Things to do in Giverny

Giverny is Claude Monet's house and water garden, about 75 km north-west of Paris, roughly an hour by train to Vernon plus a short shuttle, or longer by road once you add parking and the walk in. There is no direct train to Giverny itself, so most visitors either take the Vernon connection or book a guided day tour that handles the transfers.

The gardens are not open year-round: they run seasonally from spring to autumn, and the exact opening and closing dates change each year, so check them before booking anything else. This is not a royal residence like Versailles or a hunting château like Fontainebleau; the draw here is the Impressionist painter's lily pond, the Japanese bridge and the flower beds that shaped his late canvases.

Because of the distance, this is not a place to improvise on the morning of a trip.