Hello, We will be spending a week in Paris in June and thinking about taking the train on a day trip to Giverny to see the Monet house and gardens. Has anyone been there and what can you tell me about it? Is it worth spending a day? I hear the gardens should be beautiful in June. Thanks to all who repsond. I can't wait to be there.

Definitely worth it and you can do it within a half day. We took an early train from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon, then bus to Giverny, and arrived before opening. We had the gardens almost to ourselves for about 30 minutes before the tour buses started arriving. The water garden is beautiful, framed in part by weeping willows, with the Japanese bridge and lilypads better than in pictures. The house has a colorful interior (bright blue and yellow contrasting rooms) and a large collection of Japanese wood block prints displayed inside (collected by Monet). <BR><BR>We had time to linger in the gift shop before catching the bus & train back. I think we were back in Paris between 1:30-2pm.<BR><BR>You can check the following websites out:<BR>http://www.fondation-monet.com/uk/plan/index.html<BR><BR>http://giverny.org/gardens/index.htm<BR><BR>Enjoy! I was there in Sept. and will be returning next month too!

hi, i was there in May. no water lilies, but the gardens were incredibly beautiful and colourfull. very easy with train. there was a taxi waiting near the station to take people to Giverney, but not so easy to find a taxi back so check the bus shedule as well. really worth going to. shula

Last time I took a taxi from Vernon Station to Giverny I asked the taxi driver for a business card when I got out, and called for a taxi when I was ready to leave.

I heard you shouldn't go on a weekend as it's too crowded. Any comments? We're planning to visit late Sept., so don't know if it will be as crowded then.

Nancy,<BR>We visited on a weekday in mid-Sept. At opening there were maybe a dozen people. By 10:30 it seemed very crowded because of all the tour buses. ("crowded" may be relative--earlier it seemed like we'd practically had the gardens to ourselves) Best advice is to get there as early as you can. Debbie

Hi. We visited Vernon and Giverny a couple of years ago. We actually went over the Memorial Day weekend in May. The water lillies had actually started to bloom that early and it was really nice. Our first day was the mid morning on a Saturday. Good crowd but not too much so. My husband really thought the house and gardens were beautiful too. It's kind of a sureal experience to know you are seeing some of the same beautiful things that Monet painted. We stayed in Vernon as we were on a driving trip. We dined down the road at Jardins de Giverny I believe it was called. Very romantic outdoor dining with fine menu. Good luck and happy travels. Giverny has a website that is easy to find.

Visited Giverny last year with friends from Paris who knew a neat trick. It was a Sunday in May and there was about a two-hour line to get in. Some of the restaurants nearby can sell you a "group ticket" even if your group is only 2-3-4 people and you can go in the group tour entrance at the back of the garden. We returned to the restaurant for lunch after we toured the house and gardens. I think we ate at the Jardin de Giverny too--it was quite nice and somewhat removed from the traffic and tourists. It's about 100-200 yards down the road past Monet's home/garden.

Amazingly beautiful, if you have any interest at all I hope you go, it's a glorious experience.<BR><BR> I took a half- day-trip bus tour, for which I found a brochure in a hotel. I guess it was a half day. I think I might have liked more time, especially if I had somebody with me to walk & sit around with. <BR><BR> I loved the house as well as the garden. A nice thing about the bus tour, it drove us past other nice things & pointed them out, like a place where people live in caves with electricity, TVs, etc., on the way there. <BR><BR> <BR><BR>

Yes, yes. Go early so you can also visit the American museum and the Ancient Hotel Baudy. And if you have time<BR>lunch at the resto, "jardins de Giverny"

We went to Giverney last week. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, and it was a wondeful experience.<BR><BR>One warning: we went on a Wednesday. The bus from Vernon goes by a different schedule that day. We planned our day around the Wednesday schedule that was posted in several locations. (Once you leave Giverney, you cannot go back inside.)<BR><BR>We got to the bus stop well in advance for our return to Vernon, but the bus simply did not show up. The missing bus was coordinated to the train schedule back to Paris. The next bus to Vernon was not. We had a long wait at the train station in Vernon, and the half day trip we had planned on turned into almost a full day.

Ize: We went in May several years ago and absolutely loved it. We ordinarily don't like bus tours, but we were concerned about transportation from the train/bus station to the house and gardens so opted for a half day tour and it was fine. We had ample time for everything--gardens, pond, house and gift shop. In fact, we had an ice cream while we waited to reboard the bus. It rained most of the day, but we honestly felt the rain may have enhanced some of our photos, particularly of the pond.<BR><BR>There was a pen of white turkeys between the house and the gift shop (previously Monet's studio) and for some reason I didn't take a picture. Was sorry I didn't when later at Musee D'Orsay saw Monet's painting of the white turkeys (I did photograph it).<BR><BR>When we visited, only a set number of people could enter the house at a time, which worked well to prevent crowding. No photography allowed in the house. I particularly loved the tiled kitchen, all the wonderful color throughout the house and Monet's collection of Japanese prints.<BR><BR>Wouldn't hesitate to return again, we enjoyed it so much.<BR><BR>j

We were there first week of July and it was beautiful and crowded. Regarding getting there, I think there was one train that left Paris that gets there before the Garden opens, but that was so early to be impractical. There was a train that arrives just after the Garden opens and that is what we took. Even in July it was early enough to be able to get in with just few minutes wait.<BR><BR>But, while a bus from Vernon to Giverny is cheaper and coordinated with the train, a taxi is much faster and not that expensive. You beat all those people getting these on the bus as well as others pouring into the Garden at the opening time.<BR><BR>Spending a day depends on personal preference. Practically, it is difficult, here is the reason. The House is so crowded so there is absolutely no way to take a leisurely tour. The garden gets so crowded by 11am and you can still see tour busses pouring into the parking lot. We didn't care to stay there anymore by 11:30. Beautiful garden, yes; tranquility, no.

I don't know the current train schedule but my advice is to get the earliest train that, with the taxi, get you to Giverney even before it opens, unless that means a ridiculously early hour. Certainly arrive before 10am. When you go in, go to the water lily pond first; you will see signs for Bassin aux Nympheas. That way you can see it with some tranquility. Then backtrack through the gardens and end your visit with the house, which is what most people visit first. The house will then be very crowded, but I think that matters less.

Ize - I was in Paris in September and the highlight of my trip was visiting Giverny. It was so beautiful, serene and so easy to get lost in my thoughts. I took a day tour using Paris Visions. Even though it was a little more money I didn't have to go to the train station get off get on a bus, etc. The bus picked me up 1/2 block from my hotel so it was an added bonus. The tour guide pointed sites out along the way. <BR><BR>Unfortunately the downside to the trip was I was at Giverny when I found out about 9/11. There was a CNN correspondent there so we found out immediately. I was fortunate that I was just about ready to leave Giverny when I got the news.<BR><BR>But getting back to your question without a doubt go. I even liked it better than Versailles.

ttt

What about Giverny the middle of Oct? We'll be in Paris then . Is it worth going to the gardens then? I think they close by the end of Oct.

It's so beautiful. I went twice and would return again. I took some nice photos you can see at<BR>www.travelswithdiane.homestead.com/france3.html<BR>