Lady’s Guide to a Day Trip to Giverny from Paris

Today I want to share my guide to a day trip to Giverny from Paris with you. Famous for its connections to Impressionist painter Claude Monet, this village in Normandy is worth visiting when you’re in France.

Day Trip to Giverny

I love Paris. I could spend the rest of my life there. I would never tire of the beautiful architecture, delicious food, and world-class art.

But while seeing Monet’s water lilies on canvases in the Musee d’Orsay and Musee Marmottan is one thing, seeing them in person on a day trip Giverny from Paris is another.

How to Get to Giverny from Paris

On Monday I decided it was time tear myself away from Paris, where I’d been exploring the Right Bank and Left Bank for a few days.

I hopped on a train at Gare Saint Lazare to take a day trip to Giverny, and found myself at Vernon station in Normandy 44 minutes later.

I took a shuttle to get from Vernon to Giverny. It was so crowded that I had to stand, and so hot I thought I’d melt, but 15 minutes later I alighted in the beautiful riverside village that was home to Monet’s gardens.

Monet’s House in Giverny

It goes without saying that the first stop on my day trip to Giverny was Monet’s house and gardens.

After waiting in a long line to buy my ticket, I entered the world of the Impressionist painter. I started in the gardens and explored every inch of them.

Everywhere tall green grasses grew up wildly from overflowing flower beds.

The verdant scene was punctuated by the reds of poppies, pinks of hollyhocks, and all the other colors on the painter’s palette.

After taking in the scene, my day trip to Giverny continued as I did a quick walk-through of Monet’s house. The two-story building reminded me a lot of Beatrix Potter’s house in the Lake District.

It was full of art, some of which was Monet’s, but most of which was Japanese woodcuts. While simple, the house was cozy and truly a home.

Back outside, I waded through the heat and crowds and made my way under a tunnel to the other half of the garden. It was here that I began to recognize scenes from Monet’s paintings.

Everywhere there were ponds, bridges, boats, and of course, water lilies. The dark water stood still in Giverny’s summer heat, and the pinks and whites of the flowers were like mirages in sun.

Around the ponds were smaller gardens, which, like their counterparts in the other areas, were overgrown with flowers and foliage. I walked along several paths, waving hello to some friendly cows in the neighboring enclosure as I went.

Lunch in Giverny

Back at the front of Monet’s Gardens, I exited through the gift shop and continued my Giverny day trip from Paris by hunting down some food.

The main street in Giverny was packed with small hotels, restaurants, cafes, and art galleries, and I found myself a seat in the garden of a small cafe. There I enjoyed a chevre and beetroot sandwich in the shade.

Giverny Village

Refreshed, I continued along the main road in Giverny. I passed by the Museum of Impressionism, which had a buzzing cafe and stunning manicured gardens.

Farther along there was a sand sculpture exhibition in front of a picturesque historic building.

At the end of the road, I came to the village church in Giverny, where Monet’s gravestone was located. I paid my homage to the artist, then walked back along the hollyhock-lined street to the main part of the village.

Giverny Day Trip from Paris

In the mid-afternoon, I boarded my bus back to Vernon station, then caught my train to the French capital.

Despite a 35-minute delay en route, I arrived at Gare Saint Lazare happy to have taken my day trip to Giverny from Paris and determined to continue the tradition on my next trip.

Any recommendations for other day trips from Paris?

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