Hey guys, can you please help me out I'm leaving for Paris for the first time on may 30th..besides exploring the city, I want to visit Giverny. Should I book the train ticket there or better to do it in advance from U.S.? I believe it's sncf right?

Book the train ticket when you get there. It is a short trip from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon, but there are 2 trains, the fast one and the not so fast one. The fast one takes about 45 minutes. You can use SNCF to determine the departure times so you know how to plan your time. Also check for the return trains while you are at it.

Once you get to Vernon, you can take a bus, taxi, rent a bike or walk to Giverny. If you take the bus, check the return times so you take the one that coincides with the departure train.

Giverny is so lovely, and I bet you'll be there when the wisteria is blooming on the Japanese bridge - lucky you! Have fun!

The wisteria was blooming on the Japanese bridge two weeks ago. In fact it was just about done but still beautiful.

Do the buses depart from the station or do you have to go into the town to get one? Also, about how far is the walk?

The buses meet the train at Vernon.

When I went, I bought the ticket on the day at St Lazare without any difficulty (though it helps to catch the train about 8.15 am, so you need to be up early, or you could get it the day before - don't forget to "composter" your ticket at the machine at the platform entrance or ask the conductor as soon as you see him). The ticket clerk spotted me for an English tourist straight away and handed me a leaflet about the buses from Vernon without being asked.

Walking takes about 45 minutes to an hour. On a nice day it's a very pleasant walk:

(a) walk down the main street through Vernon to the river and over the bridge

(b) finding the path on the other side of the bridge is not obvious: don't follow the road signs immediately to the right, walk straight on and take the second turning on the right through a rather sad-looking car park, and you'll come to a metalled path running behind the houses - it's a converted railway line. Just keep walking in the same direction and you'll get to the one and only street running through Giverny

(c) if you walk from the station, the buses and all those people will have got there before you: you might prefer to walk back - just keep going through the village past the church and bear slightly right, and eventually you'll find the path.

Thank you everyone..I appreciate the help

Hi Elly,
We took a taxi from the train station in Vernon and there was a flat rate - it was not more than 20E and there were lots of cabs available. We loved the gardens and when we were done we spent some time in Vernon, which is a cute little town, while we waited for our train. Have a great holiday.