Giverny Monet’s Home and Gardens Half Day Tour from Paris
Description
Venture beyond Paris' city boundaries and get a unique perspective on French art and history on this half-day guided tour of Monet’s exquisite Giverny estate. See where Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism, lived and worked for almost 43 years. Stroll through Monet’s beloved gardens at your own pace using our self-guided mobile app (download instructions provided on booking confirmation).
Tour Options
Itinerary
Embark on a journey to Claude Monet’s bloom-filled estate in Giverny and discover the story behind the Impressionist movement. Travel from Paris by air-conditioned coach (approx. 1 hour), while your guide introduces the day’s itinerary.
Upon arrival, enjoy a brief introduction to Monet’s estate, where the artist lived and worked. Learn about his life, artistic vision, and the inspiration behind his most famous works before beginning your visit. * 2026 marks 100 years since the passing of Claude Monet, making it a particularly special time to visit Giverny, the picturesque village that inspired many of his most iconic works.
Explore the vibrant flower garden at your own pace using a self-guided audio app. This area, rich in colors and seasonal blooms, showcases the carefully designed landscapes that inspired many of Monet’s paintings.
Continue to the iconic water garden, home to the famous Japanese bridge and lily ponds immortalized in Monet’s masterpieces. Take your time to stroll through this serene setting and admire its reflections and unique atmosphere.
After your visit of the extraordinary Monet's House, you will have time to visit on your own the wonderful village of Giverny. You can visit the small shops, have a drink at a local café or go see Monet's tombstone, located near the village's church.
If Upgraded option selected: Enjoy a guided visit of the Palace of Versailles and discover its rich history and royal significance. Explore the lavish State Apartments and the iconic Hall of Mirrors alongside your expert guide.
If Upgraded option selected: You’ll also explore the equally sumptuous Gardens of Versailles at your own pace during a self-guided visit. From April to October, your visit may coincide with the Gardens’ musical shows, where fountains are choreographed to classical music and melodies accompany you through some of the most picturesque areas. If these events are not scheduled, you can still enjoy a leisurely stroll through the gardens. After your visit, rejoin your coach for the return journey to Paris.
Regroup in the afternoon and relax on the return journey to Paris, taking in the stunning views of the French countryside along the way. Itinerary subject to change. Timings are approximate and provided for guidance only.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Clients traveling with young children whose security cannot be ensured by a seat belt shall bring their own child restraint system to ensure the safety of their child. Please note that our coaches aren’t equipped with ISOFIX anchor points and have limited availability for 3-point seat belts. By booking this tour, parents/guardians acknowledge these requirements and accept responsibility for ensuring their children are properly restrained.
- If you select the full day option, you will have an afternoon visit of the Palace of Versailles, starting with a guided tour of the Palace's interior and followed by free time in the gardens. You will be back in Paris at 7pm
- Please note: This tour is led by an English-speaking tour leader. The accompanying audio guide is available in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.
- Please note that the coach parking area is located approximately a 10–15 minute walk from the garden entrance.
Reviews(2,900)
The gardens were lovely, especially the water lily pond. The house was a bit too crowded with tourists - of which of course I am one🤪
What a lovely way to visit idyllic Giverny and see the home and beautiful gardens of Monet. Our guide Danielle was very helpful in explaining the tour and some facts about Monet and the property. I went solo and felt very safe and welcome. The meet up locations were easily found, the bus was very comfortable with enough facts shared and some quiet time to enjoy the scenery and take a nap on the way back. The house and gardens were crowded as expected for August but there were definitely patches of areas with less people. Still highly recommend!
Be aware that visiting here, while special, at the time of day this tour gets you there and the time available before you need to depart gives very little time to truly appreciate not only the house but its gardens and surrounding village. Upon arrival, the area was full of people with a long line to enter Monet's house so due to the time available we gave it a miss. We explored the gardens with its many beautiful and variety of plants. Walked around the pond and went to check out Monet's and family grave. We also found a memorial and grave of British flyers who were shot down nearby during WW2 - sobering considering their ages. To summarise, if this tour could be scheduled to arrive at the gardens close to opening time rather than an hour or two in, the crowds could be less making the experience more enjoyable.
We had a wonderful half day in Giverny . It was beautiful and truly felt like you were stepping into Monet’s paintings . Doru was our guide and he was very knowledgeable on the history . Thank you!
Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. She gave us lots of great information about Monet and the history of the estate. The trip length and overall was good but we were unable to shop the gift shop because the line was too long to be able to check out in time to meet the bus on time.
Excellent balance between supporting ones visit and slowingy personal interaction with the place. Guide was informative about our trip and the region coming and going on the bus. She informed us about how the visit works-- stressing where and when to meet her when it was time to go. See explained about our food options and then she left us and we followed our own interests at our own pace. pace .
This was an odd "tour." It was combined with a tour of Versailles. The Versailles tour was excellent. The tour of Monet's home was really not a tour. Our guide provided information to us on the bus as we drove to the site, but when we arrived, he just showed us where to go and we were on our own. Also, the information provided on the bus was augmented with pictures which required us to connect to an app. There were 30 people on the bus trying to connect to the same app. Some got there, others did not. For us, the connection was lost, so we heard what the guide was saying (which was good), but did not benefit from the visual images.
Dear R4634EFmarkb, Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the Versailles portion of the tour. We would like to clarify that the Giverny portion of this excursion is specifically described in the tour information and clearly stated on the voucher as a self-guided visit. Our guide provides information about Giverny during the journey and, upon arrival, directs guests to the entrance and explains where to go, but guests then explore Monet’s home and gardens independently. The tour information and voucher also explain that guests should download the audio guide in advance for the self-guided visit. We’re sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties connecting to the app and were therefore unable to access the additional visual material. We understand how frustrating that must have been, although the app and audio guide are intended to supplement the self-guided experience rather than replace a guided tour. We appreciate you sharing your experience and will take your comments into consideration as we look for ways to make the instructions and preparation even clearer for our guests.
The car ride was great! There is little tour guide once you get there so it is probably by design. The guides were knowledgeable in general but nothing catchy or special. If you don’t want book your own transportation from Paris, and standing inline to get tickets, this could be the best way to get there.
Efficient, helpful and friendly staff. Excellent to have time to ourselves. The coach trip to Monets house was comfortable and the guided gave us very interesting history of the life of Monet. The suggestions about where to eat in Giverny were also very helpful and I had a delicious croissant at the Boulangerie. Thank you.
I would not recommend going on your own. The crowd is large and the wait on line is over two hours. When you go with a guide you bypass the crowd as there is a separate entrance for tour groups. Take the first early morning booking. A half day tour is enough to have plenty of time to see the house and garden and enjoy the cafe.
