10 Best Things to Do in Giverny

Giverny is a small town in Normandy, northern France. If you like art, and especially the Impressionist movement, you will love visiting this village, birthplace of the famous painter Monet.

Besides the most popular destination of all, the Claude Monet Foundation, you can visit several museums and art galleries, take a leisurely walk through the streets and even admire the villages in this area from above. You can also take a leisurely stroll through the streets and even admire the villages of this area from above - you won't be bored for a minute in this magical village!

The Claude Monet Foundation is a vast site encompassing Monet's house and gardens. It is located in Giverny and can take a full day to visit. To do so, you must buy a ticket that gives you access to all the spaces. But I recommend that you book the guided tour of Monet's house and gardens because it is the quintessential Giverny plan and if you are not an art expert, you may miss out on a lot of details.

Claude Monet is a leading painter of the impressionist movement. Much of his work was inspired by the landscapes of Giverny. The foundation in his honour has beautiful gardens covering approximately 15 hectares of land. But the most outstanding gardens of the foundation are two:

• Clos-Normand: designed by the artist, who gave symmetry and varied perspectives to the entire site.
• Water Garden: on the other side of the street is this very impressive garden, which also became famous for inspiring the Water Lilies painting. It is inspired by Japan and even has a beautiful bridge and oriental plants.

Monet's house is another highlight of this foundation. On the ground floor is the reading room, the pantry, the study, the dining room and the tiled kitchen. On the first floor are the bedrooms. Here you can see replicas of paintings by Delacroix, Cézanne and Pissarro. It is definitely an experience to enter this place.

Interesting details

• Price: the price of a guided tour starts at €57.
• Location: 84 rue Claude Monet. 27620, Giverny.
• Duration: This experience lasts two and a half hours and can be done at 10am or 2pm.
• When to go: in spring or summer, as the Foundation closes its doors in winter.

Art is an important part of the village of Giverny. Therefore, another must-see is the Museum of Impressionism in Giverny, which is worth spending hours and hours touring. Inside you can take a tour of the beginnings and evolution of Impressionism. You'll even get to see the evolution of modern and post-impressionist art.

Giverny is said to be Monet's village because the site was important to Monet's work. However, he was not the only prominent painter to be inspired by this site, as alongside him you will also find Édouard Manet, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte, among others. In the museum you can see paintings by these artists.

In addition to the permanent and temporary exhibitions, you can also visit the museum's garden. This site has been open since 1991 and was designed by Mark Rudkin, a talented landscape designer. You will see how it is symmetrically structured with areas divided by cool and warm colours. You will see wild plants and others with beautiful flowers.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 15 ¤.
• Location: Musée des impressionnismes Giverny. 99, rue Claude Monet. 27620, Giverny.
• Opening hours: from 10am to 6pm.
• When to go: I recommend visiting during the spring or summer so you can enjoy the garden.

At the Musée de Mécanique Naturelle you will find an extensive collection of steam and internal combustion engines dating from the 1950s. The site owes its origins to the Guillemard family of Giverny. The agricultural engineer Adolphe Guillemard taught his sons all about old mechanics. Jean-Pierre, René and Gérard passed on the tradition from generation to generation.

Since 1990, the current collection has been on permanent display. Inside you can see the Carels diesel engine which dates back to 1908 and weighs about 28 tons. Since 2003, it has been the largest and oldest rotary engine in the world.

You can enter with a private guide, but you can also receive an explanation from the three brothers. Often they themselves welcome the public and tell their anecdotes, curiosities and how the machines work. The machines had to be constantly manipulated by man, so the work that could be done was a combination of human and machine effort.

Interesting details

• Price: around €15.
• Location: 2 Rue Blanche Hoschede Monet, 27620 Giverny, France.
• Opening hours: 10am to 6pm.
• When to go: You can go at any time of the year.

The Church of Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny is another iconic site in the village of Giverny that you can't miss. It is of Romanesque origin and has a semicircular apse and a barrel vault. On the outside of the church you can see modillions dating from the 11th century, an octagonal tower and its beautiful bell tower located between the nave and the choir.

Inside you will be able to appreciate different pieces of art such as a representation of the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. You will also see the stone statue of Saint Radegunda and the statue of Saint Roque, made in the 17th century. On the altar there is a statue made of wood in honour of Saint John the Baptist. This work of art was made in the 18th century. In the north nave you will see a 19th century painting of the Annunciation and the 14th century stone statue of the Virgin and Child.

At the side entrance there is also another statue, but made of polychrome stone in honour of Saint Louis of Anjou from the 14th century. On the beam of the bell tower, you will see a wooden Christ, and in the stained glass windows of the north nave you can see the figures of the Virgin and Child and Saint Radegunda. Admission to this site is free, but I recommend you visit it with a guide who will explain all the details of the statues and paintings you see.

Details of interest

• Price: free admission.
• Location: Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny. Rue Claude Monet. 27620 Giverny.
• Opening hours: from 10am to 6pm.
• When to go: any time of the year.

The famous and iconic painter Claude Monet lived most of his life in Giverny. There he found a special place to draw inspiration and create his artwork. His remains lie in the cemetery behind the Sainte-Radegonde Church.

After visiting the church, it is worth a visit to this cemetery. If you are a follower of the artist's work, it will be a very moving moment. The painter's tomb is surrounded by beautiful plants that make up a small garden. Thanks to this, the site exudes peace and tranquillity.

In addition to this tomb, you will see that there are tombstones with the names of some of his relatives. In this cemetery you will also find the graves of many British soldiers who died during the First World War. If you visit this site with a local guide, you can learn more about the history of many of the people who are buried here.

Details of interest

• Price: free admission.
• Location: Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny. Rue Claude Monet. 27620 Giverny.
• Opening hours: from 10am to 6pm.
• When to go: any time of the year.

If you like to meet new artists and you've already visited Giverny's most famous museums, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by the Christophe Demarez Gallery. He is a French painter who was born very close to this village and, like Monet, has been an inspiration in his art.

Inside the gallery you will see paintings that capture another point of view of the water lily lake. These paintings were done as a tribute to Claude Monet. His style is very much his own without following current trends, but his own intuition. Something that is repeated are the curved lines that give a sensation of movement in his works.

You can easily spend an enjoyable afternoon appreciating the painter's exhibitions. It is also an opportunity to meet other amateur and professional painters. At the end you can have a coffee, have dinner in a restaurant or continue strolling through the streets of Giverny.

Interesting details

• Price: free admission.
• Location: Haute-Normandie, 115 Rue Claude Monet, 27620 Giverny, France.
• Opening hours: 9.30am-6.30pm.
• When to go: Any time of the year.

Do you like gourmet food? Then I recommend you to visit Le Jardin des Plumes and eat at their restaurant. The scenery inside and outside is beautiful. The site, where this attractive building is located, dates back to 1913 and passed through different families. In 2012 Le Jardin des Plumes was finally opened.

The restaurant is the responsibility of chef David Gallienne. Here you can taste delicacies and, above all, learn about the fascinating culture of Normandy. If you want to celebrate a special occasion, you can take advantage of the spaces of this hotel-restaurant to celebrate weddings, birthdays and christenings. If you want to stay at the hotel, you can choose from six types of rooms.

Another space favoured by many guests is the garden. You can spend your evenings relaxing in the hotel's beautiful garden by walking or watching the beautiful scenery from the window of your room. Another advantage of this place is its proximity to the Monet Foundation, so you can take advantage of it and visit it.

Interesting details

• Price: depends on the number of days at the hotel and personal consumption.
• Location: 1 Rue du Milieu, 27620 Giverny, France.
• Opening hours: from 12.15pm to 9.30pm.
• When to go: Any time of the year.

In Giverny you can find different companies that offer flights to discover this region from the heights. When you visit the village, I recommend you to choose one of the plans they offer: you won't regret it!

The flight companies usually offer a variety of flight styles. The most recommended for beginners is a 10-minute flight, others last about 20 minutes or even half an hour. You can also opt for 45 or 60 minute flights. The longer a flight lasts, the more space you can cover. On all flights, you will be accompanied by a professional pilot who will fly the plane.

If you are travelling to Giverny in summer, I recommend this activity even more because this is when you can really enjoy the beautiful green landscapes of this site to the full. The operating companies are willing to be your accomplice on special occasions. If you want to give a surprise for a birthday or anniversary, this is the ideal plan.

Details of interest

• Price: from 50 € to 200 €.
• Location: 1 Rue du Milieu, 27620 Giverny, France.
• Opening hours: 9am to 5.30pm.
• When to go: Recommended in all seasons except winter.

If you want to spend a full day in Giverny, I recommend you take a bike tour. If you know how to cycle, it will be more fun and you will also enjoy the health benefits of cycling, even if you are on holiday. These experiences are usually privately guided and cost on average €200 and last five hours or more.

To start this tour, meet your guide and group at a point in Giverny. Many prefer to start near the Seine River. Before setting off you will receive a helmet and a bike. You can also listen to the instructions given by your guide to make the experience more enjoyable.

The tour passes by the Sainte-Radegonde Church and its cemetery where you can pause to visit the tomb of the painter Monet. You can then continue your tour to the Monet Foundation. There, you can cycle through the gardens and take the best pictures. At the end of the tour you will return to the starting point.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 200 ¤.
• Duration: around 7 hours.
• Means of transport: bicycle.
• Advantages of this option: you can see the sites up close and enjoy the refreshing breeze of the village.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you don't know how to ride a bike you won't be able to do this tour.

Traveller tip
To get the most out of this experience, I recommend you bring water and, above all, have some stamina. If you don't have any practice, it would be better to choose another type of activity.

After enjoying all there is to see and do in Giverny, I recommend you visit the village of Auvers-sur-Oise on a guided tour. There you can see the place where the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh died. It is best to hire a tour service so that you can have private transport.

After touring the museums of Giverny and learning about the life and work of Claude Monet, you can complement your artistic journey in the neighbouring village. There your guide will take you to the guesthouse where Van Gogh lived and see some of the landscapes that inspired his work.

You can also see the village church and the tomb of the creator of Starry Night. Finally, your guide will take you back to the starting point. This experience will undoubtedly give you the chance to learn all about Impressionism as an artistic movement.

Details of interest

• Price: around 200 €.
• Duration: approximately 10 hours.
• Means of transport: private vehicle.