A Day Trip to Monet’s Garden

November 7, 2024

While in Paris I did a day trip to Monet’s Garden in Giverny by train. I waited to see what the weather was going to be like before making the final decision to go on Monday. I booked the tickets to Monet’s Garden online and used the SNCF app to book train tickets.

I caught the 8:14 am train from Saint Lazare, arriving in Vernon at 9:04 am. Once off the train, I followed the crowd to the bus that goes to Giverny. It costs EUR 5 one way. With the time taken to load everyone on the bus, drive to Giverny, and then walk to the gardens from the carpark, I finally entered the gardens at 9:50 am. A number of tour groups arrived first thing in the morning, and the car park already had a lot of cars. Online tickets enter through the same gate as the group tours, which is right at the bottom of the main garden, so you either turn right for the water garden or left for the house.

I turned right. Many people were already there, but probably nowhere near the number in summer. You could walk around reasonably easily, with just a short wait for the most desirable photo points.

The Japanese bridge was just as I imagined it. Although the waterlilies were no longer flowering, there were some beautiful Japanese maples with bright red leaves and plenty of other plants in flower in the gardens.

Once I had done a slow circuit, I went to the main garden. The nasturtiums were in full rambling mode, and there was a stunning array of dahlias. Many of the flowers were new to me as well. Monet considered his gardening to be painting with flowers and the gardeners today continue that with a beautiful combination of colour and form in the beds. The style is rambling cottage and different sections are “painted” in different colours. I was especially drawn to the orange/yellow/red areas that were particularly spectacular at this time of year.

Eventually I found myself at the house and joined the queue to enter. The wait was short, and it was not very crowded once we got inside. The flow of traffic is one way. I loved all the colours inside, especially the yellow dining room and blue kitchen.

Once back outside I headed back to the water garden for another wander. It felt like there were less people there this time and it was good to go back for another round. It’s a long way to come so I was making the most of my time there. The exit is back though the main garden so I had another wander through there before leaving about 11:30 am.

Just down the road is the Impressionist museum. It had an interesting exhibition of a Japanese painter,Hiramatsu Reiji, who was heavily influenced by Monet. It was not a large exhibition so didn’t take long to visit. The garden there is beautiful too, with gardens separated with hedges and each one featuring a different colour.

Giverny is gorgeous. My friend who visited later in the week wondered whether homeowners must sign an agreement to maintain a certain amount of “cuteness.” It is all very picturesque. I stopped and got some lunch. A menu that included a baguette, drink and tart which was all good. Once refuelled and hydrated, I set off along the bike/walking path to Vernon. It was a very pleasant walk. Once I was almost there, I checked the train timetable and realised that if I walked fairly briskly, I would make the 1:50 pm train, which I decided to do because the next direct train was not until 4:51 pm.