Hello again -
We are trying to figure out if it is possible to do both Monet's gardens and Varsailles in the same day. If you have been to them, how much time would you recommend to give ourselves (and our kiddos) in Monet's garden?
Could any of you recommend a train route to get to Monet's gardens? Would any of you know how to get form there to Versailles by train/bus?
Thanks so much for your help!
Jen
Having been to both places, I wouldn't recommend visiting both on the same day especially since you're relying on public transportation. The website giverny.org will give you all sorts of info on your visit and will allow you to buy advanced tickets which I definitely recommend. Monet's garden will take at least a couple of hours just to visit. Versailles, on the other hand, can take a whole day due to its sheer size and long lines to get in.
the only way to do this would be on some sort of bus tour.
The two sites are not near each other; you would have to go to Versailles by train and then return to Paris, head for St. Lazare and take a different train to Normandy for Giverny. Versailles done reasonably well takes most of the day; we felt the same way about Giverny.
thank you so much for your advice and recommendations... I think I am trying to pack too much into these few days and need to take a step back and let us breathe for a bit :)
Jen
I've been to both. Would not recommend trying to squeeze both sites into the same day, particularly as you lack your own vehicle and are reliant on trains or buses.
Although some people don't mind spending part of a day at Versailles (generally seeing the inside of the palace and the area of the gardens that are closest to the palace), to really do it justice, it takes about a full day. Especially if you want to really take the time to explore the gardens, Hameau, and other smaller buildings on the grounds. With kids, I would say rent some bikes and really enjoy the grounds. There are also some tours that you could do that have fast track/skip-the-line access to get in (Fat Tire Bikes offers one) and some of those will get you set up with getting out there by train or bus (although it's really easy to do it on your own).
As much as I enjoyed Monet's Gardens/House and the small museum that's on site there, I just really did not see much there that would appeal to kids (particularly younger ones) for an entire day. Naturally, you could spend as much time as you want there and then pack it in and get the train back to Paris, but if you wanted to combine a visit to Giverny with another location in the same day, I would suggest spending the morning in Giverny and then move on by train to Rouen and return to Paris around dinner time. By arriving just before it opened, we were able to tour Monet's Gardens, House, the museum and have a sit down lunch before hopping on a train to Rouen to walk around for a few hours.
