Giverny Monet House Half Day Private Tour from Paris
Description
Immerse yourself in the magical gardens of Giverny, which inspired Claude Monet. Discover the unique atmosphere of this place, full of beauty and inspiration. Wander through vibrant flowerbeds, tranquil water gardens, and the iconic Japanese bridge, all meticulously maintained to reflect Monet's vision. Explore the artist’s home and studio, gaining insight into his life and work. Giverny offers a serene escape into a world of natural splendor and artistic legacy, making it a must-visit for art lovers and nature enthusiasts alike.
Tour Options
Itinerary
08:00 Departure from Paris to Giverny We'll pick you up from your hotel in Paris. The drive typically takes around one hour (70 km).
10:00 - 12:00 Giverny Visit + Free Time Upon arrival in Giverny, you'll explore Claude Monet's house and marvel at the stunning landscapes that inspired his iconic Water Lilies series. Wander through the lush gardens, admire the tranquil water lily pond, and soak up the beauty that captivated Monet's imagination. Pay your respects at Claude Monet's gravesite.
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch at a Local Restaurant Indulge in a delicious lunch at a charming local restaurant in Giverny, savoring the flavors of French countryside cuisine. *This option is optional. Lunch is not included in the tour price
13:30 Return to Paris After a delightful morning in Giverny, we'll embark on the journey back to Paris, which usually takes about an hour, depending on traffic. 14:30 Arrival in Paris Conclude your half-day tour with a drop-off at your hotel in Paris, filled with memories of Impressionism and the tranquil beauty of Giverny's countryside. We look forward to welcoming you again for more unforgettable experiences.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Driver will be wait you near the hotel or your airbnb Driver will have the travelers name in sign board.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The remaining time will be for the travel time to and from each attractions.
- If you choose the unguided option, you will only have a driver with you who will accompany you everywhere and on time, providing tickets and keeping track of departure times to the next attraction.
- We can accommodate dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. If you have dietary requirements. Please indicate it to the special requirements at the time of booking.
Reviews(16)
We visited Giverny on a half-day trip. Even while dodging raindrops our guide, Oksana, made this a wonderful experience! We were picked up at the promised time at our hotel by a professional driver in a very nice sedan. Oksana shared wonderful background information about Monet, his family, the time period during which he painted, etc., during the approximately 1 hour drive. When we arrived the rain cleared and we first toured the gardens and iconic water lilies pond. Oksana gave us even more specific information about how the gardens and pond were created. She also helped us to navigate the lines and avoid crowded situations while still experiencing all the beauty of Giverny! I give Oksana ‘500 stars;’ Giverny is a MUST and you will be lucky to have Oksana as your guide!
Thank you so much for your review!!
We had a wonderful driver and tour guide that made our tour seamless. We didn’t have to wait in any lines and got picked up immediately after the tour and didn’t have to wait in the heat!
Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you liked everything!
This experience was not at all as described and was definitely not worth the price charged. This is what was promised: “We'll pick you up from your hotel in Paris, and as we journey to Giverny, our guide will share fascinating insights into French history and the Impressionist movement.” We received NONE of that. On the one hour drive our guide handed us a book (written in French which we could not read) and said “This is about Monet.” No fascinating insights into French history OR the Impressionist movement were provided at all on the drive. She didn’t even explain where we were going, the towns we were driving through etc. Our guide seemed nice but was clearly not well-versed in French history of the history of Impressionism or many specifics related to the house or gardens. We’d walk into a room and she would tell us the name of the room. She provided a few facts about Monet’s life but not like a typical professional guide at all. She is young, from Ukraine, and said she has been in France working as a guide for about 2.5 years but I do not think she has a professional guide license and had no official badge or lanyard like our other guides have had. Her English was also very difficult to understand. The itinerary/pickup time was changed the day before the tour because Monet’s house does not even open until 10 am, not 9:30 am as advertised in the tour. We could have made different afternoon plans if we had been given the correct start time. We arrived at Giverny early so we went to Monet’s grave first which was fine, then got in line for 10 am entry into the house. After quickly moving through the house, we walked through the gardens with limited interpretation from the guide. Once we entered the property, we honestly could have done all of this on our own. There was absolutely no “Value-added” for paying so much extra to have an “English speaking private professional guide.” Because there was extra unplanned time, she did take us through the Museum of Impressionism which took about 20 minutes and clearly she had never seen the exhibit before and provided no background other than what we could also clearly read on the signs. Next the itinerary said “12:00 - 13:30 Lunch at a Local Restaurant Indulge in a delicious lunch at a charming local restaurant in Giverny, savoring the flavors of French countryside cuisine.” Our guide walked by ONE restaurant which was walk-up service, not table service (she did not seem to know that) and said, “How about this?” We said “OK. Let’s see.” Of course because it was literally across the street from Monet’s gardens, the restaurant was packed with a huge line to order and no tables even available in the shade. She then thought the attached coffee shop was a restaurant. After that she said she did not know of any place to eat in Giverny! How can you advertise an optional lunch stop and not know where to go?” Then, she and the driver started trying to find restaurants outside of town but they were not familiar with them and then tried to say that most people just grab a sandwich (where?) or skip lunch. Their next excuse was that it was a holiday and all of the restaurants would be too crowded. Then why was it advertised as part of the itinerary? We realized we were not working with an experienced professional guide and the young driver and guide were both sweet but not worth a $700+ tour. We asked then to just bring us back to our hotel in Paris and gave up on what we had anticipated would be a lovely half day experiencing Giverny and the French countryside. We cannot recommend them or this company and feel that we were definitely overcharged.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are genuinely sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations. At the same time, we believe it is important to clarify several points so that future guests can better understand the full context of your visit. First, regarding the schedule adjustment: your original pickup time was 8:00 AM. Because your hotel was conveniently located and Monet’s house opens at 10:00 AM during the current season, we offered a later 8:30 AM departure so you could enjoy a more relaxed morning and breakfast. This adjustment did not shorten the tour in any way and had no impact on the planned duration of your experience. Regarding commentary during the drive, your guide did begin introducing the region and the excursion. However, shortly after departure, Wi-Fi was requested and both guests became occupied with their phones and personal activities during the drive. Our guide therefore chose not to continuously interrupt your private time in the vehicle. In addition, your guided experience actually began before entering Monet’s property itself. You arrived in Giverny around 9:30 AM, before the opening of the house and gardens, and your guide began the tour near Claude Monet’s grave and church area. During this time, and while walking toward the entrance before opening time, she provided historical background about Monet’s family, his life in Giverny, and his contribution to the Impressionist movement. This portion of the experience was specifically designed to make use of the time before public entry opened at 10:00 AM. Additionally, the route from Paris to Giverny passes through many small residential villages with no direct historical or artistic connection to Monet or Impressionism. France has more than 34,000 communes and villages, and memorizing every village name along the route is neither realistic nor relevant to the quality of the guided experience itself. We would also like to clarify that all of our guides are legally authorized to work in France and have higher education backgrounds. In your particular case, the guide held two university degrees in history — one Ukrainian and one French. An important detail unfortunately omitted from your review is that your tour was booked only six days before departure and specifically on a national holiday weekend, one of the busiest days of the year in Giverny. Tickets had been sold out for weeks in advance. According to local estimates, approximately 7,000–10,000 visitors came to Giverny that day, with well over 1,000 people waiting in ticket lines throughout the morning. Despite these exceptional circumstances, our team managed to secure entrance tickets for you, allowing you to bypass the extremely long queues and enjoy the house and gardens during one of the quieter moments of the morning before the largest crowds entered. During the visit itself, your guide provided explanations about Monet’s life, the paintings connected to specific rooms of the house, the Japanese print collection, the family living arrangements, furniture and restoration details, and the design and evolution of the gardens and water features. Because Monet’s house operates with continuous visitor flow through narrow rooms, guiding there is naturally more conversational and dynamic than a formal lecture-style museum presentation. After visiting the house and gardens, your guide specifically asked whether you preferred: to continue enjoying the gardens, revisit the house, have lunch, or visit the Museum of Impressionism. You chose to visit the museum. It is also important to clarify that the Museum of Impressionism in Giverny is not included in our standard tour program. We nevertheless provided complimentary tickets and additional free time so you could enjoy it. Your guide accompanied you there voluntarily, despite the fact that the museum visit was technically part of your free time. Because exhibitions rotate regularly, she had not yet seen this particular exhibition before. Regarding lunch, restaurant reservations in Giverny are normally either made directly by clients themselves or arranged in advance upon request. No reservation request or dining preferences were provided to us before the tour. On a national holiday with exceptionally high tourist traffic, nearly all restaurants in the village were fully booked or operating with very long waiting times. Your guide initially brought you to a location commonly used by our guests, but you understandably did not wish to wait in the queue. In an effort to improve your comfort and avoid the crowds, the guide and driver then proposed taking you to a nearby village for a quieter lunch experience away from the tourist center. You agreed to this solution. Our driver then located a highly rated restaurant option nearby and suggested it to you. After reviewing the restaurant and its ratings, you ultimately decided not to continue with lunch plans and instead requested an immediate return to Paris, which our guide and driver respected and carried out. We fully acknowledge that some aspects of the day — especially the museum portion and the extreme holiday crowds — could have felt less seamless than expected. We will absolutely take your comments into consideration as we continue improving our tours and communication. However, we do not believe it is accurate to state that no guiding, no effort, or no value was provided during your experience. Our team worked hard under exceptionally difficult conditions on one of the busiest days of the season to adapt the day to your preferences and make the experience as enjoyable as possible. We sincerely thank you for your visit and wish you all the best in your future travels.
Private tour takes away any stress of planning and logistics. We enjoyed the comfortable car ride, flexible schedule, and guide who knew the best way to do things.
Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you liked everything!
Incredible day. Ilya not only is extremely knowledgeable and fun, he also is very attentive to make sure everyone had a great time. Walked away learning a lot and having an experience we will never forget. Highly recommend
Thank you so much for your review!!
We had a great time visiting Giverny. There were so many flowers! Ilia did a wonderful job talking about all things Paris and Giverny. He was very knowledgeable and gave many recommendations. He was also great at finding spots to take photos of my family. He also held our spot in line so we could do some more exploring. A great experience overall and would definitely recommend.
Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you liked everything!
It was a wonderful experience. Diana was very knowledgeable and our driver was fantastic!
Thank you so much for your review!!
Delightful day and tour guide personable and accommodating! As an artist this was a Dream come to visit moneys gardens!
Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you liked everything!
90 minutes from Paris is the magical village of Giverny. Monet's fanciful home and extraordinary gardens will captivate your hearts. Your photos will be so beautiful.
Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you liked everything!
Our tour guide and driver are excellent. We’ve learned so much from our guide Valentin. Amazing trip and dream came true.
Thank you so much! We're thrilled to hear your trip was a dream come true. Valentin and Ivan will be glad to know they made it so special. Hope to see you again soon!
