Trip to Giverny/Rouen from Paris

I would visit Giverny on a different day, so that I could go first thing and get there before the tour bus crowds. Be there when it opens, visit the gardens first, then the small house. I would give it about 2-3 hours max. The flowers should be fantastic in May. You could have lunch at the cafe there before going back to Paris, if you like. You could be back in Paris in time to see/do something else. Don't go on May 8. Try putting "May 8 closures in Paris" in the above search bar, filter for forum, then 6 m onths or less. There have been several discussions on the May holidays.

I agree with Judy and will add that getting to Giverny by train is quite easy! Buy your Giverny timed entry ahead of time on the official ticketing website. When I went last October I just bought my train ticket to Vernon that morning on the SNCF app. There is a shuttle bus from the Vernon train station Giverny that meets the trains and you buy your RT ticket from the bus driver. The shuttle is easy to find as it is decorated with beautiful flowers!

Do make sure you get one of the train departures that is non-stop to Vernon. It should take about 46-52 minutes. There are some departures that show on the SNCF-Connect website that are routed weird and take 2-3 hours so just work around those times.

We did this, arrived in Paris, picked up rental car then drove to Giverny and toured before moving on to our next destination which was Bayeux for a couple nights. Yes you can do it but it was exhausting. People mention taking the train and if you are not going beyond Giverny I might suggest doing that if you want to visit on your arrival day.

Very helpful information. Many thanks!

Judy's post made me think — why not overshoot and make it to Rouen the first day. You can enjoy some time strolling around there. Then in the morning, backtrack to Giverny - so you can see it when you are fresh — not on a travel day — and in the morning !

The idea of arriving at the airport and then heading to Giverny AND touring the gardens and house makes me tired.

We arrived in Paris last year in late April, stayed overnight (we had just flown from Australia after all) and picked up a car the next day. We then drove to Giverny and stayed in an airbnb in La Roche-Guyon nearby. It is a gorgeous area and having a car there was delightful. Then we could hit the gardens early in the morning. It was still busy but nothing like the crowds in the afternoon. The wysteria was in full bloom and wonderful! Check the day of the week you would likely visit and keep away from holidays and even weekends if you can. We were there a few days before May Day, which would have been a very busy time (we did discover Versailles was closed on May Day), not sure about closures and crowds on Victory Day, but I'm sure you can Google it or dare I say it, try ChatGPT with a specific question.
It's such a lovely time in the region, you will certainly enjoy it.
If you can drive in Europe comfortably, I'd recommend hiring a car. So much more freedom.

Kim,

I did consider an overnight in Rouen. I like your idea of backtracking.
I love the car idea but had difficulty with the standard and the Paris traffic last time I visited.

Thanks to all!

This past June we visited Giverny arriving about 3:00. It was not especially crowded and that gave us enough time to visit before the site closed at six. There are several small cafes in the village where you could get lunch first. Most of the tour buses were leaving as we arrived.

For your first night you might enjoy staying in nearby Les Andelys This town doesn't seem to get much mention on tour sites. We stayed at La Chaine d'Or which is located right next to a bend on the Seine. The town has huge ruined Castle Gaillard which belonged to King Richard.

you don't need a car for this trip. I'd take the train to Rouen and spend the night there and then catch Giverny on the way back.

Lisa, The Rouen first idea is excellent. Rouen doesn't always get the props it deserves. Take the train there on arrival day. Stay 2 nights and devote that one full day to a fantastic medieval city. Pick up a car on leaving Rouen (or the night before, but parking can be a pain) and shoot for an early departure to get to Giverny fairly early (just over an hours drive). You can park in the parking lot at the gardens. Or the train takes less than an hour, but you will have to take the little train/bus to the gardens from the train station, and figure out where to store your bags, so no real time saved. Drop the car at Orly on the way to Paris and take the airport taxi to your hotel at the fixed price of 45 euros (right bank) and 36 left bank. (I think those are the correct prices.)