Giverny & Versailles Day Trip from Paris with Lunch

Giverny: the village of the painters

Giverny is a small village on the edge of Normandy, about 75 km north-west of Paris, set between the Seine valley and wooded hills. In 1883 the painter Claude Monet rented a house here and stayed until his death in 1926, and his presence drew many other artists, especially American painters, to the village. Today its single main street of stone houses, gardens and small galleries keeps a gentle country atmosphere.

A Giverny day trip from Paris by coach takes about 1.5 hours each way, which is why combining it with Versailles in one organised day is so practical. The gardens open from spring to autumn: tulips and irises in April and May, roses in June, water lilies from July and dahlias and asters in September. How to get to Giverny without a car is the usual headache; this tour solves it with coach transport and entries arranged.

Monet's house and the flower garden

Monet's long pink house with green shutters is preserved as he lived in it. Inside you see his sitting-room studio, the bright yellow dining room, the blue-tiled kitchen and walls covered with the Japanese woodblock prints he collected. The rooms are small, so the visit flows from room to room, and windows open onto the garden he designed like a painting.

In front of the house lies the Clos Normand, the flower garden, laid out in straight beds filled with a changing palette of colours, with metal arches covered in climbing roses along the central path. Your guide explains how Monet planted for colour and light rather than order, and why this garden became the subject of so many of his canvases. Allow time for photographs, especially from the upper path looking back at the house.

The water garden and the Japanese bridge

Across a small road, reached by an underpass, is the water garden Monet created by diverting a branch of a local stream. Here are the scenes everyone knows from his paintings: the green Japanese-style footbridge, weeping willows, bamboo and the pond covered in water lilies, whose reflections he painted again and again in the last decades of his life.

Walking slowly around the pond is the high point of any Monet gardens Giverny visit. The best time to visit Giverny for water lilies is from July to September, while late spring brings wisteria on the bridge. The paths are narrow and busy at peak hours, so your guide helps you find the quieter viewpoints before the group meets again for lunch.

Lunch in Normandy

Lunch is served in a local restaurant in the area and is included in every option. A typical three-course menu begins with a fish terrine with fresh cream and green salad, continues with roast chicken breast in a mushroom cream sauce with buttery mashed potatoes, and ends with a Normandy-style apple tart with vanilla ice cream.

Still and sparkling water, coffee or tea are served with the meal. If you have dietary needs, such as vegetarian or halal preferences, tell us when you book so we can pass the request on; options depend on the restaurant on the day. The lunch break gives the group a relaxed pause before the drive of about an hour to Versailles.

The Palace of Versailles and the Hall of Mirrors

The Palace of Versailles grew from a modest hunting lodge into the seat of royal power in France, where the court moved in 1682 and remained until the Revolution. Listed by UNESCO since 1979, it is one of the largest palaces in the world. With your Palace of Versailles tickets included, you visit the Grands Appartements of the King and Queen, with painted ceilings, marble walls and gilded furniture, and the Royal Chapel seen from its gallery.

The climax is the Hall of Mirrors, a 73-metre gallery where 357 mirrors in seventeen arches face seventeen tall windows over the gardens. Here royal celebrations were held and, in 1919, the treaty that ended the First World War was signed. Is Versailles worth visiting on a day trip from Paris? Yes, and having entry arranged saves a long wait at the ticket desk.

The gardens of Versailles

Behind the palace, the gardens stretch in perfect geometry towards the horizon: terraces, clipped hedges, statues, groves hidden behind green walls, and the Grand Canal, about 1.6 km long. Fountains such as the Latona and Apollo basins are among the most photographed in France, and on selected days in spring and summer they play to music.

After the palace visit you have time to wander the gardens at your own pace before the coach leaves for Paris. Comfortable shoes are essential: the estate covers about 800 hectares and even a short loop down to the Apollo fountain and back means a good walk. Versailles is closed on Mondays, so this day trip runs on the other days of the week during the Giverny season.