Half-Day Giverny Day Trip from Paris: Monet's House and Garden with Skip-the-Line Tickets

Embark on an excursion from Paris to Monet's Impressionist Garden with an art expert
From US$949 privately
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Tour Details
Duration
Half Day
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Fondation Claude Monet
  • Giverny
  • Monet's Garden
  • Vernon Train Station
Photos & Highlights
  • Walk alongside the green pastures of Giverny that inspired Monet
  • Led by an art historian
Select a date
Tour Description
In 1883, the Impressionist painter Claude Monet sought tranquility and nature in Giverny, a sleepy village in Normandy. Over the next 43 years until his death, Monet's artistic development flourished alongside the gardens he cultivated with immense care. In this four-hour Giverny tour, a day trip from Paris, you'll join an art historian for a unique opportunity to discover the connection between the artist's work and his magnificent home and gardens, learning more about the life of the iconic painter in the process.


Note: The Monet Foundation is open April-October.

Giverny Tour

Monet's career was intimately entwined with the course of the Seine River. Growing up in Le Havre where the river meets the English Channel, Monet then settled at various locations upstream, including Argenteuil and Paris, before finally settling in Giverny. By this time he was beginning to make a name for himself after many years of arduous struggle. Soon the peaceful village was overrun with young artists hoping to meet Monet, or at least to be inspired by the same captivating landscape. It is this history that you will discuss with your expert on the short train ride from Paris to Giverny. Once you've arrived, you will begin your walk with a visit to Monet's house and gardens, which have been lovingly restored.

Natural Inspiration

Inside, you will wander through Monet's blue-tiled kitchen, and bright yellow dining room, and see his vast collection of Japonisme prints throughout. Looking at the artist's personal effects, you will gain a sense of the atmosphere and rhythm of his daily life. Exiting his extensive gardens, you will explore this important source of inspiration. A careful gardener, Monet tended to his flowers daily. Paying special attention to his lush water garden—complete with an artfully landscaped combination of bamboo, weeping willows, Gingko trees, water lilies, and a Japanese-style arched bridge—you will see the continuation of his appreciation for the Japonisme aesthetic. Fans of Monet's paintings and garden lovers alike will be inspired by the changing dominant colors of Monet's gardens from month to month: blue and rose in April, lilac and white in May, rose and mauve in June, rose and red at the beginning of July. Taking in the melange of colors and the air of Monet's carefully constructed creative sphere, you will draw connections between Giverny and his work.


"My first time at Giverny, and what an experience! With all those incredible flowers, our guide's dynamic lecture, and Monet's pond, I couldn't ask for more. This is one of the best tours we've had in our travels."

Take-Aways

A visit to Giverny offers an insight into this fruitful period of Monet's life when he was able to fully realize his aesthetic ambitions. Splitting his days between painting and caring for his elaborate gardens, Monet's artistic oeuvres and his home at Giverny are intricately intertwined. Although there are no actual canvases on-site, it can be said that the construction, layout, and nurture of his gardens were as much a part of the artist's work as his paintings.


Following the visit, you will have the option either to stay on in Giverny independently to visit the Musée des Impressionismes and enjoy lunch in town or return directly to Paris with your guide. Visitors with a strong interest in impressionism might also be interested in our Musée d'Orsay Tour.

FAQ

Where does it start? Where does it end? 
You will meet your guide in Paris and travel with them by train to Giverny. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point. The tour ends in Giverny. The guide usually takes the train back to Paris after the tour. Your train ticket is an open ticket, and you're welcome to stay in Giverny and return to Paris at your leisure.


Is the start time flexible? 
The train schedule to Giverny changes often according to the season and planned construction on the line. We may need to change your start time in order to accommodate the train schedule. If you are concerned about the start time of your tour, please contact us so we can best advise. 


Is this tour walking intensive, and/or wheelchair accessible? 
This excursion is walking-intensive, includes public transport, and the Monet Foundation is only partially accessible to wheelchair users. Please contact us with any questions; we will be happy to advise if this tour will be appropriate for you.


Are there tickets?
We will purchase train and entry tickets for you and your guide will have them on hand. There is also a short bus from the Giverny train station to Monet's Gardens. Clients are responsible for the bus fee (approx. €10.00), which must be paid in cash.


What are skip-the-line tickets?
For this tour, your tickets are pre-purchased which allows you to directly enter the security line at the gardens without waiting to purchase tickets, rather than taking a detour to the onsite ticketing office. You may still have to wait in a short security line or a line to have your pre-purchased tickets scanned. 

Where You'll Start
134 Reviews (4.83)

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James was incredibly knowledgeable about Giverny and prepared to take us on a great journey from start to finish! We appreciated his depth of knowledge about Monet and connecting painting to Giverny in a way that made it understandable.
James was great! Sorry it took so long to get to this review, but having an artist guide us around the gardens was amazing :) my friend and I had a great time, and I learned a lot even though it was my second trip!
Our Context guide Marie was exceptional. Obviously very knowledgeable about Monet specifically but also Art History generally, and a wonderfully pleasant person. We had a great half-day with her.