Monet’s house and gardens, 50 minutes from Saint-Lazare. Here is how to do the day without wasting any of it.
The short version
- Take the train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny: about 22 a day, 46 to 57 minutes, from €10, no reservation needed. Aim to land by 9:30.
- The shuttle bus waits outside Vernon station and runs to the train times: €10 return, 15 minutes. Or rent a bike at the station and ride the flat 6 km along the river.
- Book a timed ticket for Monet’s house and gardens at claudemonetgiverny.fr: €13 adults, €7 ages 7 to 17, free under 7. Arrive at your slot, stay as long as you like.
- Take the 10:00 slot. The online quota runs out on busy weekends, and the gate line is long once it has.
- Once you leave, you’re out, and there’s no picnicking inside. Eat before or after.
- Add the Musée des Impressionnismes up the street and the walk to Monet’s grave. Both fit before a 17:00 train home.
Getting there
Trains run from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny from 5:46 to 22:15, 46 to 57 minutes, about 22 a day. They’re regional Nomad and TER trains: no seat reservation, second class from €10, tickets at sncf-connect.com or the machines at the station. Buy the return at the same time.
At Vernon the Giverny shuttle is waiting in front of the station and leaves after each train: €5 one way, €10 return, 15 minutes. Bike rental at the station is the other way; the ride follows the Seine à Vélo route on the flat, and there is bike parking at the Giverny car parks. On foot it’s about 75 minutes along the river, a nice walk out and a long one back.
Or let us run the day. Our Giverny bike tour meets you at Saint-Lazare for the 9:30 train, fits you with a bike at Vernon, and includes admission. April to October.
The day
Be at the gardens for a 10:00 slot. Advance tickets use entrance 1Bis on sente Leroy, next to the group entrance, and skip the main line. Start in the Clos Normand, the flower garden in front of the house, then the house itself: the yellow dining room, the blue-tiled kitchen, the Japanese prints on every wall.
The underpass takes you to the water garden, the Japanese bridge and the lily pond. Give the whole place 90 minutes to two hours. Once you walk out you can’t come back in, so lunch is after: the restaurants are along rue Claude Monet, and the Hôtel Baudy is where the American painters who followed Monet here used to stay.
Then the Musée des Impressionnismes at number 99, open daily 10:00 to 18:00, with Daniel Buren’s Plantations on until November 1, 2026. Finish with the walk to the church of Sainte-Radegonde at the far end of the village. Monet’s grave is in the churchyard, and there’s no charge. The shuttle gets you back to Vernon for a train between 16:00 and 18:00.
When to go
April 1 to November 1, 2026. Every day in between, holidays included, and nothing is open in winter.
The garden changes by the month. Tulips in April. Wisteria over the bridge in May, then the irises, then the roses in June. Water lilies in July and August, lasting into September. Dahlias and nasturtiums across the main path in September and October.
May and June weekends are the busiest days of the year. October weekdays are the quiet version, with the lilies gone and the dahlias up. If you have one day, make it a weekday and book the 10:00 slot. Monet lived here from 1883 until his death on December 5, 1926, so 2026 is the hundredth year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy tickets at the gate?
Yes, daily 9:30 to 17:30, but book online. Advance tickets are timed and skip the main line through entrance 1Bis. On busy weekends the online quota runs out and the gate line is long.
Can I leave the gardens for lunch and come back?
No. Once you’re out, you’re out. Eat before your slot or after; picnics inside aren’t allowed and there are no lockers.
Is Giverny open in winter?
No. April 1 to November 1, 2026, 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:30. From November to March the village is quiet and the main sights are shut.
Can I do Versailles and Giverny in one day?
By car, yes: the palace in the morning, Giverny after lunch, about eight hours. By train it doesn’t work; the two are on different lines and you’d come back through Paris in between. Our private Versailles and Giverny day does it door to door from your hotel with admission to both, and the Versailles planning page compares the three ways to do it.
How much walking is it?
Three to four kilometers, almost all flat. Gravel paths in the gardens, one long street in the village. The house has stairs and no lift, and the underpass to the water garden has steps; the guards open the road gate for wheelchairs.
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