Day Tour from ParisGiverny Half Day Trip from Paris with Monet's House and Gardens
A Giverny half day trip from Paris is the shortest coach day in this catalog. City Wonders sells it at $78 per person, which is the lowest listed price among the tours we compare, with entry to Monet's house and gardens already in the fare. The coach takes about 75 minutes each way, the garden visits are self-guided with an audio app, and you get 80 minutes of free time in the village. The catch is timing: Giverny only opens from 1 April to 1 November, so this is a spring to autumn trip. This page breaks down what the price buys, how the day runs and when you should pick a different listing from the comparison of day tours from Paris.
About This Tour
City Wonders runs this half-day coach trip from a meeting point at Place du Général Kœnig in the 17th arrondissement to Giverny in Normandy, where Claude Monet lived and painted from 1883 until his death. Entry to Monet's house and gardens is included. The visit itself is self-guided, using an audio app in ten languages, with an English-speaking guide on the coach and for the introductions. A full-day upgrade adds a morning visit to Versailles before Giverny, which is why the listed duration runs from 6 to 11.5 hours. The half day itself is the shorter version.
The garden time is fixed by the itinerary: 30 minutes in Monet's house, 45 minutes at the water garden, 80 minutes of free time in Giverny village and a 10-minute photo stop at Monet's tomb. Food, tips and hotel pickup are not part of the price. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later.
$78 per person, booked through GetYourGuide. Entry fees to Monet's house and gardens are included.
6 to 11.5 hours. The half day is the shorter version. The 11.5-hour option adds Versailles in the morning.
Place du Général Kœnig, 75017 Paris, beside the church Église Notre-Dame de Compassion, at the corner of Boulevard d'Aurelle de Paladines and Avenue de la Porte des Ternes. A City Wonders representative with a sign stands on the right side facing the church.
Air-conditioned coach, about 75 minutes each way. Group size is not stated. No strollers or large bags on board, and the coaches have no ISOFIX anchors, so bring your own child seat.
Included: roundtrip coach, guide, entry to Monet's house and gardens, and the self-guided audio app in ten languages. Extra on the day: food and beverages, tips, and hotel pickup and drop-off, which are not provided.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. Reserve now and pay later is available.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing runs while Giverny is open, from 1 April to 1 November. Check live dates and the full-day upgrade in the widget.
Quick answer Half day by coach, $78
This Giverny half day trip from Paris costs $78 per person and runs 6 hours in its short version, by air-conditioned coach with Monet's house and gardens entry included.
Key takeaways
- The visit is self-guided with an audio app, plus 80 minutes of free time in the village. See what the price covers.
- Giverny opens only from 1 April to 1 November, so book inside that window or look at day tours from Paris.
- The train is a real alternative: Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny takes about 50 minutes, then a €5 shuttle. Read the do-it-yourself option.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users, and no strollers on group tours. Check who this rules out.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $78 fare buys the coach, a guide and the Giverny entry tickets. Food, tips and hotel pickup are on you, and the Versailles part belongs to the upgrade only.
What Is in the Fare
The included list is short and clear: roundtrip transfers in an air-conditioned coach, an English-speaking guide, entry fees to Monet's house and gardens, and the self-guided audio app for the home and gardens. The audio app comes in ten languages: English, French, Italian, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. If you pick the full-day option, an English guided tour of the Palace of Versailles with entrance tickets for the palace and its gardens is added.
For the half day itself, no Versailles ticket is included.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roundtrip coach | Yes | Air-conditioned, about 75 minutes each way |
| Guide | Yes | English speaking, on the coach and for introductions |
| Monet's house and gardens entry | Yes | Tickets included in the $78 fare |
| Self-guided audio app | Yes | Ten languages, used for the house and water garden |
| Versailles palace and gardens | Only with the full-day upgrade | Not part of the half-day price |
| Food and beverages | No | Budget for lunch or a café stop in the village |
| Tips | No | Not included |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | No | You make your own way to the meeting point |
What You May Pay on the Day
Lunch is your own cost. The 80 minutes of free time in Giverny is when you would eat, and the listing names cafés and boutiques in the village but includes no meal. Bring headphones and a charged smartphone, because the audio app runs on your own device.
Tips are not included.
The Honest Note
This is a coach tour with a guide on the vehicle, not a guide walking beside you through the rooms. The house and water garden visits are self-guided, at 30 and 45 minutes each. If you want a longer, slower visit, the same operator sells the Giverny and Versailles day trip at $151 with an 11.5-hour day, or you can go by train and set your own pace.
Sources: Normandy Tourism: Giverny
Monet extended his Giverny land in 1893 to create the water garden, planted with water lilies and shaded by weeping willows. Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The itinerary comes from the listing itself, with the stated durations. It starts and ends at the same spot in the 17th arrondissement.
Meeting and the Coach Out
You meet at Place du Général Kœnig, 75017 Paris, beside Église Notre-Dame de Compassion, where Boulevard d'Aurelle de Paladines crosses Avenue de la Porte des Ternes. The City Wonders representative holds a sign on the right side as you face the church. The departure time is not stated in the listing, so check your confirmation.
The coach ride to Giverny takes about 75 minutes, and the guide talks about Monet's life on the way.
At the Fondation Monet
On arrival the guide gives a short introduction and then leaves you to it. The self-guided house visit is timed at 30 minutes, followed by 45 minutes at Monet's water garden with its lily pond and Japanese bridge. That is 75 minutes of garden time in total, moving with the audio app in your own language.
The Foundation opens 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30 during the season.
Village Free Time and the Tomb
After the gardens you get 80 minutes of free time in Giverny village, enough for a quick lunch or a coffee if you order promptly. A 10-minute photo stop at Claude Monet's tomb follows, and then the coach covers the 75-minute ride back to the same meeting point in Paris, arriving in the early afternoon on the half-day version. The full-day upgrade replaces this by starting with Versailles in the morning and reaching Giverny later, which stretches the day to 11.5 hours.
Giverny: The Monet Home & Garden (Is It Worth It?)
Monet's house, the flower garden and the water lily pond, filmed on a visit from Paris. Third-party video by Les Frenchies. We did not shoot it and have no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing states several hard limits. Check them before you book, because none of them are soft.
Access and Mobility
The listing says the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments, and the provider cannot accommodate guests needing special assistance. That is a firm exclusion for this coach format. A self-organised day by train lets you set the pace.
Families with Small Children
No strollers or baby carriages are allowed on group tours, and large bags are not allowed either. The coaches have no ISOFIX anchor points and limited 3-point seat belts, so parents of children who cannot be secured by a seat belt must bring their own child restraint system. There is no stated minimum age.
If this sounds restrictive, a day trip from Paris by train gives you more flexibility with a pushchair.
Pace and Pickup
There is no hotel pickup or drop-off, so you reach Place du Général Kœnig yourself. Travellers staying far from the 17th arrondissement should allow for the metro ride. The day is short compared with 14-hour trips such as the Normandy D-Day beaches day trip, but the garden slots are fixed: 75 minutes on site at the Foundation is tight for slow walkers and photographers.
Anyone who wants more time should compare the Giverny and Versailles day trip or travel independently.
Could You Do It Without a Tour?
Yes, and for Giverny the train makes it genuinely easy. Here is the honest comparison.
The Train Route
Trains for Giverny leave Paris Saint-Lazare for Vernon-Giverny station, and the ride takes about 50 minutes. Vernon is 5 km from Giverny village, and the electric Navette Giverny shuttle from the station costs €5 single or €10 return, running from April to November. A little tourist train also does the run at €8 return per person.
Walking takes about an hour and cycling about 20 minutes, with bikes for rent by the station. Mainline SNCF fares are dynamic, so no fixed Paris to Vernon price is quoted here.
Entry and Timing on Your Own
The Monet Foundation house and gardens open from 1 April to 1 November, 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30. The Foundation says online booking is highly recommended, with advance tickets non-refundable. The Normandy tourist board advises weekdays in spring or mid-autumn and avoiding July, August and the 10:00 to 16:00 peak.
On your own you can arrive at opening time or after 16:00 and dodge the crowds in a way the coach cannot.
When the Tour Earns Its Price
The train makes this one of the easiest do-it-yourself days from Paris, and it suits anyone flexible on timing. The tour earns its $78 when you want zero planning, a single booked date and the coach drop-off at the gate, or when you are adding the Versailles upgrade, which is far harder to arrange alone in one day. If you would rather combine Normandy stops over more time, look at a 2 day trip from Paris or a 3 day trip from Paris instead of squeezing Giverny into a half day.
Step by Step Itinerary
Times and durations as stated in the listing. The listing gives no clock times, so phases are labelled.
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Early morning
Meet at Place du Général Kœnig
Find the City Wonders representative with a sign beside Église Notre-Dame de Compassion, on the right side facing the church. The exact departure time is not stated in the listing.
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Morning
Coach to Giverny
About 75 minutes by air-conditioned coach, with the English-speaking guide introducing Monet's life and work on the way.
-
Morning
Monet's house, 30 minutes
A brief introduction at the Fondation Claude Monet, then a self-guided visit of the house with the audio app.
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Midday
Water garden, 45 minutes
Self-guided time at the lily pond and Japanese bridge, the scene of the Water Lilies series.
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Midday
Free time in Giverny, 80 minutes
Lunch or a café break in the village at your own cost. Food and beverages are not included.
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Afternoon
Monet's tomb, 10 minutes
A short photo stop at Claude Monet's tomb before the return drive.
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Afternoon
Coach back to Paris
About 75 minutes on the road, arriving back at the same meeting point in the early afternoon on the half-day version.
Pros and Cons
A straight reading of the listing, with the trade-offs stated.
What we genuinely like
- The cheapest day in the catalog at $78 per person, with Monet's house and gardens entry included
- Only about 75 minutes each way by coach, the shortest roundtrip of the coach tours compared
- Audio app in ten languages, so non-English speakers can follow the self-guided visit
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, with reserve now and pay later
The honest downsides
- Only 75 minutes at the Foundation itself: 30 minutes in the house and 45 at the water garden
- No food, no tips and no hotel pickup in the price, and the meeting point is far from much of central Paris
- The visit is self-guided with an app, not a guide walking you through the gardens
- Duration is listed as 6 to 11.5 hours because the full-day Versailles upgrade blurs the half-day promise
Who it's NOT for: Anyone needing wheelchair access, travelling with a stroller, or wanting more than 75 minutes inside Monet's estate should book a different format.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the Giverny half day trip from Paris cost?
The City Wonders listing sells at $78 per person on GetYourGuide, with coach transport, a guide and Monet's house and gardens entry included. Compare it with other day tours from Paris before you book.
How long is the coach ride from Paris to Giverny?
About 75 minutes each way in an air-conditioned coach from the meeting point at Place du Général Kœnig in the 17th arrondissement. By train from Saint-Lazare, the ride to Vernon-Giverny takes about 50 minutes plus the last-mile shuttle.
Is lunch included on this Giverny tour?
No. Food and beverages, tips and hotel pickup are all excluded, and you get 80 minutes of free time in the village to eat at your own cost. The what the price covers section lists every inclusion line.
When is Giverny open for day trips from Paris?
Monet's house and gardens open only from 1 April to 1 November, 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30. Outside that window the tour does not run, so look at day tours from Paris in the closed season.
Can I bring a stroller or a wheelchair on this tour?
No. The listing states the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments, and no strollers or baby carriages are allowed on group tours. Coaches have no ISOFIX anchors, so bring your own child seat. See who this rules out for the details.
Why is the duration listed as 6 to 11.5 hours?
The half day runs about 6 hours. The 11.5-hour figure belongs to the full-day upgrade, which adds a morning guided visit to the Palace of Versailles with tickets before continuing to Giverny. The dedicated Giverny and Versailles day trip is the same combination sold as its own listing at $151.
Can I cancel this tour?
Yes. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and reserve now and pay later is available, so you pay nothing when booking. Check live dates in the availability widget.
What Travelers Said
Pablo and Laura were excellent guides. I recommend anyone interested in going out to Giverny to explore the village and Claude Monet's gardens to book this experience.
Very good plan to add in your Paris itinerary, I loved going, it was easy to get to and the time was perfect to spend on Monet's house and gardens.
Dee was a wonderful guide. Very friendly and knowledgeable.
Well organised , good friendly informative guide. The skip the queue ticket was worth it alone . Fabulous morning and gardens and house and audio guide was useful .
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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