Giverny

Hi! Is Giverny worth seeing? We are taking a trip to Versailles and included Giverny in our tour. Did I make the right decision? Thanks

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You can visit Giverny in a half-day....but you will most probably be short-changing yourself on Chateau de Versailles with only a couple of hours for your visit here.

Frankly, either are among the EASIEST D-I-Y daytrips that you can do on your own from Paris (though not both on the same day D-I-Y) and either can be done (in your own time and on your own schedule) for substantially less than with an escorted tour group from Paris.

Versailles is quickly, conveniently and easily done via RER %26#39;C-5%26#39; train from Paris and Monet%26#39;s Home %26amp; Gardens at Giverny via SNCF train from PARIS-Gare Saint Lazare to VERNON station, then regional bus fome the station doors to the main gate of Monet%26#39;s Home %26amp; Gardens at Giverny. Either trip as a D-I-Y takes 60 minutes or so. Neither requires advanced degrees in %26#39;rocket science%26#39; or %26#39;celestial mechanics%26#39;. If you can find the floor with your feet when you get out of bed in the morning, you canprobably do either place on your own.

Do a simple Search of the Archives of this TA forum for very detailed instructions, directions and sugestions for either of these D-I-Y daytrips...and others....BEFORE...you decideon whether to sign-up for an escorted tour.

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Thanks :-) We are pretty much on our own on our scheduled trip to both locations. I opted for a private tour so I guess we can dictate the time we wanted to spend in one place. They(tour operator) will provide for us a driver and a tour guide or a driver/tour guide. With your suggestion..we can pretty much cover and enjoy the two places :-)

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Giverny is absolutely beautiful! I remember it more fondly than Versailles. I%26#39;m not necessarily a Monet fan, but you will feel as if you%26#39;ve stepped into a painting. Words cannot describe...

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Hi Redstone1365,

Giverny is certainly a historic place to visit, probably

more so for Monet affectionados.

Be advised that there are no Monet paintings there.

A large part of the house is a gift shop.

Across the street is the Lily Pond with the red bridge.

If you are fortunate enough to get there very early you

may have something of a view of it all without hundreds

of people in the way.

Best Wishes

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Or go to Giverny in the afternoon and stay till it closes. Within the last hour, the crowds disappear and you%26#39;ll have it more or less to yourself. A very different experience, and much less frustrating for taking photos. I didn%26#39;t make it to the American Impressionists museum, but I hear it%26#39;s worthwhile.

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My husband and I took the mini-bus day tour to Giverny/Versailles and we enjoyed Giverny more than Versailles. Fell in love with Monet%26#39;s garden. Even though Monet%26#39;s house does not have any of his paintings, it has on display Monet%26#39;s Japanese print collection. Do make time to visit the American Museum just a short walk from the garden - when we were there last month it had the haystack exhibit and paintings of American artists.

I hope you will enjoy Giverny as much as we did. Good luck sa iyo.

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You made a great decision!!!

You will enjoy both!

Make sure you have time for the Hamlet and all at Versaille as well as the Palace!

Make sure the driver takes you to the grave site also in Giverny and the Painting museum too if there is time!

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Dear Redstone:

The reason Giverny is more enjoyable than Versailles is that Giverny is at a human scale, while Versailles is huge. I went to Giverny last month and I will always remember that glorious day. The perfume of the flowers was intoxicating!!! Read the Inside Paris pages, the Claude Monet Art Tour.

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Don%26#39;t be misled when Randy says that the Lilly Pond is %26#39;across the street%26#39;. At the bottom of the (entirely shielded) garden is a short underpass to the lakes (which are also shielded from the quiet road - which was once a railway. Don%26#39;t have illusions that you will need to dash across a busy street.

Giverny is a truly fabulous place and you should aim to arrive at Monet%26#39;s Garden at 0900 to avoid the later tour buses. You will be surprised at how cheap the entry is. Look at the garden first and then go into the house later. When the buses pull in everyone seems to dash for the house.

When you leave the gardens it is worth strolling along the Rue du Monet outside and taking in the atmosphere of the surroundings. Don%26#39;t forget to visit the church halfway along, the Garden of the American Artists and the tavern and cafe.

Giverny will keep you busy for a day - as will Versailles. Don%26#39;t try to rush either of them and you will be glad later.

Have fun......

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Randy: there are no red bridges - they are green. The gift shop doesn%26#39;t take up a large part of the house - it is in the old stables.