Visit Giverny: 7 Things Not To Miss

Here are the top things to do and places to see in Giverny:

1. The Village of Giverny
2. Visit the Claude Monet Foundation
3. The house of Claude Monet, his garden and Water Lilies pond
4. Visit the Museum of Impressionism’s
5. Visit the Natural Mechanics Museum
6. Wander the paths of the Giverny hillsides: take the Green Lizard trail (5km, 2h) or the Astragalus trail (5km, 2h)

The village of Giverny

No longer Ile de France at all, but still completely Normandy, Giverny in the Eure is a village halfway between Paris and the port of Honfleur.

This town of 500 inhabitants is best known for having been the last residence of the Impressionist master Claude Monet, who left a magnificent residence there, classified as a historic monument. The painter represented the village in some of his masterpieces: “Avenue de Giverny or Jardin des artistes” for example.

Today, people come from all over the world to visit his house transformed into a museum. But, Giverny is also a charming French village offering its tranquility and this unique light that attracted the master, ideal for lovers of photography and paintin

Visit the Claude Monet Foundation

Giverny is already known to art lovers as the village in which Claude Monet painted his most beautiful paintings. A visit to the House and Gardens of Claude Monet, also called the Claude Monet Foundation, is therefore absolutely essential when you go to Giverny.

Claude Monet lived in this pink house with green shutters for 43 years, from 1883 to 1926.

Passing through its door, we discover the painter’s living space and his studio, but also the reconstructions of some sixty of his carefully chosen canvases.

Passionate about plants, the painter also left behind a beautiful Japanese-inspired garden dotted with bamboo and streams spanned by bridges.

You can walk along it easily to the famous Water Lilies Pond, which houses the flowers that inspired Claude Monet’s most popular paintings.

The small village of Giverny attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to the Monet museum (you can visit the painter’s house and garden) and the American Art museum.

Most visitors come on an excursion to visit the gardens and museums (open from spring to autumn) but you can enjoy the charm of the small village for longer. Book a guest room in the surroundings and take a walk along the banks of the Seine or on the surrounding hillsides.

Visit the Museum of Impressionisms

Claude Monet being considered one of the great masters of Impressionism, it is no surprise that we find in the heart of Giverny a museum dedicated to this artistic movement.

This museum is one of the places to visit when you are in Giverny. It offers a permanent exhibition of many impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, both French and foreign, and allows visitors to stroll through a French garden that is both peaceful and original.

Temporary exhibitions of great artists are also organized each year. You should also know that the Museum of Impressionisms often organizes activities and events, ranging from workshops for children to symphony concerts.

The Museum of Natural Mechanics

A visit to Giverny also allows you to discover a totally different museum whose permanent exhibition is devoted to old engines and mechanics.

This museum founded by passionate mechanic brothers has many antique pieces, including a 1908 Carels Diesel engine which is “the largest and oldest diesel engine still in working order in the world”.