Bonjour Ilovetulips :-) !

Will you allow me to say that in French : "cela ne se compare pas !" (there's no comparison)

Versailles embodies what we call "Le Grand Siècle", Louis XIVth, "monarchy", etc. and is typical of "les jardins à la Française"... whereas Giverny provides you with an impression of intimacy, naturaln

So sorry, I'm typing with the left hand only because of the recent operation of my right hand, thus, my post "went off" whereas it was not finished...

"...impression of naturalness (even if it was very carefully designed...), of freshness, etc. The house is typical of the 19th century "bourgeois" conception of comfort "à la campagne"... Most people fall in love with Monet's blue and yellow kitchen... IMHO, you'd feel like living in Giverny but not in Versailles, except if you are, like Louis XIV, kind of "mégalo", lol ! Je plaisante, bien sûr ;-)"

Also, don't forget the gorgeous roses in Le Bagatelle in the Bois de Bologne in Paris. I went in May last year, and they were gorgeous. Also had a great lunch there as well.

I've been to both also, both are lovely but very different styles. For flower lovers - Giverney gets my vote hands down. I'm working on my life goal of seeing Monet's gardens once during each of the months that it is open - 3 down 4 to go! I would recommend taking the train and getting there early - or late in the day. The tour busses arrive around 9:30/10:00 and then there is a mob scene. I would try to get there as soon as it opens and walk directly to the far corner of the garden and go to the waterlilies first. Everyone else will start at the beginning and you'll have the advantage of few people around the bridge, etc. Or schedule to arrive a couple of hours before it closes and many of the tour busses will have left already. I believe there are a few posts here on logistics of getting to and from Giverney from Paris. Just type Giverney in the search box. Have a wonderful time - the wisteria will be beautiful at the end of May!

A few years back I bought Monet's Table and from time to time thumb through it. It brings back many wonderful memories of my 2 visits to Giverney. It's a beautiful book.

Giverney is intimate and loving, Versailles is grand, but nothing I could remotely relate to like I could with Giverney.

Another beautiful book is, "A Taste of Giverny." It also will show you the ancient Hotel Baudy and the Moulin at Fourges, two of our yearly stops.

Would Giverny be pretty in mid-late April?

If you go to giverny.org. you can find a calendar that gives you the things that bloom month-by-month. April sounds lovely.

I will check out the cookbook "Monet's Table." I am sooo excited about our upcoming trip.

I'm a gardener (and yes, an artlover too) and have been to both and I'd pick Giverny in a heartbeat.

Too bad, we are going next week, and I imagine it is too soon for Giverny to be in bloom. We went to Versailles in February, so our garden timing is way off, but if we make it back at the right time some year, I will be thrilled to see Monet's gardens.

It is so exciting to find a thread about gardens! I have tried to inititate one a time or two, but I had few takers. I also vote for Giverny. For a true gardener, there is no comparison, in my opinion. I also want to reinforce the suggestion to go to the rose garden at Bagatelle in Paris as well as the other odds and ends of gardens around Paris. You are going at the perfect time of year. I am headed for the tulip fields and gardens of the Netherlands on April 11th, then on to Menton, France to tour a couple of gardens in that area. For those of you who love gardens, make plans to go to the islands near Stressa, Italy sometime and view the many gardens there. Enjoy. PJK

Just thought of a (hopefully) helpful suggestion. Both times we have gone to Giverny, we have gone in May, and we left Paris early enough to be at the entrance when the gates were opened. The tour buses did not arrive either time until about an hour after we arrived. There are no guarantees that is always the case, but we were able to have about an hour in the garden before the buses arrived, and then we were able to head toward the bridge and other areas ahead of the main crowd. That meant we did the house with the hords, but the house was not the main attraction for me. At the rose garden at Bagatelle, you will see phenomenal clematis and iris as well. I am ready to go again. PJK

allisonm - there will be lots of flowers in bloom next week! I was there in early April and it was very lovely. I think their website was listed above - http://giverny.org/ - and it will have a list of which flowers will be in bloom. April - Tulips, pansies, forget-me-nots, narcissi, aubrietas, cherry and crab-apple blossom, fritillaries, daffodils, etc

In case some of you feel like strolling in gardens and parks inside or very close to Paris, here is a link which lists lots of nice places :

http://www.baudelet.net/frja.htm jardins et parcs PARIS

The music festival with the fountains held on Sundays at Versailles is very special, but another consideration is the Loire Valley with stops at Villandry, Chenonceaux, Cheverny and d'Azay-le-Rideu among others. The gardens at these Chateau are spectular not to mention the flower arrangements in the rooms of the Chateau. We were there in late September - I would have to imagine they would be even more beautiful in May. This area is known as "the garden of France."

I also vote for Giverny. But as others have said, get there early! I went with one of the tour buses, (in May) and there were so many people around, it was difficult to enjoy the gardens. Next time, I will take an EARLY train, and go on my own. At Versailles, the amount of people doesn't matter - except if you want to take the little shuttle train (and then they matter greatly!).