"Visiting Monet's House" Giverny by sarahandgareth

The main attraction at Giverny is the gardens and the lily pond, rather than the house itself. The house is certainly attractive, but most people rush through, especially when they discover it doesn’t actually contain any of Monet’s paintings. By contrast, it does have an exceptional collection of 19th century Japanese prints, which were very popular among artists in Europe at that time, not long after the ‘opening’ of Japan to trade with the west

It’s well worth making the effort to get out of bed early and take the first available train from Paris, which gets you to Giverny for around 9:30, which is when the gardens open (though some books and leaflets incorrectly say 10 a.m.). There was no one else there except for the small number of passengers who had travelled on the same train. By contrast, when we left several hours later there were ten tour buses and perhaps a hundred cars parked outside.

Pond

The gardens are especially beautiful when you don’t have to compete with other visitors for path space. Late April/early May is a very good time to visit, since all of the tulips, of which there many varieties, are in bloom. The gardens – which are much as they were in Monet’s time – are beautifully tended, in long rows of flowers, with a central path leading up to the pink-coloured house, itself surrounded by dense beds of plants and flowers. The lily pond is also kept immaculately – it is carefully cleared of floating debris every couple of days – and if you manage to get there at a peaceful time of day, sitting on a bench at the edge of the pond is magical.

• Pros:Beautiful setting
• Cons:Can be very crowded
• In a nutshell:Perfect complement to a visit to the Louvre