JAustenFan

Hi! We will be in Paris (three of us) on June 11 & 12. We are planning to see Versaille one day and Giverny the other day. We thought it might be better to do Versaille on Thursday and Giverny on Friday. Would that be a good plan?

We are trying to determine the best way to get to Giverny. Is it possible for us to order and print the train tickets in advance here in the US? Our plan was to take the early train/bus to get there, and hopefully be back to Paris by 2-3 in the afternoon. Is this a doable plan?

We're pretty familiar with the train/bus process to Giverney, but we've heard that it can be crowded and/or stressful trying to get train tickets. We don't have a lot of time to pick them up in advance while in Paris, so buying them online would be a great time and stress-saver. If we do purchase them in Paris, can we get them from any train station? St. Lazare is kind of out of our way for the rest of our trip.

Thanks for the help!

Andrew

You can buy train tickets at any train station in Paris, so it doesn't have to be stressful. If you have a chip-and-PIN credit card, you may also be able to buy them from a kiosk.

The train actually goes from Paris Saint-Lazare station to the nearby town of Vernon. From there most likely you would take one of the big shuttle buses to nearby Giverny (only about a 10 minute drive). The wait and lines just to get on the buses can be long - it was frustrating for me, thinking once I got off the train that I could hop right on a bus and go - but now, have to wait for the crowd of tourists to board...

If you want to save time, consider taking a taxi from Vernon to Giverny - you'd get there before most of the other tourists on that bus.

Also, pre-buy your Giverny entrance tickets online - that's probably what you are thinking of in terms of lines and long waits. (I knew about this but didn't do it - because I didn't decide when to go until the last minute). Pre-buying your Giverny entrance tickets and printing them means you can skip the (probably long) lines to enter when you arrive; you can instead enter the "group" entrance. That would have saved me 20-30 more minutes.

I'd guess the first step is finding the train schedules and then choose a Giverny entrance time (I think you have to choose when buying?) based on that. I do think your plan is doable to get back to Paris by that time.

Go to the SNCF website for train schedules to Vernon. You can probably buy them now online/print but personally I would just buy them in Paris.

kerouac

It is also a pleasant and easxy drive to Giverny if you want to rent a car. This could allow you to stop and see a variety of other things.

PatrickLondon

I would have suggested walking between Vernon and Giverny, if weren't for your time constraint (it takes 45 minutes to an hour, but is very pleasant). I didn't have any trouble getting a ticket at St Lazare at around 8am on a June morning, though that was ten years ago.

Andrew

Two years ago, I walked into Saint-Lazare station a little late - maybe 15 minutes before departure? - to buy a ticket to Vernon. I figured it would be easy with my fancy new chip-and-PIN credit card. Unfortunately, all the ticket machines were down, and the obvious option was to wait in a long line at the ticket window to buy the ticket.

I asked the conductor standing by my train if I could buy a ticket on the train, and she said I could but it would cost extra (15 Euro?). I didn't really have much choice if I wanted to make the train, so I just got on without a ticket. But by the time we got to Vernon, the conductor hadn't come around yet so I didn't have to buy one at all. Not a strategy I necessarily recommend to anyone, however...

Christina

It isn't stressful exactly to buy tickets at the station, but there can be long lines, you never know. SO you do have to spend time in advance, the lines can be long. there can be lines even at SNCF boutiques, but not usually as long, in my experience. Those are little SNCF outlets throughout the city.

Where will you be? That might be a better idea than waiting until the train station, although there is nothing wrong with that, you just have to reserve a lot of time as you don't know how long the line will be. this is how you find the closest SNCF boutique to where you are
http://www.sncf.com/fr/contacts/rend...outiques-gares

It always costs extra to buy on the train, if they even allow it because people who don't have tickets are usually trying to get away without paying for one. So someone who is trying to be a crook could just say "oh, I thought you could buy one on the train." So it's really a fine.

YOu can buy those tickets online in advance and print them, though, there is no savings but for convenience, I'd sure do that, also, if you are sure you want to go.

PalenQ

Those are regional trains - commute trains that should be quite full going into Paris in the morning and out of Paris in the late afternoon - but I think going out will be much more full than you think - is it possible to even make a seat reservation on those trains? I'm not sure - perhaps on some that continue going beyond Rouen? yes there can be long lines at ticket windows so just buy your ticket online and make a reservation too if you can.

No big deal, put angst to rest!

If a full-fare ticket do not forget to 'compostez votre billet' before boarding - if you do not you will not considered to be riding with a valid ticket - that is if it is a full-fare ticket - if a discounted ticket valid only on a specific train then you need not do this as the ticket if not checked by a conductor will not be valid on others trains like a full fare ticket would be and as Andrew says it is not unusual to not see a condcutor pass by on these type trains IME.

For nitty-gritty on French trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com If worried about crowding pay a bit extra for first class as of the zillions of French trains I've taken like these commuter trains are often SRO at busy times in 2nd class but half-full or less in first class - that said those trains may not have first class cars on some trains.

FrenchMystiqueTours

I go to Giverny frequently and take the 8:20 train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon. As mentioned, you can buy your train tickets in advance at any main line train station (Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon etc.) or at any SNCF boutique. You buy two individual train tickets, one to go there and one to go back to Paris. You can ask for a "billet ouvert" (open ticket) and those are valid for a period of 7 days but you must specify the starting date of validity. They are also only valid if you pay the full fare of 14.70€ (each way). So if you buy your tickets on a Monday but want to go on a Wednesday just specify that Wednesday is the starting period of validity.

The train track from which the train departs won't be posted more than 20 minutes in advance of departure. Get on the train as soon as the track number is posted and you'll definitely get a seat. The train can get crowded but even if you get on just before departure you should still be able to get a seat. Note that there are first class cabins on this train and if you buy a ticket for 14.70€ (second class fare) you can't sit in first class. First class cabins are usually fairly empty and seats have more space. You can pay a bit more and get a first class ticket but I don't think it's worth it.

You can check train schedules using www.voyages-sncf.com (in French) or www.capitainetrain.com (in English).

That being said I usually buy my tickets at the train station and I am usually at Gare Saint-Lazare between 7:30 and 7:45 and I've never stood in line more than 10 minutes. But I know some people have waited longer so I won't say that lines aren't longer than that but that is the exception and not the norm.

When you arrive there will be buses in front of the train station to take you to Giverny. You can buy tickets on the bus and I believe the round trip fare is 8€. If you want to walk it is 5km from the train station to Giverny. Just follow the bike trail and markings on the road through town and over the bridge crossing the Seine.

If you want to bike there then go to the café across the street from the train station and rent a bike there. The bikes are pretty crappy but they are adequate to get you to Giverny and back.

Buy your Monet's garden tickets in advance either on line from the official website (print at home) or in Paris at a FNAC department store once you are here. Tickets cost 9.50€ and they are valid for any day of the season, in case you print at home. As you approach Monet's house you'll see a sign on your right pointing down a little side alley marked "Pass Holders" or something like that and that is the entrance for people who have purchased tickets in advance.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Also, as PalenQ suggested, don't forget to "punch" your ticket in the yellow composting machines you'll see all along the beginning of the tracks. Do the same when you return to Paris in Vernon. The "punching" machine is inside the train station in Vernon, not along the track. This validates your ticket and failure to do so is the same as traveling with no ticket.

FrenchMystiqueTours

One last note. If you buy your tickets at Gare Saint-Lazare on your date of travel when you are standing facing the train tracks the room where you buy your tickets is located at the far right hand side of the train station. Even if you have a Chip and PIN credit card it may not be accepted by the machines.

JAustenFan

Thank you all so much for the help! We've ordered our train to Giverny, and the tickets to see the gardens. We still need to get the return train ticket, but I think we'll do that when we are there. At this point, we plan to get a taxi to take us to the gardens. Are the taxi drivers fairly fluent in English? A friend was going to type out what we might need to say in French to hand to them if needed.

Thanks again!

dorkforcemom

My advice - instead of taking the bus, or walking, or biking, take a taxi to Monet's house and garden. You'll be the first to arrive and it's very pleasant wandering a bit before the bus load of other tourists arrive. The taxi fare was very reasonable. Since you're watching the time closely, this maximizes your time spent at the garden. You'll love it!

Andrew

JAustenFan, most taxi drivers picking up tourists at the Vernon station probably guess you'd be going to Monet's Garden anyway. But you can simply write down that down on a slip of paper if in doubt - and "Gare Vernon" for the return.

Yes, you can buy the return ticket at the Vernon station, though unless they are reserved, you should buy them beforehand, so you won't have to rush to get them if say you are tight trying to catch the next train back to Paris. Note down the train schedule going back to Paris so you don't get stuck waiting at Vernon station for too long.

artsnletters

When I went to Giverny a week ago and came out of the station at Vernon, there was not a taxi to be seen, and I was pretty fast off the train so I don't think it's because they all were snapped up before I got there. I ended up taking the bus, although I made it onto the first bus.

JAustenFan

Should we consider getting a phone number for a taxi to meet us there if we wanted to do a taxi?