Planning a Trip

Getting There

It takes a half day to get to Giverny and see its sights or a full day to take your time, have a nice lunch and perhaps visit the picturesque old town of nearby Vernon. It's best to visit in the morning on a weekday to avoid the crowds. Take the Paris-Rouen train from Paris's Gare St-Lazare to the Vernon station, where you can either take a taxi (around 15€) or local bus (4€, located just outside the station) the 5km (3 miles) to Giverny. Vernon itself lies 40km (25 miles) southeast of Rouen. Another option is to take a 5-hour bus tour from Paris, for 72€ per person, that focuses on Monet's house and garden. For ages 3 to 11, the fare is 36€. Tours depart at 1:45pm Monday to Saturday and 8:15am on Sunday between April and October. These tours can be booked through Cityrama, 149 rue St-Honoré, 1er (tel. 01-44-55-61-00; www.pariscityrama.com; Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre) in summer, or year-round through American Express, 11 rue Scribe, 9e (tel. 01-47-14-50-00; Métro: Opéra), Context Travel runs small group excursions with art historians regularly from April to October from 85€ per person. See www.contexttravel.com.

If you're driving, take the Autoroute de l'Ouest (Port de St-Cloud) toward Rouen. Leave the highway at Bonnières, and then cross the Seine on the Bonnières Bridge. From here, a direct road with signs leads to Giverny. Expect it to take about an hour; try to avoid weekends. Another approach is to leave the highway at the Bonnières exit and go toward Vernon. Once there, cross the bridge over the Seine and follow signs to Giverny or Gasny (Giverny is before Gasny). This is easier than going through Bonnières, where there aren't many signs.

Visitor Information

The Office de Tourisme des Portes de l'Eure is shared by Giverny and the nearby hamlet of Vernon (36 rue Carnot 27200 Vernon; tel. 02-32-51-39-60; www.cape-tourisme.fr). Open October to April Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5:30pm, May to September 9am to 6pm.