Please sign in to post.

Tour guide to Giverny

Family of 6 traveling to Giverny for a day from Paris. Do you have any recommendations for a small group tour?

Posted by
1077 posts

I scheduled a tour through Viator and they drove us there in a van and we toured the gardens and did a stop on the way back to look at some interesting sites. I have had good luck scheduling through Viator.

Posted by
1329 posts

Paris City Vision has one and Paris-Trip used to (not sure post-pandemic). All they really do is take you from their office, dump you out, get you back in the van/bus and then you sit in Paris traffic.

Posted by
8 posts

Thanks! Viator is pretty pricey and you have to get to their set point, 30 minutes away from our bnb. We're going to take the train. :)

Posted by
4020 posts

There is a shuttle, or used to be, from the train to the gardens, which are pretty self-explanatory without a guide, You should know that the site was neglected after the master's death but revived with US money a few decades ago.; However it cannot afford to own any of the famous paintings. On a sunny day, his sources of inspiration really do come to life (and the work of his gardening staff).

Posted by
13800 posts

Just so you are aware....Viator is a 3rd-party reseller of tours and does not actually run them themselves. It's owned by Trip Advisor and charges the tour provider between 20-25% for the "privilege" of being listed with them. IF you go with a company you find on a Viator search, book directly with the company.

Posted by
3 posts

Just wondering...I, too will be traveling ti Giverny this summer from Paris with my family of 6...what are anyone's thoughts on purchasing the minibus tour/transportation to avoid dealing with possible strikes? I would prefer to not spend the money (over $800) for the minibus shuttle, but I also don't want to risk not being able to go if there is another strike this summer.

Posted by
8 posts

We’ve decided to take our chances on the train and shuttle bus. It was hard getting a tour scheduled, expensive.

Posted by
112 posts

A one way ticket from Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris to Vernon (purchased on your day of travel and not in advance, where you can get a discounted fare) costs €16.80, or, €33.60 round trip. See sncf-connect.com for train schedules and prices. The journey takes 50 minutes. The shuttle bus from the train station in Vernon (buses wait right next to the tracks and are timed with trains arriving from/departing to Paris) to Monet's house and gardens costs €5 each way, or, €10 round trip. The entry fee for Monet's house and gardens is "about" €13. So for one person that equals €56.60. Multiply that by 6 and that equals €339.60, less than half of what the €800 shuttle bus (I'm responding to paigerenee369 here) from Paris costs. Sure, there is a premium to pay for door to door service but the shuttle likely isn't going to get you to Giverny any faster (if at all) than the train/shuttle bus. There are guided tours offered at Monet's house that can be found on the official website, where you'll also find all the info you need to plan your visit:

http://fondation-monet.com/en/

In regards to strikes, yes, they happen from time to time in France. But there is no reason to assume that just because there are sporadic strikes at the moment that this will be the case at any point during the summer. That would be planning for the exception rather than planning for the norm. At any rate, the mode of transport you prefer between Paris and Giverny is something that can be planned at the last minute so there's no point in doing so now. Certainly you'd want to visit on a day with good weather and no rain so I'd wait until you are in Paris and can check the weather and info about any "potential" strikes that may impact your visit to Monet's house and gardens in Giverny.