Best day of the week to visit Giverny - Monet's Gardens

I would suggest you do NOT go on a weekend..I went there, arriving early, on a Sunday a few weeks ago and it was wall to wall (or should I say garden path to garden path) people. Tuesday or Wednesday would probably be best, whichever one proves to have the best weather.. You can buy tickets when you get there, no need to purchase on-line. The train, which leaves from Gare St. Lazare, only goes as far as Vernon, then you can either take a taxi or a bus near the train station to go to Giverny.

Just my personal experience for what it's worth. I went in August which is normally pretty crowded. I went on a Weds, took the early train to Vernon and then the bus to Giverny (bus meets each train). I got to the ticket window about 15 mins before opening and there was virtually no line (3 or 4 people ahead of me because they walked faster from the bus). I had not purchased tickets in advance precisely because the trip was weather dependent for me. For me, going early so the gardens were not wall-to-wall people was important because I wanted to take lots of photos of the flowers and ponds. It worked out perfectly because by about 11:30 when I was leaving it was a zoo. I was back in Paris in time for a late lunch.

I don't think you can "have lunch in the gardens." There are good little bistros within walking distance, though.

No place to eat in gardens( that i saw, and its not a large area)But when you leave , try going right, instead of left(which is the way you came ) I wandered down the lane and found a tiny hotel with a dining room with locley outdoor seating, had a great lunch there.

I've done the train/bus trip to Giverny several times and it's easy to buy your RT train tix at the station and you pay for the bus tix when you board. Giverny tix are easily bought at the site (go early to avoid lines). In 2012, the costs were 27 + 4 + 8 euros per person for the 3 tix. I definitely agree about avoiding weekends. There are actually 2 gardens: a wonderful flower-filled one in front of the house (my favorite) and the lake and water-lily one across the road. I love the bright colors Monet used in the home (quite unusual for the time period). There is not a cafe in the gardens, but you could take a picnic lunch and enjoy it there. My favorite place to eat lunch after touring the gardens (and shopping in the gift store), is Hotel La Musardiere (123 Rue Claude Monet), which is a short walk from the home (2 blocks?) and has a shady terrace and wonderful crepes (including salted caramel - miam!)

I highly recommend the duck omelet at the Hotel Baudy, which also has outdoor seating. Be sure to walk down to the cemetery at the end of rue Claude Monet.

While having a picnic in the garden sounds great, according to their website, "picnics are forbidden". So you'll have to wait until you leave the gardens to find a nice restaurant for lunch.

Also, from what I can tell from reading their website, you have 2 choices for your tickets: print them at home or have them sent via regular international mail (for a fee). It doesn't say anything about just showing confirmation on your i-Pad, so if you buy them ahead of time, I'd print them out at home before you leave. It says that the "validity of the ticket is season wide from 1 April through 1 November 2014", so the tickets are not date specific and you can use them whatever day you like when you're there in September.

We got pretty good pictures even with the garden crowded. You can get a preview at
http://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/not-so-secret-garden-giverny/

I would get tickets ahead even the day before as the lines can be long. I waited an hour. When you get to Vernon train station, step lively to the bus as it does fill up and leave people standing. The time we went it was packed with many people standing and many were left. There was no other bus in sight.

In high season I don't think the day matters much; it is full of tourists every day.

And as noted there is no eating in the gardens either in a restaurant or picnic. There are places where you can grab a snack or sandwich in easy walking distance.

Thanks, all.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Very helpful and we are looking forward to this trip to Giverny - even if there is a lot of tourists! We are going to try for Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the weather.