Giverny vs. Versailles

Old Oct 7th, 2015, 03:44 PM
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Giverny vs. Versailles

Hello!

I'm planning on visiting both Giverny and Versailles. Would a one day trip for both Giverny and Versailles be a good idea or would it be better to split those into two seperate trips?

Thanks!
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 04:10 PM
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You really don;t have time to visit both in one day. They both become mobbed - as in Macy's at Christmas - so it's recommend to go to both of them when they open to avoid the worst mobs from the tour groups.

And Versailles, besides the massive buildings, has huge gardens with fountains, avenues and Le Petite Trianon. To see much of anything you need to allow at least 4 or 5 hours.
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 04:43 PM
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I believe it would be impossible to do both in a day in any meaningful way. The other issue might be the season. Giverny is a growing season destination while Versailles is interesting all year, including the gardens, from a design point of view. If you don't have 2 days to devote to the visits, or even if you do, let the season of your visit be your guide.
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 04:47 PM
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What is being said above is totally incorrect.

Monet deliberately planted the gardens of Giverny to have visual interest year round. He wanted to be able to paint it year round, and he did. If you know Money's work, and is autumn and winter paintings, it is thrilling to see the gardens in those seasons.

If you don't know his work, then you might appreciate Versailles more. It's big and impressive.
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 05:08 PM
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I looked up your travel plans and see you are going in spring. I suggest you do the visits you are planning on separate days. Also, if you haven't already done this, it is worthwhile to read about the gardens before you go so you understand their relation to Monet's work, and how he developed them. If you haven't seen many paintings of Giverny, there are many in Paris worth seeing before you go to Giverny. If somebody just wants to see flowers, there are lots of lovely places right in Paris to do that. But if you are taking the trouble to go to Giverny, it becomes a whole different experience if you understand what Monet was hoping to achieve in both the gardens and his paintings of them.
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 05:08 PM
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The average visitor to Giverny is not an artist and expects to see a garden, including water lilies and blooms. In any case, I'll point out that someone must agree with me as Giverny is closed in the winter, Nov. 1 until the end of March.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 04:39 AM
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Sorry, sandralist. Regardless of how Monet designed Giverny, it ia not open in the winter. I agree that it would not work well to visit both Giverny and Versailles in one day. If you are going in the spring or summer and have time for only one, visit Giverny.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 04:53 AM
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The fact that garden is not open in winter doesn't change the fact that Monet designed the garden to be interesting in winter. You seemed to making claims to know something about garden design.

Both your comments are beyond inane. I truly, truly, truly give up this time. Onwards with ever-stupider travel on Fodor's led by the Fodorites.

And to the OP -- please make up your own mind about whether to go to Versailles or Giverny by reading some good sources. Versailles is stupendous, not in the least because of its gardens.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 05:07 AM
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What a pill you are. "It is thrilling to see the gardens in those seasons...." Fact, you can't see them in late autumn and winter. Although I'm sure you obtained some special access.

If YOU are bored with inane comments on here, I can say the same for pedantic, snide, superior and often inaccurate remarks.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 05:30 AM
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I was in Giverny for the first time last month and absolutely loved it. It takes up a full day since the trains don't run that often. We took the early train out and I don't think we arrived back in Paris until three or 4 p.m.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 05:38 AM
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At this point she's called me stupid so many times on this forum and another, for years now, what's truly inane is her ability to keep up the abuse. She must be a real treasure to live with. Count ourselves lucky our only contact is online and at this point, just good for a laugh.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 06:02 AM
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We were at Giverny, the last week of October, 2012. While far from peak, it was lovely and serene.

There were less than 50 people the entire time we were there and I was able to take many pictures of the bridge with no one on it and have photos taken of me, alone on the bridge. You can't do THAT in season.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 06:30 AM
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The fact that garden is not open in winter doesn't change the fact that Monet designed the garden to be interesting in winter

HOW HOW do we know--and what possible difference does it make IF you can't go. Are you telling all of us to just show up after October 31st!! What a ____
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 06:42 AM
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Thank you Gretchen.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 08:21 AM
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>

Promises, promises.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 08:38 AM
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well, I'm not clear on the timing, but if it is Spring and Giverny is open, I personally think you CAN do both in one day. It's not impossible at all. The main issue is logistics or transportation. I know there are those bus tours that go to both and that would be efficient. DOing it yourself by train would not and no, I don't think you could do it yourself.

A lot of time people spend in a day for Versailles is the trip, it seems to me, and the walk to/from the castle. That alone takes up one hour or more each end. And I did not spend all day at Versailles, you can see some of it in a few hours, of course. You might want to see the palace and then maybe one other thing (or maybe not, you could just see that). So no, you do not have to bee there 5 hours to see much of anything. And I sure didn't spend all day at Giverny, either, probably just 2-3 hours at most (I doubt if I were there 3 hours).

I'd say you can't do it yourself with public transportation, but otherwise you could. Parisvision has a day trip that combines them, it's perfectly feasible -- start out about 8 am, drive to Giverny, have two hours there, lunch, then they spend the afternoon at Versailles. Because they have their own driver, they can do that. But it is expensive, no doubt about that, compared to DIY. But they do get priority access, also, so no line waiting.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 08:40 AM
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she's been kick off at least 3 times previously -- we can only hope.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 08:42 AM
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Whatever the merits of Giverny at any time of year, the essential geography is unalterable. It is more than an hour from central Paris in one direction, Versailles is outside Paris in a completely different direction, and either would take the best part of a day in themselves to do them justice.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 09:02 AM
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Do check her profile...
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 09:09 AM
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Elberko,

We can only hope.
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