Kim

Will be in Paris the week of May 10th. Would like to visit Giverney via train from Paris. Looking for specific directions and any tips/recommendations. Would also like to know if Giverney is closed during the week. <BR>Thank you very much!!!!!

Helen

Kim -- take a look at the posting, a bit further down, about searching Fodor's first, before posting your question. If you do a search, you will see that this topic has received a thorough treatment in recent weeks, including bus/train schedules, pertinent web sites, etc. Happy hunting!

Helen

Kim -- take a look at the posting, a bit further down, about searching Fodor's first, before posting your question. If you do a search, you will see that this topic has received a thorough treatment in recent weeks, including bus/train schedules, pertinent web sites, etc. Happy hunting!

Helen

PS -- I should have mentioned that the correct spelling is "Giverny" -- only one "e". You know how fussy those search engines are!

elaine

I've compiled the following info from many sources including this forum: <BR> <BR> <BR>Giverny: Fondation Claude Monet <BR>open April 1-Oct 31 Tues-Sunday, 10-6 <BR>call 33-2-32 51 28 21 <BR>Wednesday is the lightest day in terms of crowds, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be crowded <BR>By train: from Gare St Lazare, take train toward Rouen, get off at Vernon. Find a bus or cab to Giverny. <BR>By car, drive along the A13 Paris-Rouen. Exit after the first toll from Paris and follow the signs to Vernon, and then to Giverny, crossing a bridge over the Seine. <BR> <BR> web site for Paris to Giverny trains <BR> <BR>http://www.raileurope.com/cgi-bin/fs...=24&submit.y=1 <BR> <BR> The following are express trains. Others are available <BR> which take about 40 minutes more: <BR> <BR> Paris, St.Lazare-Vernon, Tues-Friday: <BR> Trains depart at 8:15, 12:04, 2:23. The ride takes 45 <BR> minutes. <BR> <BR> Vernon-Giverny, Tues-Friday: <BR> Connecting busses depart at 9:10, 1:00, 3:10. The bus ride <BR> takes 20 minutes. <BR> <BR> Giverny-Vernon, Tues-Friday: <BR> Busses depart at 2:10, 5:15, 6:55. <BR> <BR> SNCF return, Vernon-Paris, Tues-Friday: <BR> 2:52, 6:04, 8:41. <BR> <BR> Train fare: <BR> 1st class, round-trip: 200F <BR> 2nd class, round-trip: 136F <BR> <BR> "Discovery Pass for two" <BR> 1st class, round-trip: 152F <BR> 2nd class, round-trip: 102F <BR> (We paid 100F per person, round-trip for three of us) <BR> <BR> Bus fare: <BR> Round-trip: 23F <BR> <BR> Entry to the Foundation (Monet's house and Gardens): <BR> 35F Adults; 20F Children; 25F Students <BR> <BR> The ticket/information office at St. Lazare SNCF station <BR>They will give you an English brochure about Giverny as well <BR>as complete train and bus schedules. <BR> <BR>

Eileen

Hi, Kim. My parents and I went to Giverny in October last year. At first, we were planning to take the train. But when we saw the timetable, we realized that the train didn't run every hour. And we even had to take a bus. <BR> <BR>Luckily, we found some tour information with our hotel's concierge desk. There is a company called Paris Vision which offers a half-day tour to Giverny. I don't remember how much it cost but the Paris Vision van went to our hotel, the escort met us at the lobby, we rode the van, went to 2 more hotels to fetch some other tourists and drove straight to Giverny. On the way, the lady who served as our escort also became some sort of a guide. She pointed to some sights and explained a few facts about Paris and Giverny. <BR> <BR>When we reached Giverny, it began to rain and we were so thankful that we joined Paris Vision instead of riding the train. If we took the train, we would have to wait a few hours for the bus and the next train that will go back to Paris. <BR> <BR>Anyhow, when we got our entrance tickets to Monet's Garden, we were left on our own to explore the premises. <BR> <BR>Soon after, at the appointed time, we all met by the Paris Vision van and began driving back to Paris. <BR> <BR>The last people fetched from their hotel were the first ones to be brought back. And so on and so forth. <BR> <BR>I think the convenience of having a van fetch us and bring us back to our hotel's doorstep is in itself worth the money that we spent. <BR> <BR>Check with your hotel's concierge for tour options. Otherwise, there is a Paris Vision office near the Le Grand Hotel Inter-Continental Paris across the Opera. <BR> <BR>Bon voyage and have a great time in Paris.

Christina

I agree with the last post, that the Paris Vision bus tour makes good sense for convenience. As you can see from the train times, they don't really have them scheduled very well in conjunction with the bus service, either, and you may spend a LOT of time waiting around. Like I went on the noon train, which is popular. Then took the bus, which I would not recommend as it's very expensive and you had to wait about a half hour for it (a post above says it's only 23FF, but I remember it being the equivalent of about US$10, I think, so don't know about that). Anyway, after getting there and spending a couple hours, I got back into Vernon about 4:30-5, as I recall (return buses have odd times) and had to wait a long time for a train. Anyway, Paris Vision now has a WEB site, go to www.parisvision.com and you can find out everything--they have some other interesting tours, also. Their tour to Giverny is only 340FF and includes entrance fee, so you're only spending about 150FF (about US$25) more than the train/bus combo.