Giverny is the village where a great master of impressionism, Monet, got inspiration for his art work. It is located 88 km north-west from Paris.
How to Get There
Take a train bound for Rouen or the likes at Saint-Lazare station in Paris, and get off the train at Vernon. The time varies depending on the train. Some trains don’t stop at every station, taking about 45 minutes, while others may take 1.5 hours. And so does the thicket price. Some discounts are given, according to the day and the time. Check more information at SNCF.
When you arrive at Vernon, you have 3 choices to get to Monet’s museum. First, by bus. There is a bus stop near the station. Second, by bicycle. This was our option. Since it was a beautiful day, we liked to do a little exercise outside. There are two cafes in front of the station, and they are renting bicycles ( 10 euros a day for one bicycle). I’ll say, by bicycle you can enjoy more things than when you use a bus, because a path for cyclists is provided and it runs through the nature. It was really great. And the third choice is on foot. If your schedule is not tight, it’s also possible.
Just go straight on this path (the picture above on the left). I didn’t see many people on that day, because it was a little early in the morning, but in the afternoon there were people walking, cycling, roller-braiding, or reading on the bench.
After 30 minutes or so, pedaling on and off, I found the street named “Rue Claude MONET.” This is the start of a very calm village, Giverny. Some houses are holding a sign “B&B,” or “Fresh Cider.” People here are living a really tranquil life. And Monet’s house is almost there.
This church stands on the same street, and next to the building Monet is sleeping quietly surrounded by numerous flowers.
Monet’s Atelier
Finally, we arrived at Monet’s house. It was still around 10 o’clock in the morning, but many people were waiting in line in front of the ticket gate. Parking our bicycles, we hurried to get in the line, and waited and waited. We may have taken too much time on the way. After paying €5.50 for the ticket, we entered the building, and down the staircase was a souvenir shop. Various goods with a logo “Monet” are sold there, and it was hard for me to resist the temptation, just like other visitors. Everyone needs something to prove that he has been to the place! My husband and I bought a calendar for 2008!! But don’t waste too much time there!!
Then, we came into Monet’s garden. My first impression there was “how picturesque!”
Look at those beautiful flowers. How wonderful it would be to live in such a house filled with colorful flowers! The scent of flowers is wafting in the wind and calms people’s minds. When we visited there, it was April, and we saw many tulips, pansies and daffodils. If I had a chance to live in such an environment, I would feel like painting a picture every day.
This is Monet’s Atelier painted in pink and green. It is definitely a part of the garden, or maybe the garden is a part of the atelier. They are a perfect match.
Inside the building are a number of Japanese Ukiyoe prints (ukiyoe is a woodblock color print). Monet was admiring Ukiyoe art, saying that it has many movements in it. Some prints show an American, a British, a Dutch, a Portuguese, and a Russian, who visited Japan in the late 17th century, and many westerners are looking at them with curiosity in the modern time.
Then, outside again, but this time the landscape is totally different. This is the place where Monet started to work on his grand art work, “Waterlilies,” which later made him famous. It is now viewed by many people at Orangerie Museum in Paris.
To create this beautiful Water Garden, Monet had to ask for permission to dig ponds, and later he also built the elegant Japanese Bridge, now entirely restored. Taking a stroll in this garden may make you feel like you are walking in the painting.
I was fully enjoying the beauty on the bench for a while.
Fondation Claude Monet
86, rue Claude Monet – 27620 Giverny
TEL: 02 32 51 28 21
Open hours
9：30~18：00
Closed ： Mon、 November~March *It’s open on Mon when a holiday falls on Mon.
Admission fee： €5.50（ adult）