We are staying in Paris March 17-20, and want to take a day trip to Monet's Giverny. This will be our 3rd trip to Paris, and we've seen a lot including Verssilles. Although spring will not have arrived yet, Giverny is a must on this year's trip. One tour group asks $131 per person for a 9 1/2 hour tour and lunch to Giverny to include Auvers Sur Oise, but this sounds expensive. We are willing to take a train to Giverny and back on our own. What of Paris' several stations has trains to Geverny, how long does it take each way, and approximately what is the fare per person? Any suggestions?

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I thought Giverny is either not open in March or is not a good time to visit.

Giverney opens April 1, so I'm afraid you'll miss it this time. For future reference however, you get the train to Vernon, the closest station, from Gare St-Lazare.

http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm

If you go you may dine at L'Anciente Hotel Baudy or at the American Museum.
For a more upscale, there is Le Jardin of Giverny restaurant.(not related to Monet's house)

HI, we did this on our own one time and it would have worked out fine except for the fact it was (unbeknowst to us!!) a bank holiday week-end and there were *throngs* of French tourists. There is a RER train that goes there, altho, as I recall, the station has a different name, ie not Giverny. The Monet house is several miles outside of the town, and there is a bus, but on that day we went, the multitudes did not fit on the buses, and there was a terrible competition for the handful of taxis. However, this was an unusual occurrence. I am sure others can offer additional info....

OOPS!! I started this a few hours ago and only just now got around to posting. In the words of the late, great Emily Littella, "Never mind".

Nope - as already explained, Giverny isn't open in March . . . . .

Perhaps you should do a bit of research on the other option included in that tour, instead of Vernon/Giverny...

Auvers-Sur-Oise

If you enter that in the search, no doubt some information will be found. There are many Van Gogh references there.

Auvers is the one you reach by RER, I think, to Pontoise.

If you do go back when the Monet garden is open, you take the train to Vernon from St Lazare (there's a train about 8.15am, I believe). From there you can take the bus immediately outside the station, or walk to Giverny in about 45 minutes (go straight down the main street, across the bridge and take the second turning on the right - the old railway line has been converted into a footpath). It can be very pleasant, though of course those people who got on the bus will have got there before you. I have some pictures on my website:

www.patrickwallace.me.uk/france.htm