Myer

We've been to Paris about 5 times over the years, have briefly mentioned Giverny and then not bothered for one reason or other.

I've checked out going by train / shuttle, etc on our own and the cost is about 45-50E including admission. It appears to take a bit less time to get there by train than by motor coach.

Motor coach tours cost in the range of 85E and after travel to and from (total of about 5 hours including the visit) leaves about 2 hours for the actual visit.

We'll be in Paris for several days right at the very start of September.

We normally like to do things on our own and very seldom take coach / minivan tours.

On our own pros in no particular order:
Slightly less expensive
Come and go when we want

Coach pros:
They drive directly to Giverny with no changes or fighting to get on the shuttle
I assume with a coach you don't wait in a long line to enter though I could be wrong.

What I'm looking for is the following:

What kind of lines or waiting for shuttle and entry or crowds in general should we expect in early September and if we get there around noon.

If we have to get up at the crack of dawn to get in then we'd probably rather wander around Paris and pass on it. Enough to keep us busy in Paris.

Thanks.

FrenchMystiqueTours

First off, buy your ticket to Monet's gardens in advance (on-line from their website or in person in Paris at FNAC) and you won't wait in line to enter once you are there as those who pre-purchase tickets use a separate entry. This is the same for the coach tours.

When you arrive in Vernon there are at least two if not three shuttle buses waiting to meet arriving trains and you won't have to fight to get on the coach, though it may take a few minutes for everyone to board.

There's no predicting how crowded it may be in Monet's gardens but in general the sunnier and warmer it is the more crowded it is with weekends generally being more crowded than weekdays. I think you'd enjoy a visit in early September and I recommend going on your own and if you don't want to get up early then take the 10:20 or 12:20 train leaving Paris. Giverny is a beautiful village and I think most people don't wander around and explore all the little side streets and they are worth a walk. There's also the museum there and plenty of nice places to eat.

jan47ete

on the top right of this page search Giverny and all your questions and more will probably be answered.

Flaneur5

Also, check the Giverny website to see what is blooming at the time of our visit. I went in the middle of July and much of the garden was way past peak bloom. The house is still lovely and so is the water lily pond. Do not worry about the coaches. The day I went the first coach filled up quickly and another coach arrived within minutes.

HappyTrvlr

I can't imagine missing Giverny. I would make it a priority during your Paris visit.

Myer

Thanks.

I've been able to add an extra day to the trip (added to the Paris part) so Giverny has a chance this time.

Thanks to those who provided useful information.

Myer

Are there any decent views of the old mill in Vernon from the park beside it?

Is it worth the effort?

joannyc

<<.Are there any decent views of the old mill in Vernon from the park beside it?

Is it worth the effort?>>

Yes, you can get some great photos of both sides of it! I was driving and there is a parking lot right there. No other tourists were there. Don't know where the train station is located so don't know if you can get there walking.

dorkforcemom

We took the train. Upon arrival, we took a taxi immediately to Monet's gardens. We arrived much sooner than the shuttles, were about the first ones to enter. Very reasonably priced, too. It was a wonderful adventure. Two thumbs up!

scrb11

"I've checked out going by train / shuttle, etc on our own and the cost is about 45-50E including admission. It appears to take a bit less time to get there by train than by motor coach."


Wow, that's quite a bit just to visit the gardens.

Isn't a DIY visit of Versailles about the same? Though the crowds at Versailles, even in the '90s when I visited, were insane, especially on a hot summer day. Gardens were much more tolerable.

Ackislander

Scrb11,

You aren't going to Giverny to see A garden, you are going to Giverny to see MONET's garden, the garden to which he devoted much of his life, both as a garden creator and as a painter. You may also visit his house and the American museum.

Versailles has very different kinds of gardens, brilliant for sure, but not at all comparable.

Coquelicot

If you drive, take the scenic route, at least on your way back. There are some nice stretches along the Seine, and La Roche-Guyon, one of the Plus Beaux Villages of France, is a short drive away from Giverny.

We've had good lunches at the Auberge du Prieure Normand in Gasny.

The town of Vernon isn't much, but it has a nice market one or two days a week.

PatrickLondon

It's quite a pleasant walk between Vernon station and Giverny as well.

AlessandraZoe

If you can get into the gardens before the tour buses, it's an entirely different experience. We were able to stay the night before at a local B&B and were the first ones in. Unforgettable.

We now tend to spend an hour or so at the Musee l'Orangerie more or less reliving the experience.

mamcalice

Don't miss it! The gardens are lovely. We go nearly everytime we are in Paris. The train/shuttle bus is the way to go and there are several trains so you don't have to get up early. Buy your ticket ahead on line. We were last there in late September of this past fall. The gardens were great with spectacular dahlias. I have never seen so many different kinds. If weather permits, have lunch in the garden of the American Museum.

Myer

scrb11,

That 45-50E per person includes train both ways from/to Paris (14.7E per person each way), shuttle both ways from Vernon to Giverny (4E per person each way) and Admission (10.20E).

So per person 14.7 x 2 + 4 x 2 + 10.20 = 47.60E.

It does add but then again, it's a trip.

Myer

It's less than a 20 minute walk from the Old Mill in Vernon to the train station.

I wonder if the shuttle driver would less us off at the bridge instead of having to ride all the way to the train station and walk back to the Mill.

HappyTrvlr

And make sure you visit the American Museum as well, a wonderful day trip.

Christina

Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. That shuttle is really a bus. Often there are laws/regulations that they aren't allowed to stop except in official stops where they are supposed to, and which are on their itinerary, and they have to keep to a schedule. I suppose you could ask, hope you speak French well enough if you want to do that.

YOu know I like Monet well enough, but I don't see this place as some holy grail that you MUST go there or something is wrong with you. It is really crowded, for one thing, and does eat up a day. People have different priorities and interests. I've never been up in the Eiffel Tower because I just don't care about doing that, for example.

bookseller05

If you are over 60 ask for the senior discount when buying your train ticket. The agent who sold us our tickets in September of 2013 asked us if we were eligible for the discount but we met others on the train who were not asked. I think it saved us about 20%.

Giverney was a highlight of our trip to Paris. And I would definitely take a taxi from the train to save time waiting for the shuttle bus to fill up and get going.