How to get to Giverny (bus, train, car) village of Claude Monet, from Paris

Giverny: The Cradle of Impressionism! Imagine a small village nestled in the heart of Normandy, where every street corner, every water reflection, seems to have come straight out of an Impressionist canvas. Welcome to Giverny, the luminous sanctuary that seduced and inspired Claude Monet, one of the founding fathers of Impressionism.

When the fine weather arrives, a visit to Giverny, its house and above all its gardens, is a must. Why? I’m not necessarily a big fan of painting, but I appreciate Monet’s work and what emerges from it, without being passionate about it. I went there for the place, the gardens. And frankly, it’s great. Lots of flowers, an interesting museum, Claude Monet’s little lake with its water lilies, it’s calm, soothing.

Well, the only problem is: how do you get to Giverny? by car it’s easy (careful, there’s just one trap), but if you don’t have a car, there aren’t many options. However, it is possible by train, or with a tour that will pick you up from Paris.

Let’s take a look! (oh, and be careful, the gardens and the house are closed from the 1st of november to the 31st of march)

Getting to Giverny by train from Paris

Going to Giverny by train may seem like the easiest option. But no. There is a train that goes not too far, to the Vernon – Giverny station, from the Saint Lazare train station. Then things get a bit tricky, because we’re not even close to the village. We’re 5km away, so you either have to walk (it’s an hour, but it’s not a bad journey), or take the bus. There’s a bus that runs between Vernon station and Giverny <–> Giverny village, but it only runs a few times a day. Mostly in the morning in the direction Gare –> Village, and mostly in the afternoon in the direction Village –> Gare.

Here’s how to get from Paris Saint Lazare to Giverny:

• go to Gare Saint Lazare (full of metros: 3, 9, 12, 13, 14)
• From there, there are several options, depending on timetables (which you can consult here):
  • transilien J (1h24)
    • 8 trains a day
    • the navigo pass works on this line
    • this is the most economic way
  • TER Paris – Rouen, 4th station (45min)
    • more than 10 journeys per day
    • costs €17 per journey (sometimes €10, but this is rare)
    • the most efficient way

And then, after about 45min or 1h30 from Saint Lazare, you arrive at the Vernon – Giverny station

But! (because there’s always a “but”) I recommend choosing your train based on the shuttle schedule to the village. Because once you arrive at the station, you’re not quite there yet; you’ll still need to take a bus. Let’s take a look at that below.

Bus from Vernon station to Giverny village

Next, you can either walk there (allow about an hour) or take the SNGO shuttle. This shuttle waits for the TER trains to take tourists directly to the village.

Direction Vernon station –> Giverny

• Monday to Friday: 9h20, 11h20, 12h25, 15h20, 18h
• Saturday, Sunday, public holidays, school vacations: 9h30, 11h25, 12h25, 13h30, 15h30

Direction Giverny (parking lot) –> Vernon station

• Monday to Friday: 10h20, 11h, 12h20, 13h20, 15h20, 16h20, 17h20, 18h20, 19h20
• Saturday, Sunday, public holidays, school vacations: 10h20, 11h, 11h50, 12h50, 14h15, 14h55, 16h20, 17h20, 18h20

The journey costs 5€ or 10€ return, tickets are bought inside the bus, by card or cash.

But you can also book your tickets through the ATOUMOD app, part of the SNGO network

The little tourist train departing from Vernon

As soon as the tourist season begins (which is usually around April 1), there’s a little tourist train that departs from Vernon Station, takes you on a tour of the pretty spots in the town center, and brings you to Giverny.

It’s super convenient, runs every day, and operates just as frequently as the regular shuttle buses. The trip also takes 20 minutes and… it costs the same! It’s €10 round-trip.

So honestly, it can be a great option if there’s room. The schedule is coordinated with the train’s. Convenient.

Go to Giverny with a tour from Paris

If you don’t want to take the train and take care of the organization, you can use a tour that will take care of everything:

• bus transport from Paris
• guide or audioguide to Claude Monet’s house
• visit to the gardens
• visit to Claude Monet’s tomb (depending on the operator chosen)
• return to Paris by bus

The only downside is that there’s no visit to the Impressionist Museum, which is a bit of a shame. But if you’ve got a bit of free time on your hands, you can make the jump!

You have two options. ParisCityVision does it pretty fast, too fast for some, but has a good reputation all the same and an affordable price (65€). Blue Fox Travel, on the other hand, is a little more expensive (125€), but takes a little longer, is a minibus, and has a passage through the village to the tomb.

• Discover Giverny and Monet’s gardens with Blue Fox Travel (125€)
• Discover Claude Monet’s house and gardens with ParisCityVision (65€)

Driving to Giverny from Paris

Well, it’s super simple. It’s on the A13 freeway towards Rouen, 80km west of Paris. Basically, 1 hour out of Paris is fine, but there’s a catch. You’ll often be asked to take the A14 first, so don’t do that! Because the small section of the A14 has an excessively expensive toll. 10€ (or 7€ in rare off-peak hours) for around twenty kilometers. So go south on the A13. You’ll lose 10 km, 10 minutes, but you’ll save money.

There’s another toll on the way to Vernon, which costs €2.90. If you want to avoid it, exit at Mantes la Jolie and take the smaller roads.

Once in Giverny, there are large free parking lots right next to the museum.

A guided tour of Giverny

Because it’s a place with a history, it can be interesting to discover it with a local guide. The idea is to meet him directly in Giverny (and not to come with him from Paris as with the previous options) to learn more about the history of Claude Monet, his gardens and how they inspired his paintings. The guided tour covers the house and gardens, and lasts about 1h30, but after that you have plenty of time to stay in the gardens or visit the museum.

• discover the Giverny guided tour with a local guide!

4 recommended accommodations in Giverny

In conclusion

Now you know everything! I hope! With a car it’s easy, but as soon as you have to take public transport, it’s immediately very time-consuming. But we could see that it was possible with the train and then, once in Vernon, either with the little bus or by walking a bit. Anyway, all that to say that you have no excuse not to go to Giverny because it’s really a beautiful place, the gardens are really, really magnificent and if you ever go there when there aren’t many people, the atmosphere of its little lake with the water lilies is really top!

• Everything you need to know about visiting Claude Monet at Giverny

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