home
From the bus parking space, it is a couple of 10-minute stroll into the village of Giverny (there is a useful map with estimated strolling occasions proper subsequent to the bus cease). It is pretty straightforward to only comply with the stream of individuals by way of the parking space and into city, as everybody is probably going headed to the identical place.
When you get to Monet’s Home, although, you should listen. As a result of you do NOT want to face within the lengthy ticket line on the primary entrance to the home because you already purchased your ticket on-line. (Except you did not pre-book your ticket on-line; in that case, you’ll have to stand within the ticket line.)
Search for indicators for “Porte 1” and “Porte 1bis,” with arrows pointing down a small lane earlier than the primary ticket line. Porte 1 is the group entrance, whereas Porte 1bis is for “Entree Coupe File” or “Entry With Cross” – which is you! In the direction of the top of this lane, you may discover an entry gate by way of a stone wall, the place you may have your ticket scanned.
(There are indicators, however they’re fairly small and simple to overlook. Therefore, these photographs that will help you!)
You will enter into the again nook of the primary flower backyard, or Clos Normand, at Monet’s Home. And from there, you may discover nevertheless you want!
Issues to do at Monet’s Home and Gardens
There are three primary areas to discover when you’re inside: Monet’s Home itself, the Clos Normand flower backyard, and the water backyard. There isn’t any set order through which to go to, and since you are not on a tour with time constraints, you are free to spend as a lot time as you want seeing all the things.
Clos Normand flower backyard
You will enter in the primary flower backyard, which is all the time bursting with colourful blooms, regardless of which month you go to. This was the backyard that originally got here with the home when Monet bought it in 1883, however again then it was an apple orchard and kitchen backyard.
Monet reworked it over time into his dream backyard, bursting with so many various crops and flowers. (Sure, Monet was an avid gardener in addition to a painter!)
Not all the paths by way of this backyard are open to foot site visitors, so make sure you respect any closed or chained-off areas. And it goes with out saying that you just should not trample any flowers!
Monet’s Home
The lengthy, pink and inexperienced home on the head of the Clos Normand backyard is the place Monet lived together with his second spouse, Alice, and their mixed 8 kids. There’ll possible be a line to enter the home, but it surely strikes shortly and is price seeing.
Inside, the home is shiny and cheery – and was largely designed by Monet himself! You possibly can discover rooms throughout each flooring of the house, together with restored rooms like Monet’s studio and bed room, and the brilliant yellow eating room and funky blue kitchen.
The entire home is roofed in artwork prints, too, each of Monet’s work and the artwork of others.
Water Backyard
The preferred a part of Monet’s property is certainly the water backyard or Japanese backyard, which is house to the well-known water lily pond. Monet added this backyard within the Nineties, and created the pond by diverting a small stream into the backyard.
Together with the water lily pond (which, keep in mind, solely has water lilies blooming in July/August), this backyard has bamboo, a Japanese-style bridge (which drips with wisteria within the spring months), willows, and several other serene strolling paths. It is often very busy with teams and folks attempting to take photographs, however there is not any denying that it is stunning.
Monet began portray his well-known Water Lilies collection right here on this backyard in 1897.
NOTE: Portray or sketching within the gardens will not be allowed, so whilst you could also be tempted to channel Monet whereas right here, depart the artwork provides at house. Taking tons of photographs is all the time allowed, although!
How a lot time to spend at Monet’s Home and Gardens
You possibly can after all spend as a lot time right here as you need, however a pair hours is loads of time. I spent a complete of two hours exploring the home and gardens, strolling slowly by way of every backyard twice. Most guided excursions right here enable much less time to discover, in order that’s positively the advantage of coming by yourself.
Different issues to do in Giverny
When you’re accomplished within the gardens, take a browse across the reward store earlier than leaving Monet’s Home and Gardens. Then wander again into the village of Giverny. Another issues you are able to do embrace:
- Go to the Museum of Impressionisms, which is an artwork museum devoted to the Impressionist motion with rotating artwork displays and one other beautiful backyard.
- Seize lunch within the village – I acquired an incredible sandwich from Gourmandises de Giverny.
- Go to Monet’s grave, within the cemetery behind the Giverny Church.
Practice again to Paris
As soon as you have seen all there’s to see in Giverny, you may catch the practice again to Paris. Once more, you may wish to examine practice occasions upfront, as there are some timing gaps within the afternoon.
You will reverse your steps from earlier, first strolling again to the parking zone to catch the shuttle bus again to Vernon. There, you may both purchase a practice ticket from the ticket counter, or once more buy one utilizing the Trainline app. Then it is about an hour again to Paris’s Saint-Lazare on the practice.
And that is your day journey to Giverny!
An ideal Giverny day journey itinerary
Here is precisely what my day journey to Giverny on a weekday seemed like (word that weekend practice/shuttle occasions might be barely totally different):
- 8:14 a.m. – Practice from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny
- 9:04 a.m. – Arrive in Vernon
- 9:25 a.m. – Shuttle bus to Giverny
- 10:30 a.m. – Entry to Monet’s Home and Gardens
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Discover Monet’s Home and Gardens
- 12:30 p.m. – Lunch and exploring in Giverny
- 3:10 p.m.* – Shuttle bus again to Vernon practice station
- 3:40 p.m.* – Practice again to Paris
*If you wish to get again to Paris earlier, there’s often a practice again to Paris at 1:50 p.m. on weekdays, too.
Giverny excursions from Paris
And for those who’ve learn this far and have modified your thoughts about doing this journey by yourself, that is okay! There are many guided tour choices from Paris, a few of which may additionally mix a go to to Giverny with different websites/sights.
Listed below are some good Giverny excursions to contemplate:
Who’s able to take a day journey to Giverny to see Monet’s inspiration?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 international locations on 6 continents from her house base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by way of the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares suggestions based mostly on her private experiences and locations she’s really traveled!
