Day Tour from ParisDay Trip from Paris to Giverny: How to Spend One Day
A day trip from Paris to Giverny puts you at Claude Monet's house and gardens about 50 minutes after your train leaves Paris Saint-Lazare. This page plans the day on the ground: what to see in what order, what each part costs, and how long to give it. It also weighs the two ways to go, a bookable coach tour or the train to Vernon with the shuttle. For the step-by-step route and fares, see Paris to Giverny by train. The bookable tours are compared on day tours from Paris.
The church of Sainte-Radegonde in Giverny, where Claude Monet is buried. Photo: Theoliane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Is it worth it
Yes, a day trip from Paris to Giverny is worth it if you like gardens or Impressionist painting, because the train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny takes about 50 minutes and Vernon is 5 km from Giverny. The catch is the season: Monet's house and gardens open 1 April to 1 November, 10:00 to 18:00, so the trip does not exist in winter. One full day is enough for the house, the water garden, the Musée des impressionnismes and the village.
Key takeaways
- Go on a weekday in spring or mid-autumn, outside the 10:00 to 16:00 peak, as the Normandy tourist board advises.
- Follow the sample plan in How to Spend a Day in Giverny from first train to last.
- Prefer someone else to handle transport? The Giverny Half-Day Trip includes Monet's house and gardens entry for $78.
- Giverny ranks among the top day trips from Paris for garden lovers, and this page owns the day there.
How to Spend a Day in Giverny from Paris
This sample plan runs from boarding at Saint-Lazare to the return train, using the prices and hours in the facts above.
The Sample Plan, Hour by Hour
The plan assumes a weekday in spring or mid-autumn, when the Normandy tourist board says crowds are thinnest. Every figure comes from the official sources cited. If you go by tour instead, the coach removes the first two and last two steps.
- Morning, Paris Saint-Lazare: board a train to Vernon-Giverny. The ride takes about 50 minutes, and fares are dynamic, so check SNCF Connect for the day's price.
- At Vernon-Giverny station: buy the electric Navette Giverny at €5 single or €10 return, running April to November, or the little tourist train at €8 return per person per the tourist board (the operator's own page quotes €10 adult return and €5 one way for children up to 10). The Petit Train departs about 9:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00, timed to Paris trains, and takes 20 minutes to Giverny.
- 10:00 to 11:30: Monet's house and the Clos Normand garden. Entry to the self-guided visit is €13 and online booking is highly recommended, since advance tickets are non-refundable. Arrive early to beat the 10:00 to 16:00 peak.
- 11:30 to 12:30: the water garden with the Japanese bridge, on the other side of the road from the house. It is part of the same €13 ticket.
- 12:30 to 14:00: lunch in the village and a walk past the church where Monet is buried. The village itself is free to wander. Prices for village restaurants are not stated.
- 14:00 to 15:30: the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, adult ticket €12, reduced €9. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 with last entry 17:30, and it is free on the first Sunday of April, May, June, October and November, and on European Heritage Days on 19 and 20 September.
- 15:30 to 17:00: second garden time if you want it, or more village. The free car park near the museum holds 800 spaces if you came by car.
- By 17:00: take the shuttle or Petit Train back to Vernon. Trains run back to Paris Saint-Lazare, with the return ride again about 50 minutes. Watch the museum last entry of 17:30 and the house's 18:00 closing so your return never outruns them.
What to Skip If You Are Short of Time
With a half day, skip the Musée des impressionnismes and go straight from the shuttle to Monet's house and gardens. The €13 ticket covers the whole property, and the house plus both gardens are the reason most visitors make the trip. The village walk and the grave cost nothing but time, so they are the first cut.
If you only have four or five hours in total, the Giverny Half-Day Trip with Monet's House and Gardens by coach may fit better than the train, since it bundles the journey and the entry fee at $78.
Sources: Normandy Tourism, Claude Monet Foundation, Musée des impressionnismes
What to See in Giverny
Four sights fill a day. Two are paid, one is paid but skippable, and the village is free.
Monet's House and the Clos Normand
The Claude Monet Foundation opens the pink house where Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926, and the Clos Normand flower garden in front of it. The self-guided visit costs €13, and the foundation says online booking is highly recommended because advance tickets are non-refundable. The site opens 1 April to 1 November, from 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30.
Give it 1.5 to 2 hours, more if you photograph the flower beds. The Normandy tourist board warns against the 10:00 to 16:00 peak in July and August, so book an early or late slot in high summer. There is no guided tour of the house included in the standard ticket.
The Water Garden
The water garden sits across the road from the house, reached on the same €13 ticket. This is where the Japanese bridge and the water lilies are, the subject of the late paintings. Because it is on the same admission, budget your time as one property visit rather than two entries: about 2 hours total for house, Clos Normand and water garden.
The water garden is at its best in the morning light and emptiest after 16:00. It closes with the rest of the site at 18:00, last entry 17:30, from 1 April to 1 November. In winter the whole property shuts, so no part of a Giverny day trip works between 2 November and 31 March.
Musée Des Impressionnismes Giverny
The museum, 6 km from Vernon-Giverny station, shows Impressionist exhibitions and costs €12 for adults and €9 reduced. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30. It is free on the first Sunday of April, May, June, October and November, and free on European Heritage Days on 19 and 20 September.
Plan 1 to 1.5 hours. Unlike the Monet Foundation, this museum is a separate ticket and a separate building in the village, a short walk from the house. If you are torn between a second garden pass and the museum, the museum adds context the garden cannot, but the garden remains the priority for a first visit.
The Village and Monet's Grave
Giverny is a small village you can walk end to end, and walking it costs nothing. Monet is buried in the village churchyard, and many visitors stop there after the gardens. The facts list no fee and no opening hours for the grave, which is normal for a churchyard.
Give the village 30 to 60 minutes, including the walk between the shuttle drop-off, the house entrance and the museum. If you have energy left, the tourist board notes you can also reach Giverny under your own steam from Vernon: the walk takes about one hour and cycling about 20 minutes, with bikes for rent by the station.
Sources: Claude Monet Foundation, Musée des impressionnismes
Tour or Train?
There are two ways to spend a day at Giverny from Paris: a bookable tour that handles the coach and the tickets, or the train to Vernon plus the shuttle on your own. The table compares them with exact prices from each tour listing and the official local fares.
The Options Side by Side
Tour prices are quoted exactly as each listing states them. The SNCF fare from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny is dynamic and never fixed, so it is not printed here. Local fares come from the Normandy tourist board and the shuttle operators.
| Option | Price | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giverny Half-Day Trip | $78 | 6-11.5 hours | Coach from Paris, entry to Monet's house and gardens, 80 minutes of free time in the village. No lunch, no hotel pickup |
| Giverny and Versailles Day Trip | $151 | 11.5 hours | Coach, skip-the-line Versailles entry and gardens, Monet's house and gardens entry, 2-hour guided palace visit. No lunch |
| Giverny and Auvers-sur-Oise Day Trip | $252.28 | 10 hours | Minivan for up to 8, all entry fees including Monet's house and gardens and the Auberge Ravoux. Lunch is your own |
| Train plus shuttle, DIY | Dynamic SNCF fare, plus €5 single or €10 return shuttle, or €8 return on the tourist train | About 50 minutes each way by train | Transport only. Monet entry €13 and museum €12 paid separately |
| Bike from Vernon, DIY | Dynamic SNCF fare, bike rental | About 50 minutes by train plus 20 minutes cycling | Transport only, most flexible timing, bikes rented by the station |
The Verdict by Traveler Type
Take the train if you like setting your own pace and want to control costs, because the parts are cheap and the schedule is yours. Take the half-day coach tour at $78 if you want the entry fee and transport in one booking with zero planning, accepting a fixed timetable and no lunch. Pick the $151 Giverny and Versailles day if you want two headline sights in one day and a guided palace visit, or the $252.28 Giverny and Auvers van day if Monet and Van Gogh together is the point and you want a group of 8 at most.
Sources: Normandy Tourism
The Old Mill at Vernon stands on the remains of a medieval bridge over the Seine. Photo: Schorle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There from Paris
One short block, because the full route has its own page.
The Route in Brief
Trains for Giverny leave Paris Saint-Lazare for Vernon-Giverny station and take about 50 minutes. Vernon is 5 km from Giverny, and the last leg is the electric shuttle at €5 single or €10 return, the tourist train, a bike or a walk of about one hour. Fares on the mainline train are dynamic SNCF prices, so they are not quoted here.
The full step-by-step route, timetables and ticket tips live in Paris to Giverny by train.
Sources: Normandy Tourism
Day Trip Tips for Giverny
Do
- Do book your €13 Monet ticket online in advance, because the foundation says online booking is highly recommended for a self-guided visit.
- Do visit on a weekday in spring or mid-autumn, because the Normandy tourist board says that is when Giverny is quietest.
- Do arrive before 10:00 or after 16:00 if you can, because the tourist board flags the 10:00 to 16:00 window as the peak.
- Do check the first-Sunday free dates at the Musée des impressionnismes, because entry is free on the first Sunday of April, May, June, October and November.
Don't
- Don't plan the trip between 2 November and 31 March, because Monet's house and gardens open 1 April to 1 November only.
- Don't buy a non-refundable advance ticket you might miss, because the Monet Foundation states advance tickets are non-refundable.
- Don't go in July or August if you can avoid it, because the tourist board names those months, along with the midday peak, as the most crowded.
Day Trip from Paris to Giverny: Questions
Is a day trip to Giverny from Paris worth it?
Yes, if gardens and Monet interest you. The train takes about 50 minutes from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, Vernon is 5 km from Giverny, and the house, gardens and museum fill a satisfying day. The limits are the 1 April to 1 November season and the crowds in July and August. See the full comparison in Tour or Train?.
How much time do I need at Giverny?
One full day in the village, about five to six hours on the ground, covers Monet's house and both gardens, the Musée des impressionnismes and the village walk. A shorter visit can drop the museum and still see the €13 house and garden property. The sample plan breaks it down hour by hour.
What is the best way to get to Giverny from Paris?
The train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny takes about 50 minutes, then the electric shuttle costs €5 single or €10 return, or the little tourist train €8 return. If you would rather not plan, the Giverny Half-Day Trip does the transport and entry in one booking at $78.
How much does a day trip to Giverny cost?
By train you pay a dynamic SNCF fare to Vernon-Giverny, the shuttle at €5 single or €10 return, the €13 Monet ticket and €12 for the museum if you add it. The cheapest tour option is the half-day trip with Monet's house and gardens at $78 including entry.
When is Giverny open and when should I go?
Monet's house and gardens open 1 April to 1 November, 10:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:30. The tourist board advises weekdays in spring or mid-autumn and avoiding July and August plus the 10:00 to 16:00 peak. Details are in What to See in Giverny.
Can I see Giverny and Versailles in one day?
Yes, on a tour. The Giverny and Versailles Day Trip runs 11.5 hours for $151 and includes skip-the-line Versailles entry with a 2-hour guided palace visit plus Monet's house and gardens. Lunch is not included.