Giverny
Claude Monet's gardens, just over an hour from Paris.
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Claude Monet's house and studio
Claude Monet settled in Giverny in 1883 and lived there until his death in 1926, gradually turning the property into a vast open-air studio. The house, with its pink façade and green shutters, has kept its atmosphere and some of its original furniture, as well as the collection of Japanese prints that deeply influenced the painter throughout his career.
The studio-sitting room, hung with reproductions of his paintings, and the kitchen with its blue Rouen tiles are among the most visited rooms of the house, which takes around thirty minutes to explore before heading to the gardens. The upstairs bedrooms, including Monet's own with a view straight over the Clos Normand, complete the tour of an interior that has stayed true to the painter's era.
The Claude Monet Foundation, which has run the site since 1980, welcomes several hundred thousand visitors every year, with crowds peaking between May and July, when the gardens are in full bloom. A weekday or early-morning visit is best to enjoy the house fully without the crowds of tour groups.
The estate's shop offers reproductions, catalogues and items inspired by the painter's work, a popular stop at the end of the visit before heading to the gardens.
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The water lily pond and the Japanese bridge
The Water Garden, created by Monet from 1893 by diverting a branch of the Epte, is home to the famous water lily pond that inspired more than 250 of his paintings, including the Water Lilies series now on display at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. Enlarged several times by Monet himself, it remains the most photographed part of the property.
The wisteria-covered Japanese bridge, the weeping willows and the bamboo lining the pond recreate the atmosphere of the Japanese prints Monet collected, in a garden style then unheard of in late nineteenth-century France. Each season transforms the scene, from the soft greens of spring to the deeper tones of autumn.
The Clos Normand in front of the house offers a colourful contrast with its geometric beds planted for each season: tulips and irises in spring, nasturtiums and dahlias in summer, in a palette that changes throughout the year. Its gravel paths make for a peaceful stroll between the estate's two gardens.
An underground passage beneath the road that separates the two parts of the garden lets you walk from the Clos Normand to the Water Garden without crossing any traffic.
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The Norman village and its surroundings
The village of Giverny, which has kept its rural character with its half-timbered houses and flower-lined lanes, is also home to the Musée des Impressionnismes, devoted to the art movement born in this part of the Seine Valley. Several American painters settled here in Monet's wake in the late nineteenth century.
Several of the village's restaurants and inns, often set in old Norman farmhouses, serve regional cuisine at lunchtime, a natural way to round off your visit to the gardens before heading back to Paris. Their flower-filled terraces add to the village's idyllic atmosphere.
With the Seine and the chalk cliffs overlooking the valley so close by, visitors with a little more time can take a scenic detour on the way back, through a landscape Monet himself painted many times. The ridge roads running along the river offer several open views over the meanders of the Seine.
Vernon, a small neighbouring town with its old mill on stilts, makes a pleasant addition to a visit to Giverny for travellers who want to see more of the area.
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Planning your day with a chauffeur
Giverny is just over an hour's drive from Paris, usually via the A13 motorway towards Rouen before turning off towards the Norman village on a country road that already hints at the change of scenery. The distance makes it a full-day rather than a half-day trip if you want to enjoy it properly, without rushing between the house, the gardens and lunch.
As crowds are larger in spring and summer, especially when the irises and wisteria are in bloom, arriving early in the morning usually avoids the longest queues at the entrance. Your chauffeur sets the departure time from Paris with this in mind, so you do not have to think about it.
Your chauffeur stays on site throughout the visit and lunch, with no set return time: you head back to Paris whenever suits you, enjoying the Normandy countryside on the way there and back.
This service is booked for a minimum of 5 hours, at an hourly rate set by the vehicle you choose, for a full day with no surprises on the final price.
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