Giverny Day Trip from Paris to Monet's Gardens
Monet's house, the Clos Normand and the water-lily pond, with your own car and chauffeur: pickup at your Paris hotel, arrival close to opening time, and no Vernon shuttle in either direction.
Book a Giverny day trip ↗Giverny day trip from Paris · about 6 hours with your private chauffeur · from €569 per vehicle
The price is per vehicle, not per person — your own private car and chauffeur for the whole day. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
On the edge of Normandy, the village of Giverny is where Claude Monet lived, painted and created the gardens that inspired his Water Lilies. With a private chauffeur you leave when you like, arrive close to opening time and skip the packed tour coaches: we collect you at your Paris hotel or address and bring you straight to the Fondation Monet.
Monet's House & Gardens
Door to door from Paris to the Clos Normand and the water-lily pond, about 1 h 15 each way.
At Your Pace
Your chauffeur waits while you wander the gardens, the Museum of Impressionisms or the village.
Ahead of the Coaches
An early start puts you on the garden paths before the tour groups arrive in the late morning.
Why go to Giverny by private car
The train is the cheaper route, and it works: about 45 to 50 minutes from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny. The catch is in the station's name. Vernon-Giverny is in Vernon, and Monet's gardens are 7 km away across the Seine, reached by a seasonal shuttle that fills whenever a full train empties onto it, a rental bike, or one of the few local taxis. Coming back, everyone who arrived by train converges on the same shuttle and the same Paris-bound platform as the gardens close. Coach tours solve the connection, but they arrive in the late morning, when the paths are busiest, and usually allow around two hours on site. A private car removes both problems. You leave Paris before eight, reach the Fondation Monet close to opening time, and the car waits while you take the house, both gardens and the museum at your own pace. The return is a seat, not a shuttle queue. And the car makes combinations possible that no timetable allows, such as Van Gogh's village of Auvers-sur-Oise in the afternoon.
Your Giverny day trip, hour by hour
Our Giverny excursion lasts about six hours, hotel to hotel. This is how a typical day runs; we adjust every step to your garden entry time.
- 7:50 — Pickup in Paris. Your chauffeur meets you at your hotel or address while the city is still quiet.
- 7:50 to 9:05 — Down the Seine valley. About 75 km along the A13, roughly 1 h 15, following the river towards Vernon and the edge of Normandy.
- 9:05 — Arrival at the Fondation Monet. Close to opening time, before the coaches, with your timed tickets in hand.
- 9:05 to 11:30 — Monet's house and gardens. The house first, with its green shutters, yellow dining room and Japanese prints. Then the Clos Normand flower garden and, across the lane, the water garden with its Japanese footbridge, wisteria and weeping willows, while the light is still low.
- 11:30 to 12:35 — Lunch or the museum. Midday is when the garden paths are busiest, so give it to lunch in the village or to the Museum of Impressionisms. Your chauffeur waits a couple of minutes away.
- 12:35 to 13:50 — Back to Paris. About 1 h 15, door to door, so you are home by early afternoon with the rest of the day free.
Want a longer day? Six hours covers Giverny properly. To go further, the car opens up two combinations the train cannot: Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh painted his last seventy canvases, about an hour away through the Vexin countryside; or Rouen, whose cathedral facade Monet painted some thirty times. Monet's pond in the morning, Van Gogh's village in the afternoon: combined days are priced on request, before departure.
What you will see in Monet's Giverny
Claude Monet moved to Giverny in 1883 and spent more than four decades turning the property into a living work of art. The Clos Normand flower garden rises in banks of colour toward the pink-walled house, while across the lane the water garden, with its Japanese footbridge, wisteria and weeping willows, is the very pond that inspired the monumental Water Lilies series now in Paris's Musée de l'Orangerie. Through the season, tulips, irises, roses and the famous nymphéas bloom in succession, and the nearby Museum of Impressionisms explores the movement born in this corner of Normandy.
A classic outing starts inside Monet's house, with the yellow dining room and the collection of Japanese prints, before the flower garden and the water garden. Add the museum and lunch in the village, then a stroll along the old railway path. Because the site closes each winter and draws large crowds in peak season, timing matters, and that is where a private chauffeur earns its keep: you arrive when the paths are quiet and leave when you have finished, not when a coach or a shuttle says so. You travel in a quiet, air-conditioned Mercedes with a professional, English-speaking chauffeur.
The chauffeur's view
We like to pull away from your hotel a little before eight, while Paris is still quiet, and follow the Seine downstream. Past Bonnières the valley opens up — chalk cliffs, poplars, a ribbon of river mist that burns off just as we reach Vernon. The timing is deliberate: you walk into the Clos Normand minutes after the gates open, when the gravel paths are empty and the light is still low. May belongs to the water lilies, but we have a soft spot for late September, when the dahlias take over and the coaches thin out. At lunch, many of our regulars cross the road to the old Hôtel Baudy, where Monet's American followers once stayed; we wait two minutes away, on no schedule at all. The afternoon stays yours — Vernon's old bridge, or a doze on the way home.
What's included, and what is not
Included in your Giverny excursion
- A private vehicle and a professional, English-speaking chauffeur for about 6 hours, for your party only.
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or any address in Paris.
- Fuel, tolls and your chauffeur's waiting time during the visit, all in the fixed price.
- Child seats on request, if you tell us when you book.
- A price confirmed before you book. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Not included
- Entrance tickets for Monet's house and gardens: book timed entry on the official Fondation Monet website. The Museum of Impressionisms is a separate visit; check its tickets and hours on its own site.
- Lunch, meals and drinks.
- A guided tour. We are chauffeurs, not guides: your chauffeur drives, waits and handles the logistics, but does not give commentary in the house or the gardens.
Giverny day trip price by vehicle
One fixed price for the car and chauffeur for about six hours, hotel to hotel.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | About 6 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan (Business Class) | up to 3 | 2 suitcases | €569 |
| Van (Business Van) | up to 7 | 7 suitcases | €715 |
| First Class | up to 3 | 2 suitcases | €785 |
Per vehicle, not per person. All-inclusive: chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, tolls and waiting. A full Van for seven works out at about €102 per person. Longer days with Auvers-sur-Oise or Rouen are priced on request, before departure. Check availability ↗
Practical tips for your Giverny day
- Check the season before anything else. Monet's house and gardens open from late March to the start of November and close entirely in winter. Verify dates, opening hours and any closures on the official Fondation Monet calendar before you plan.
- Book timed entry, then tell us your slot. We set the pickup time so you arrive for it without rushing.
- Choose your month. May and June are the weeks for the water lilies and the wisteria on the Japanese bridge, and also the busiest. Late September, when the dahlias take over and the coaches thin out, is the quieter window.
- Mind the clock on the day. Visit the gardens at opening or after 4 pm, and give the middle of the day to lunch or the Museum of Impressionisms rather than the crowded paths.
- Dress for gravel. The gardens involve a good deal of standing and gravel paths: comfortable shoes make the difference.
- Allow two to three hours on site for the house, the two gardens and the museum. Less than that and you will be hurrying through the water garden.
- For photographers: the first hour after opening gives you low light and empty paths, the reason we leave Paris before eight.
Is a private Giverny day trip worth it?
Yes, if you are a family or a group of four to seven: €715 for the Van, shared six or seven ways, is competitive with coach-tour seats, for door-to-door comfort and no shuttle queue with tired children at 5 pm. It is also the right choice for art lovers short on days, who can pair Monet's gardens with Van Gogh's Auvers-sur-Oise in a single outing, and for anyone who walks with care: the gardens themselves ask enough of your legs, and spending that energy there rather than on the Vernon connection is what the car is for.
Probably not, if you are travelling alone or as a couple on a budget. An early train from Saint-Lazare, then the shuttle or a rental bike along the flat greenway from Vernon, gets you into the gardens before the coaches for a fraction of the price, and the ride along the Seine is a pleasure in itself. And do not plan Giverny between November and late March at all: the gardens are closed.
With very young children, weigh the drive honestly: about two and a half hours in the car in total, for gardens that are mostly about looking. Many families enjoy it; others find Versailles, closer to Paris and with more room to run, the easier day.
Giverny and our vehicles
Giverny Day Trip FAQ
How far is Giverny from Paris?
Giverny is about 75 km north-west of Paris — roughly 1 h 15 by car door-to-door, depending on your pick-up point and traffic.
How much does a Giverny day trip from Paris cost with a private chauffeur?
Our Giverny excursion, about 6 hours hotel to hotel, costs €569 in a Sedan (up to 3 passengers), €715 in a Van (up to 7) and €785 in First Class. The price is per vehicle, not per person, and includes fuel, tolls and waiting.
When are Monet's gardens open?
Monet's house and gardens are usually open daily from late March to the start of November. The water-lily pond is at its best from May to July. We plan your pick-up time so you arrive when it opens and avoid the crowds.
What is the best time of year to visit Giverny?
Late spring and early summer, when the flowerbeds and the water-lily pond are in full bloom, are the most popular. Late September, with the dahlias, is quieter. The gardens are closed in winter, from early November to late March.
How long should I plan for the visit?
Most guests spend two to three hours between Monet's house, the two gardens and the Museum of Impressionisms. With a private chauffeur you are never rushed and can add a village lunch.
Can the chauffeur wait during the visit?
Yes. Your chauffeur stays available throughout the visit and drives you back whenever you wish.
Are the garden tickets included?
No. Tickets for Monet's house and gardens are booked separately on the official Fondation Monet website, ideally as a timed entry. Send us your time and we plan the pickup around it.
Is the chauffeur also a guide?
No. Our chauffeurs drive, wait and handle the logistics, but they are not guides and do not give commentary in the house or the gardens.
Is Giverny suitable for a half-day trip?
Yes. Our Giverny excursion lasts about six hours, so with an early start you are back in Paris by early afternoon. Many guests pair it with Auvers-sur-Oise, Rouen or Normandy to fill a full day.
Can you combine Giverny with other places?
Yes. Giverny pairs well with Vernon, Auvers-sur-Oise, Rouen or a wider Normandy day. Combined days are priced on request, before departure.
Plan your day further
Paris to Giverny: how to get there
Train, Vernon shuttle, coach, taxi and chauffeur compared, including the last 7 km.
Versailles day trip
The palace and gardens, about 20 km from central Paris.
Auvers-sur-Oise
Van Gogh's village, about an hour from Giverny through the Vexin.
Normandy
A wider day further into Normandy with your own car and chauffeur.
See Giverny in Comfort
Book a private chauffeur from Paris to Monet's gardens today.
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