Going to Giverny from Paris & budgeting time

I believe my friend and I took the train that departs for Paris around 3PM. We got there when Giverny opened, did the house, the gardens, had lunch, looked around and caught the bus back to the train station in Vernon.

The trains are normal intercity trains which don't require reservations, and I wouldn't think that on such a short run there would be any advance purchase discount, so I'd just get them when you start your journey, and get on whichever train suits you coming back. They are not all the time so be sure to both have the timetable and factor in the time for the bus back to the station.

And be prepared to be be amazed by both the house and the garden.

You validate the ticket when you get on the train and you can take whatever train works for you; just note the times of trains so you know when to head back. I would get the train tickets the day before as we actually missed the train we wanted and went the next day instead because the line for tickets was over an hour long the day we went. The locals use machines which don't accept US obsolete credit cards and so all of the people in line are those with complicated ticketing issues or other non-European tourists. The tickets are generally not train specific for these regional trains.

We spent many hours there -- I would plan to stay as long as you are still finding it interesting having noted the times the buses and trains leave so you have options. Be sure to have the tickets to the house and gardens ahead of time to avoid waiting in that long long line -- it was an hour long line when we were there. You can see our snapshots from late spring here: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/not-so-secret-garden-giverny/
I was surprised at how much we enjoyed it despite the crowds and we didn't get there early enough to beat the crowds due to having to wait in line for tickets and because the train schedule at that time was not congenial to this goal.

Here's how to find about a hundred discussions of Giverny had on this Forum in the last 6 months:

Use the Search function at the top of page of this page, use search word Giverny.
When first results come up, click Travel Forum
Then when the next results come up, click Last 6 Months

Skimming some of these past discussions, plus the answers in this post, should give you a lot of info about how to do this.

We did the same itinerary on April 29, a wednesday, this past spring. We left on a early train. As others have said, the seating is open so you don't need to pick a return time. It took us little time at Gare St. Lazare at the ticket window for train tickets. Follow the cute sidewalk footprints out the door of the Vernon train station to the bus. Try to get on the first one, there will be several in a line a few hundred feet from of the station. At the Giverny parking lot, you will walk under a road. Turn right when you pass under the underpass. Walk about a block or two and turn left at the sign, another block turn right and the entrance is about another block.

We did not have tickets to get in the garden ahead of time but there were only about five people in line to buy tickets. The advantage of being on first bus, I would guess plus a little off-season. I would suggest going first to the back of the garden area where the ponds are and work your way back to the house and the gardens directly to the rear. The pond walkways will get pretty crowded and it is really the best part. This will give you a little time without too much traffic. Also suggest relaxing on the benches along the pond and just soak it in. We spent much time here and after seeing the house went back for a second tour of the ponds and stream and just sat. Great photos of the reflections off the pond - both of flowers and the tourists! We found a great lunch spot at a restaurant east of the gardens a ways. Unfortunately I can't remember the name. We were still back in Paris by 3:30 or so.

My impression? I thought Monet was a painter - maybe he was a master gardener that painted! We spent a month in Paris last Spring and this was one of our favorite days. Have fun.

Two points I'd like to make: if you are over 60 be sure to ask for the senior discount for your train tickets. And, if time is more important than money, you might want to take a taxi from the train station in Vernon to Giverney, especially if there are more than 2 of you ( you might find a couple in the train to share with you). I say this because even though we were on the first bus, it took a while to fill up and then we seemed to sit for 15 minutes for no reason. That was frustrating. You can always take the bus back

Have a great time. Giverney was a highlight of our trip.

As others have said, buy an open round-trip ticket and just get on the next train back to Paris. I bought mine at the ST Lazare in the morning and had to wait in line for about 15 minutes even though there were not many people ahead of me, and I nearly missed the train (mid-April).

At Vernon, you have to cross under the train tracks to get to the station. From there, it's easy to find the buses. They were lined up to meet the train, and I got on the first one. It's incredibly slow. Tickets are sold on the bus and each passenger has to decide whether he wants a one-way or round-trip ticket. The family ahead of me didn't know French, the conductor and driver didn't know English. I finally stepped in and translated. Then each ticket has to be run separated through the machine. While my bus was still selling tickets, at least 2 of the buses behind it pulled out.

When you get on the bus back in the Giverny parking lot, it's a good idea to line up at least a few minutes before the scheduled departure. If the line is long and the bus fills up before you're on it, you'll have to wait for the next scheduled bus.

If you ride bikes, consider renting them in Vernon. It will probably save you time. And when you get back to Vernon, you won't be as tired and can spend some time exploring what looked like a pretty little town. Taxis aren't a bad idea either.

The ticket line can be long or short. Remember that nearly everyone is coming from Vernon on the same train you were on. The line goes slowly because there are choices for the ticket. The choices often have to be explained to each buyer, who then considers which one he wants (there are combinations with other sights), before actually buying the tickets. I was lucky and had a short line. Buy your tickets in advance! If you're staying on in Paris and are Monet fans, consider the combined ticket with the Marmottan Museum. It's an excellent museum that includes a good Monet collection, in chronological order, showing his artistic development.

I would plan to spend at least a couple of hours to see the house and gardens and gift shop. It's also worthwhile to stroll through the tiny village of Giverny. There's just one road, walk down to the cemetery to see Monet's grave, and there are pretty houses and gardens to see on the way. Have a nice lunch on the terrace at the Hotel Baudy, I recommend the duck omelet. Hope you have a wonderful time.

Duck omelet - with duck eggs or duck meat? I ate hard boiled duck eggs once, never again.

When I went, time was of the essence - thus I took a minivan trip from the company Paris-Trip. It was the best choice I could make.

That day we covered two biggies for me

-Giverny in the morning
-Versailles in the afternoon.

Some people choose to spend all day at Versailles, I find it to be daunting and only like to stay a couple hours or so. The trip also included a fabulous lunch at a little windmill restaurant called LE MOULIN DE FOURGES.

It may not be what you're looking for, but it suited me perfectly. Pick up and drop off at the hotel and lunch.

(I'm Pam's friend!) Yes, we caught the 8:20 train from Paris and the return was the 14:53. I see on the Deutsch Bahn that those trains are available for 3 and 4 October. The 8:20 arrives at 9:05 and gives you time to arrive right when Giverny opens at 9:30 if you hustle. I've been several times to Giverny and these train times have always worked well for us, getting us there before the crowds and giving us enough time to enjoy. I do prefer to pre-purchase the tickets online so that we can bypass the ticket-buying line.

Bob,
Your original plan will work. Easy to do Giverny as a day trip from Paris, on your own.
But you don't have to book a return ticket in advance, just buy it at the Vernon station.
I did it a few months ago and it was a short day, was back in Paris well before dinner.
If you want more info, post back or send me a Private Message.

Consider renting a car on the outskirts of Paris and drive there. Having a car opens up places a train or bus can't do. Honfleur is a wonderful town to visit and is only an hour and a half past Giverny. Have a crepe on the harbor and enjoy one of the most beautiful sights in Normandy. We spent two hours at Monet's home and garden and that was plenty for me. Some may like more, but there is only so much to see there. They have plenty of room to park your car and the roads to Giverny, Honfleur and Rouen are terrific. Driving in France is like driving at home, except you need to plan your exits in advance.

Many thanks to all who offered all the great information and tips. We're looking forward to enjoying the sights at Giverny and Vernon following our RS tour of Paris !

Chani, the duck omelet has duck meat, not duck eggs.