So you think that Monet's house would still be worth going to see even if the gardens aren't in bloom? How far is it from Versailles?

Are you thinking of trying to go from Versailles? Versailles is for one day and Monet's house is for another.

Twice I went by car. The first time I went, a close Parisian friend drove me there in her car. We made a whole day trip out of it and then went on to Honfleur, Deauville, and Trouville.

One other time that I went, I went on the Cityrama tour bus that leaves out of Paris. It was expensive, but I had to do it that way with my nearly 80 year old mother. She was very comfortable on the bus, and really enjoyed herself. Cityrama has lots of tours to different places. Check the website.

There is a train, from Paris, that goes to Giverny, but not to Monet's house. After arriving at the station, then you'll need to take a taxi or maybe there's a bus, but it probably doesn't run that often. There should be instructions on how to do it in one of the guide books. Happy Travels!

yellowrose,
i found your post as i have been searching the forums to plan my march/april trip to paris.
guenmai has been amazingly helpful and is so knowledgeable about paris.
in fact, i was lucky enough to get v.i.p #122 for my trip.
i have received some wonderful advice from my fellow fodorites which i will share with you.

gracejoan (i think) has recommended a car service from the airport that she takes regularly. the charge is 55 euros from cdg. they are at www.shuttle-inter.com.
another option is to use leader shuttle which is cheaper.

a couple of other things that have come highly recommended are :

siene cruise through either www.vedettesdupontneuf.com or
bateaux parisienne

tour of paris through either
fat bike tours that also operates the segway tours or
electric bike tours with parischarmssecrets.com

isn't it fun to plan for paris??? i am having such a ball just planning that i can't imagine how much more fun it will be when i am actually there.

enjoy!

Yes, www.shuttle-inter.com is still great. I am not familiar with the one you mentioned..leader shuttle. The inter com is a private vehicle, only for you..not a shared vehicle. They will be there with your name on a sign and they watch for any delays and adjust accordingly.

I am about to make my reservations along with several others who I know. Another emailed me that they had made theirs.

I hope they continue their great service for all of us!!

Enjoy...

Joan

abranz - I'm glad that you were able to get apt #122. I think it is not too far away from our little studio apartment. I am just totally amazed how much information I have been able to glean from this forum. I am so grateful to everybody and as you said guenmai especially has been so very helpful - along with many others. Guenmai - I had been told that Versailles and Giverny could be done on the same day. Thanks for letting me know that they would be on different days. I'm thinking that Versailles would have a lot more to see than Giverny, in March at least. Even though I love Monet's paintings and I have the book "Linnea in Monet's Garden" So I guess I will do more thinking on this.

If you want your fill of Monet visit the Marmottan and Orangerie museums. The latter is a member under the museum pass umbrella. The first is not, though it's worth the treck and entry fee. Among many other paintings, Marmottan displays a water lilly series and Impression Sunrise, which gave its name to the impressionism movement.

As for the shuttle service. With the one that I used I booked a "shared" shuttle in hope that I'd have it all to myself, but at the "shared" shuttle price. Well, I did have to all to myself, both from the airport to the apartment and back to the airport. It was March, a lot fewer people. I paid for it, before leaving home, over the computer, so I didn't have to worry about paying the driver upon arrival. Happy Travels!

Hey Guenmai - that's one way I can get around my husband from taking the metro or train from the airport. Book for the shuttle and pay for it even before we leave. Then when we are at the airport tell him, oh, yeah, we are taking a shuttle! I think I already had him convinced anyway. I really am going to try and travel light this time. Are older tourists frowned on if they wear jeans?

Older tourists? How old is "old"? I'm early 50s, but feel 35, and sometimes I wear them, but dark blue ones and dressed up with a crisp white blouse, nice cashmere sweater, and a really nice scarf, handbag, and nice shoes. Then I usually throw on my Burberry coat for the finishing touch along with some understated jewelry.

I never do frompy/baggy jeans , oversized T-shirts, and chunky tennis shoes. It's not me. I don't do frompy at home here in L.A., so I'm sure not going to do it in Paris.

I've worn nicely tailored, fitted clothing my entire life. My grandmother always said, "You can wear style, but don't let style wear you! My mom is the same way. As far as I'm concerned, jeans are age appropriate for all ages as long as one wears them nicely. Grandma looked great in hers at 85. Happy Travels!

Are older tourists frowned on if they wear jeans?

Wear what you're comfortable wearing. Do you wear jeans at home? Then wear them wherever you go. I do wear jeans both at home and when I travel (and I am "older" I think), but although I don't wear oversized t-shirts or other ill-fitting clothes, I do sometimes wear tennis shoes, and I often wear a sweater or blouse or any other tucked in shirt with them. If it's summer, no problem, because I have lots of nice colorful no-sleeve tops!

I agree with guenmai, I wear jeans with a nice fitted top even with my recycled Chanel jackets, A nice cashmere sweater with a nice neck piece and good shoes or boots have
allowed me to have lunch at the best of places

Yes, I bring out my Chanel, wool boucle, jacket that I bought, new, in 1986 for less than $300. I've reworked it to death. But a classic is a classic is a classic! Smiles. Happy Travels!

Great! - I am 54 - some of my young co-workers told me one day that they thought I was a little too "old" to wear jeans! I told them that if it hadn't been for my generation, they would probably still be wearing skirts to school. Anyway, I do wear my jeans (and I think the dark washes are more dressy) with nice tops and jackets, so I should be fine. Still working on some comfortable shoes as my heel problems have been acting up. Have any of you ever worn MBT shoes? They have been recommended to me - not the most attractive, but supposed to help with the plantar fasciitis.

I just make sure that when I leave the apartment or hotel, to go out, that I'm dressed in a way that I will feel comfortable wherever I might end up by the end of the day. I seldom need to return to the apartment or hotel, to redress and then go out again. Plus, when I'm out shopping, I like to look pulled together and presentable when entering a nice boutique. Happy Travels!

Thanks Guenmai - As we get closer to March will watch and see what the weather is like. All depends on what type of clothing and coats I will take. Hope they will have a nice early spring this year! Patti

yellowrose, i have been looking into giverny and versailles as well.

dd had 'planned' her monet trip after reading linnea in monet's garden when she was 7.
i'm hoping to make that come true for her!

i am considering fat bike tours to giverny - train from paris to vernon and then bike to giverny. it is a 4 hour trip.

Vernon...ok, that's the train station. I couldn't remember if it was called Giverny or had another name. Now, it just hit me. Then from Vernon it's a taxi or bus to Giverny. Happy Travels!

I just re-read my Linnea in Monet's Garden and made me want to go there again - even in March. Hubby and I are going to sit down and try and figure out some sort of itinerary that I will run by you all. But right now it is stomach flu in our house - and everything else is at a standstill! How far is it from Vernon to Giverny? I have heard about the fat bike tours a lot on this site - will check them out tonight.

abranz - How old is dd now? When are you planning to go to Paris?

Yellowrose,

My hubby and I were in Paris in March 07 for the first time. We used yellowvan and had no problems.
Here is their site:
http://www.yellowvanshuttle.com/en/
the price is 36 Euros for the two of you one way from airport.
Well worth the price.