On the road to Normandy, about 75 kilometers from Paris and 60 kilometers from the small French town of Rouen, the verdant Giverny has starred in the illustrated pages of international magazines, but mostly in glittering scrapbooks dedicated to the work of the great impressionist Claude Monet, who passed a very large part of life there.
In a picturesque, beautiful house with green shutters and a gray roof, the famous 19th century painter was inspired and created some of his most important paintings in the heart of the wonderful French countryside.
On the right bank of the Seine, at the confluence of the river with one of the two branches of the river Epte, Givency reveals its floral secrets to visitors who arrive here all year round with the main priority of seeing Monet’s house up close, but end up they leave deeply fascinated by the whole village. The settlement is really very old, as in 1838 graves dating back to Roman times were found in the cemetery of the area. The central point of interest is the church, which was built in the Romanesque style, but was later reconstructed according to the standards of Gothic architecture. A stop at the site is necessary to see up close the place where the great impressionist Claude Monet is buried.
In 1883 Monet, now an accomplished artist and leader of the movement that was to change the history of world art forever, discovered the village while passing by by train. As soon as he saw the indescribable beauty of the place, with its dense vegetation, amazing trees and countless colorful flowers, he thought that this is where he would like to live and paint. He was more than excited. So, within the next period he rented a very large house, the “Press House”, and within a few months he moved there with his partner Alice Hoschedé, his two sons and her six children. The house was a lovely farmhouse with its own vegetable garden and a huge orchard.
At the time Monet settled in Giverny the village had about 300 permanent residents, most of them farmers, but there were also some middle-class families who had made their homes in the settlement. The only thing that is certain is that you cannot get lost here. In the village there are only two streets with amazing houses in pink or green shades and impressive climbing plants “climbing” their walls. Rue Claude Monet will take you straight to the center of the village, while Chemin du Roy runs right alongside the banks of the river Epte.
As the years passed the artist became more and more attached to Giverny and about 7 years after his first contact with the village he decided to buy the ‘Press House’, completely transforming both the residence and its gardens. The lush green grounds surrounding the artist’s now super-famous home are truly some of the most spectacular gardens you’ll ever see with over 100,000 different plants and, of course, the dreamy water lily pond that was the subject of one of his most famous 19th century paintings. And it is true that, although Monet initially found inspiration in all the enchanting nature that surrounds Giverny, he gradually focused on his own garden and more specifically on the lake of the “Press House”, with the typical Japanese bridge, where he spent many hours daily painting.
What you need to know before visiting the wonderful Giverny
As tempting as it sounds, don’t book a tour to Giverny through a Paris tourist office. A day trip to the place that Claude Monet loved is much better done at your own pace than while being squeezed into a large group of tourists. The best way to reach the village is by train bound for Vernon-Giverny district from Paris St Lazare station. The routes are dense, on a daily basis, and the route is beautiful. After 45 minutes you will have arrived at Vernon train station and from there you will take a bus to Giverny, which is only 15 minutes away. The total cost of the trip does not exceed 30 euros, return.
Also, if you have time on your hands, stay a while in beautiful Vernon, where you can visit a very interesting, small museum devoted entirely to the Impressionists. There you will also see Monet’s famous work “Water Lily”, which is not in the Orsay museum in Paris, as most people mistakenly believe, but in the small village in the north of France. Stop at the village’s old windmill and at the Collégiale Notre-Dame church, two spots that had piqued the interest of Monet, who captured them on canvas. Also very beautiful is the medieval château des Tourelles which still stands opposite the windmill on the banks of the Seine.
It is also important to know that, before your visit, you can get your tickets for both the Monet Foundation (housed in the home of the great creator) and the Impressionist museum in Vernon online and in combination with him the way the cost is lower. Combination tickets can also be issued for the Orsay museum in Paris, the L’Orangerie museum and the Musée Marmottan Monet, which are home to beautiful Impressionist treasures.
While in stunning Giverny, take the opportunity to see quite a bit more than the ever-popular Monet Foundation. Here you will enjoy a wonderful walk between charming farmhouses in a place that is the epitome of the French countryside. As you walk around, pass by the Saint-Radegonde Church, about 900 meters away from the artist’s house. There is also Monet’s tomb, which can be visited attracting many visitors who arrive at Giverny throughout the year. And if you love hiking in Giverny you will find one of the most exciting network of paths in France. You can easily find your way online too but there are signs everywhere to guide you. The route from Giverny to Vernon, through a shockingly beautiful nature, is only 5 kilometers.
