We will be driving from Rouen to Reims on a Friday in September. Our stop at Giverny will be early afternoon. I know, not ideal timing, but it is what it is. We're not big impressionism aficionados but I want to see the gardens before we visit the Orangerie. I am unsure whether to pre purchase tickets. I have read previous posts concerning the lines and crowds and would like to avoid that, but there's always the question of weather etc.
Question #1: considering the day and time, and given that tourism has declined (per tonight's tv news), would you still advise pre purchasing tickets?
Looking at Google's driving route it appears that we will pass near St Denis in the late afternoon, and I am making an assumption that there will be weekend traffic coming from Paris. Or maybe commuters primarily use public transit.
Question #2: would you advise taking a more rural route to avoid traffic or stay on the autoroutes?
Thanks for your input.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15589 posts
Based on my visit last year . . . . Most people arrive from Paris, taking the train to Vernon, then the shuttle bus to Giverny. Expect the lines to lengthen as people arrive from the shuttle buses. There are several ticket options. Most people were unaware of that and had to have all the options explained to them, then decide which tickets to buy. This meant that the line moved quite slowly. So it's probably hit-or-miss, either you get there between "trainloads" when there's probably no line, or you get there shortly after the shuttle buses have disgorged and there's a long, slow line. But if the weather's rainy, there may be few people . . .
I doubt the decline in tourism is likely to affect crowds very much. A BBC story yesterday says there were 1 million fewer tourists in the first 6 months of this year than last year. It also says there are about 16 million visitors a year. That's about a 12% decline - huge for the tourist industry, but hardly a dearth of tourists.