Visiting Giverny from Paris on a Saturday in June

It appears the train from Paris to Vernon/ Giverny is not running the weekend of June 14. It was also not running the weekend we were there in April. I booked a bus tour with Paris City Vision. They have several options. A full day tour( unguided, they just drive you there and back). It left around 8 and we got to Monet’ s garden around 10. Because it was early in the season it wasn’t too crowded at all. But also because the trains weren’t running you only had tour groups and those who drove themselves. Paris City Vision also had half day tours that were on our same bus ( that’s what most people did) I don’t think they were guided by a person. Just transportation and tickets. They were supposed to meet at 1 I think to go back to Paris.
The full tour was a long day for us but gave ample time to walk the village, eat lunch etc.
be aware that if you leave Monet’s garden you can’t re-enter and there are no eating facilities there.
If you are interested in the house it worked for us to make a quick tour of the water garden section, then over to the house, then a return leisurely walk around everything again. By the time we left there was a long line to enter the house.

Hi, thank you so much for such a thorough response, it was exactly the information I was looking for! Are you happy you did the full day there and not the half day? We obviously would like to take as much time as we can but just thought I’d ask. Thanks again!

We arrived on April 16th and made it to Giverny on April 17th. I was concerned about jet lag, but it wasn’t a real problem. (Went to bed around 9:00 our first evening.) We scouted out our transportation options and used the metro to Gare St. Lazare, leaving our hotel at 7:20 to be on the 8:14 train to Vernon. I followed Rick’s instructions and bought tickets online using the SNCF connect app, so that was easy enough. Had to find our way out of the metro station and up to the top floor of the station and look for the bay with the departure train. Made it just fine. Giverny was busy enough on a Thursday, I would rather not see it on a Saturday! We tried to take the 1:57 train but the shuttle was late, so we ended up walking around Vernon until the next train at 3:55. We could have used that time more leisurely to visit the Impressionist Museum at Giverny, visit the church where he is buried and just chilling in a cafe. It was a beautiful day and we loved all the tulips. The house and gardens took about 2 1/2 hours to see. Don’t let yourself be rushed!
PS. We used the Bonjour RATP app to purchase individual tickets for the metro before we left home. We each had 4 tickets on our phones to simplify the process. You just scan at the turnstile, don’t even need to open the app, Since we were only in Paris for 3 days, it was enough, but we could have added fares at any time if needed. Highly advise this!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this! I’ve been in the fence about going the next day we arrive and you e given me the little push I needed to go on the Friday instead of Saturday.
We had booked a tour originally on GetYourGuide, but they told me they arrive to Giverny around 1pm and you don’t get any time to explore Vernon- which is what I really want to do. . I think taking the train on Friday is going to be our best bet, and if we need to catch up on sleep we can do it on the train.

Thank you again! And if you have any or tips please lmk!

I'll just add that I recommend downloading the BOLT app which is similar to Uber but more useful in France. I went with friends last October and our train was delayed leaving the station. By the time we got there the shuttle buses were out of sync so some of the group used Bolt to get a ride as we wanted to eat before we entered the gardens at 130. That worked great then we decided to take it back to Vernon instead of waiting for the shuttle bus to leave.

I've been a number of times and notice that the lines to get into the house wax and wane. If you walk by and there is no line, go for it right then, lol. It doesn't take long to walk thru and his kitchen is wonderful, lol.

If you have a chance, walk down the Main Street in Giverny to the church where Monet and his family are buried. Take a minute to look at the memorial to the RAF Lancaster bomber crew that was shot down on the night of June 7-8, 1944 just a little way out of town.

BTW, if you are concerned about jet lag, I use the Timeshifter app. It doesn't work for everyone and it does require you go to bed early a couple of nights before the flight but I've had no jet lag since I started using it in 2023. The first round trip is free, then you pay. I gladly pay for them to figure out my schedule for sleep plus when I should or should not be exposed to sunlight.

Thank you so much for this info! I had no idea there was a jet lag app. My husband is from Spain and we are there about 6 weeks a year and are always suffering from it! I will definitely use it.

And thanks for the info on the Church and where they are buried, I’ve heard a few people mention it’s nice to visut, we will go by.

As for the WW2 memorial, I will definitely try. My grandfather landed on Normandy on DDay in an Higgins boat and stormed the beach. I wish we had more time to get there to explore and see all the history.

Oh yes, if you have ties to the Normandy landings then do just take the short stroll down the street. It's so gratifying to see the towns in France still remember and acknowledge the forces who liberated them. On the memorial there is a mangled propeller from the plane which to me is even more touching.

As to the Timeshifter app....long story here. In Spring 2023 I was doing about 5 weeks in Europe. SOMEhow I got myself totally out of sync on arrival day. I did what I thought I was supposed to do, stayed outside but somehow wound up totally messed up and for a week I was crumping in the afternoon and could not get past it. The next trip was short...only 2+ weeks and I knew I couldn't deal with a week of misery so used Timeshifter which I'd seen some folks discuss on the forum. I was totally shocked it worked so well. I start out in the Pacific Time Zone so it's 8 hours to UK and 9 to Western Europe. I do recommend bringing dark sunglasses and maybe a ball cap (I am totally NOT a ball cap wearer but use it for this purpose to block light) especially when you are adjusting ahead of coming back to the US. You need to block light in the AM in that instance so I used the sunglasses/cap then.