I am planning on visiting Monet's gardens on a side trip from Paris. I understand it is about 45 miles by car but I need to take the train. Has anyone does this before? I am checking train schedules and do not see a train station called Giverney. I assume I go to a nearby town and take a cab or bus...
Thanks!

It's easy to go to Giverney from Paris. Just take the train from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon. The trains run frequently, so just plan on taking the next one. Best to arrive right at opening time. Recommend that you look at the bus tour guides, and select a day/ time when the tour busses do NOT go. Giverney is three miles from the station. There will be busses and taxis just outside the station. For everything you need to know about visiting Giverney, here's a terrific website:
http://giverny.org/index.htm

I have been to Paris mant times and the last visit
I rented a Hertz car which I picked up near Gare
Montparnasse. If you make reservation before you
leave USA price is not too bad. Also check NAtional
Car rental. They own Eurocar in Europe. Driving i
not that bad in Paris, Driving is on right as in
USA. Also if you get car drive down to Chambord in
Loire Valley. A beautiful chateau and many wineries
in the area. Only about 2 hours south of Paris and
Giverney. Train for Giverney may leave from Gare
Monparnasse or perhaps Gare de l'est. Any good
travel agent should be able to tell you. Have fun
Ed (Giverney is a nice place).

The train to Vernon does leave from Gare St. Lazare,
but the info in a preceding post about there being
frequent trains and you just have to show up and
plan on taking the next one is incorrect. There are
very few runs to Vernon a day that would allow you
to visit Giverny, so you should be sure to get there
in time to catch the appropriate train. During the
week, there is one about 8 am and noon, on Sat
there is only one at noon, and on Sun there is only
one at 10:45. Return trains are also quite infrequent
so be sure to note the time schedule in the train stn
so you don't get stuck in Vernon. The time is about
45 min (there are 1-2 other trains a day to Vernon
with lots of stops that take 1:30-2 hrs, but I don't
think you want those). I'd recommend taking a cab
from the train stn to Giverny as it isn't far and the
bus schedule is not coordinated very well with the
train arrival time, plus the bus is actually quite
expensive as I recall ($11 RT or something like that).
Do not rent a car just to see Giverny if that's the
only reason you have to rent one.

You can find the train schedules on the web. But, when we were there, there were 7-8 trains to Vernon weekdays and 4-5 weekends. The concierge at our hotel advised that we just go to Gare St. Lazare and purchase tickets for the next train. It was leaving 30 minutes after we arrived. You could, of course, check the schedule and make reservations. On the other hand, you can wing it and enjoy a soda or cup of coffee in Gare St. Lazare while viewing the awesome station and watching the passing parade. You would, of course, want to check the schedule at Vernon for return trips.