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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ____

Thank you Gretchen.

<<Both your comments are beyond inane. I truly, truly, truly give up this time.>>

Promises, promises.

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.

she's been kick off at least 3 times previously -- we can only hope.

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.

Do check her profile...

Elberko,

We can only hope.

I meant, check it now. Still there, but amusing.

Very weird -- she has gotten into much (MUCH) nastier fights than this thread but <i>this</i> one sent her round the bend?

Does anyone remember Dr. Irwin J. Corey, the World's Greatest Authority? I present his latest incarnation, Dr. Sandralist, only not so funny.

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.>

How have you sandra seen the gardens in winter? Special tour? You may be right about how Monet planted the gardens but that is irrelevant as to visit is a seasonal thing as MdeLost says.

You made the huge mistake and criticize others for not recommending a winter visit?

PQ: You are late to the party -- zeppole/sandralist has left the building ;)

Ah I wondered what the old name was!

There was another, autumn-something. On Frommer's she's mushroom.

>>Ah I wondered what the old name was!<<

She has had at least four -- zeppole was just the most recent.

There was another, autumn-something. On Frommer's she's mushroom.>>

somehow this strikes me as funny, not sure why.

whatever incarnation she is in at the moment, when she isn't trying to prove how much better travelled and educated she is than the rest of us, she can provide some really good and valuable information. but she seems to have some form of "Forum tourettes" which means that she just can't resist showing how superior she is.

She even told me off for agreeing with her once!

Indeed, annhig. Looking back over the "exchange" above, I still don't believe there was a conflict of actual pertinent information...only that she wanted there to be. That tells me she was simply having an episode. But as I mentioned, Im used to it although when & where is always the mystery. I guess the same is true of hormones, or lack thereof.

A typical post ran something like:

All sorts of detailed/useful info advice . . . followed or preceded by "don't listen to [insert screen name], s/he is (pick one) a nit wit, stupid, inane, limited imagination, nitpicky, ridiculously polyannish, self appointed High School Hall Monitor of Europe, blathers, bigoted, petty, pigheaded, nonsense, contemptible, shallow, half baked, oblivious . . . and those are just in the last 7 days . . .

You know we're all going to pay for this. She never goes away.

For a thread that was getting real old, real fast, it turned quite interesting with surprising speed! :-)

Until they throw all the good bits out.

lol, JJ.

a hormonal reason, MMP - I'd never thought of that.

Giverny is a few-hour thing for most and longer to get to from Paris - if you're really interested in Monet that's great - but the general person if they had to chose would prefer Versailles - if not just because of its great fame.

Versailles can take much of a day - not only for the world's most famous palace IMO but for the vast park and gardens and Marie Antoinette's Hameau where she allegedly played peasant shepherd and the town of Versailles though overlooked by nearly all the throngs that throng the palace area= just to the south of the palace is an old area of town with ancient hotels and embassies extant from when Versailles was the seat of government for later kings who fled from the rabble of Paris to a more relaxed place. I found this area very interesting - the tourist office kind of opposite the RER C exit has a walking tour map of this old area where the likes of Benjamin Franklin stayed.

And the center of Versailles is a sweet regional town with few foreign tourists - a wrought-iron Les Halles type market is there and nice shopping area.

Giverny is a small village well worth exploring because it is the iconic French village rather untouched by modernity - check out the village cemetery where Monet still rests but all in all most folks will probably like Versailles more if they can't do both.

Giverny is one of my favorite day trips from Paris but if I could do only one it would be Versailles.

I'm sure sandralist concurs with all I say here - and I think the gardens at Versailles were designed to be seen in winter and in that case can actually be seen in winter!

I'm sure sandralist concurs with all I say here >>

i wouldn't put my shirt on it.

looks like we'll never know.

I have no hope that she'll do us the courtesy of keeping her word, as I'm sure you recall annhig, she didn't when she made the same promise not so long ago. She'll reappear before long as if nothing happened and the cycle will begin again. I wish her nothing but good things, including an adjustment of her meds, my only desire to not see more of the abuse that sadly will define her around here. Hope against hope.

PalenQ is so right about the little town of Versailles.

Rather than stay in Paris, on arrival, we once went straight to Versailles, checked into our hotel, had lunch and toured the gardens, then browsed around the town. It was a heavenly afternoon. We toured Versailles early the next morning before busses arrived. The town is charming with a nice area of restaurants.

So, to the OP, if you choose Versailles, don't rush back to Paris. Stay in Versailles for dinner. If the market is open, it is quite beautiful with wonderful food.

Another idea for the OP, get to Versailles in time to browse the market and have breakfast. Walk and explore the gardens for a couple of hours.
Many of the busses of tourists arrive from 9:00 to 10:00 and again after lunch. If you can do without lunch right at noon, you can enter the Chateau around 11:00. No guarantee, but that might work for you.

Actually, it is too bad about Sandralist. She often had great travel ideas and excellent advice, hate to lose that. I respected her wide range of travel experience, and often referred others to her for opinions.

Just wish she had been able to refrain from name calling of others whom she disagreed with, and perhaps accepted that once in awhile someone else might be a tad more knowledgeable about something.