car rental return not an option (to my knowledge) in Giverny>

No but maybe in Vernon about 3 miles and has trains to Paris?

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do...st-commissions

And for contemporary art sometimes gone amuck some say check out the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square, which the London Government site above calls the most famous display of public art in the world!

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do...th-plinth-2016 - love the 2016 installation seen here!

There are actually several things to see / do in Giverny. I’m guessing that you mean Monet’s gardens, and if so, then I think the usual advice is to go as early in the day as possible to beat the crowds. I’m a bit contrarian, and was glad to wait until late morning, after most of the early birds and tour groups had begun their visit. If it helps you plan, I spent about 3 hours in Giverny, including Monet’s house and garden (a bit under 2 hours), the museum and other gardens in town (under an hour), and a quick coffee break. Be sure to check the opening hours!

Be sure to poke around Giverny a bit - like walking to the cemetery where Money lies. Or amble down to the Seine where Monet often plopped himself down to put the bucolic scenes on canvas. Giverny away from the often mobbed Monet House and gardens is in many ways a quintessential French village.

I will check those out for sure PalenQ! I am also dying to get back to Venice and see this installation!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-1...change/8542652

kja - I think we will be In Giverny in the afternoon, so hopefully we have enough time to see everything. Who knows, maybe we will miss some of the tour crowds. I was hoping to see it with a little evening light, but not sure the sunset happens before 6 when they close. I think last entry is 5:30 but we will be getting there well before that hopefully. Aiming for a 3-6 visit.

Maybe we will take a peek around town after that as PalenQ has suggested.

Maybe we will take a peek around town after that as PalenQ has suggested.>

Well there is little per say to see - cemetery is just another cemetery ableit with Monet on the tombstone - not sure the stone has any Monet art on it:

https://www.google.com/search?q=clau...w=1745&bih=864

Sunset in Giverny in late September should be about 8:45 or 9:00 p.m.
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@3015907

Kind of a typical French village but perhaps bit more vibrant because of tourists flocking to Monet House - most however make a bee line by bus or taxi from Vernon train station and never see the real village:

https://www.google.com/search?q=give...w=1745&bih=864

there are some auberges - small hotels in the village that might make a cozy stay.

If we fly in to Gatwick and out of Heathrow will I be eligible for the two for one? It looks to me that we would only be able to take advantage of the discounts the day we arrive, is that correct?

I should clarify. We had to change flight plans and are now flying in to Gatwick and then out of Dublin via Heathrow.

You could buy a one-way from say Gatwick to Croydon then buy a cheap return ticket Croydon to London Bridge and back and throw the few-pound return portion of the London Bridge to Croydon ticket away (or possibly refund it later?)

Then Croydon-London Bridge return ticket would qualify you for 2-4-1 during the validity period all over London.

I assume you could buy all those tickets at Gatwick- on paper stock of course. If not for some reason simply get off at Croydon and buy ticket to London and back. Croydon is inside TfL TravelCard area too if you wanted to buy paper Travel Cards that also qualify for 2 for 1 as long as issued by national rail station with their logo.

No need to jump through those hoops. That's silly.

Please clarify -- How many days total are you now staying in London? If 5 or more days -- just buy a 7-day zone 1-2 PAPER travelcard at a train station. That will cover you for all your transport needs in London plus qualify for the 2for1's.

You may still need an Oyster card w/ a little PAYG £ on it for travel to Hampton Court and/or LHR.

If 5 or more days -- just buy a 7-day zone 1-2 PAPER travelcard at a train station>

And if you cannot buy it at Gatwick train station (janis can they?) then simply get off at East Croydon (or Clapham Common or other London stations depending on your trains routing) and buy it there -or if not using tube for 5 days much as OP suggests they will not be -then do the 'silly' thing and buy an East Croydon/Clapham Junction to London Bridge or London Waterloo, etc paper return ticket.

Or is there an easier way janis for them sans travel card to buy a paper return national rail ticket to/from London? Getting off at East Croydon or Clapham Junction is easy.

They do not want to get off in Croydon or Clapham Junction! Why do you want them to jump through hoops?

My guess is travelcards ARE available at LGW though I'm not 100% sure since I've never needed one there. But no biggie - from LGW they will arrive at some train station IN London be it Victoria, or London Bridge or St Pancras/Kings Cross. Travelcards are sold at all of them. Getting off at Clapham/Croydon to buy one is absolutely daft.

I think it's possible to get a London travel card from the ticket machines at Gatwick. It certainly is from ticket machines at the main national rail termini in London.

But you would probably need a chip-and-pin card.

Gatwick is a standard station, should not be an issue.

Is Dublin still in the plan and how does that affect the rest of the tour?

St Malo to Bayeau? Lots of possible distractions depending on your interest, WW2 museums all the way along if it floats your boat. Duchess Anne's castles see Fougeres, Dinan (a medieval town centre high above a river), copper saucepans at Villedieu, the Camembert or Cidre trails.

If you're going to St Malo, read 'All the light we cannot see' which is partly set in St Malo during WW2. Lovely book.

We are now thinking going to Normandy may be just too much travel along with adding in Dublin. Am considering...
day 1 arrival eve London
days 2-5 London
days 6-7 Cotswolds, Stratford Upon Avon, Oxford ( with car, dumping car in Oxford and training to Heathrow in eve to fly to Dublin)
days 8-9 Dublin Business
day 10 see Dublin more
day 11 fly out

One of the biggest problems we ran into while trying to rework everything is the need to be in Dublin on weekdays. So we decided to simplify and see what was closer.
Normandy will have to wait for another trip unfortunately. I am ok with it though, there is so much to see and do in England already.

Would a train from Oxford back into London/Heathrow qualify us for the 2-4-1 for all the days in between.

As I understand the 2-4-1 deal you can only take advantage on the day you use the train ticket unless a return ticket is purchased. And in that case you are eligible for all the days in between.

London - Heathrow does not qualify so I wondered if Oxford to Heathrow might?

Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains do not qualify for 2-4-1 but again you could buy a ticket from London to a nearby suburban station for your return - or buy the Travel Cards day by day at a London train station.