Giverny is about 68 km (42 mi) from the 8th arrondissement, roughly an hour by car on a clear road by our OSRM routing. By public transport, you take a regional train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny station, then a shuttle bus or small tourist train for the last few kilometres to the village. Both work. The train is cheaper; the car is simpler, especially for families, older travellers and anyone who wants to reach the garden at opening time.
Unlike Versailles, Giverny is seasonal. Claude Monet's house and gardens open on 1 April and close on 1 November, so a winter visit to Paris means no Giverny at all. This guide covers both ways of getting there, the timing that makes the day work, and what Elly8.net's published Paris rates mean for the trip.
Is it easier to get to Giverny by train or by car?
By car, Giverny is a single drive of about an hour from central Paris, door to garden gate. By train, you ride from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, up to an hour, then take a shuttle or tourist train to the village. The train is cheaper for one or two people; a private car suits families, groups and travellers who want an early, easy start.
The difference is not the distance. It is the number of steps: a metro ride to Saint-Lazare, the train, the shuttle, and the same in reverse, versus one car from the hotel.
When Monet's house and gardens are open
Claude Monet lived and painted at Giverny from 1883 until his death in 1926, and his house and gardens are now one of the most visited sites in Normandy. The house's official website sets the season from 1 April to 1 November and sells timed tickets. The regional tourist office's listing for the house and gardens gives the 2027 opening as 1 April to 1 November 2027, every day from 10:00 to 18:00.
Three practical points follow from that:
- There is no visit between November and March. Plan a Giverny day only for a spring, summer or early autumn trip.
- Book tickets before you book the car. Then set your pickup time to match your entry slot.
- Early is better. The gardens are at their calmest when they open at 10:00, before tour groups arrive.
The same village has the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, a short walk from the house, if you want to make a fuller day of it.
Option 1: the train from Saint-Lazare
The regional tourist office's getting here page explains that direct, regular TER trains on the Paris-Rouen-Le Havre line run from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny station, with a journey time of a maximum of one hour. Vernon is in Normandy, outside the Île-de-France fare zone, so you need a regional train ticket rather than a Paris metro ticket.
From Vernon-Giverny station to the village, the tourist office's getting around page lists two options:
- The shuttle bus, which leaves from the Rue de la gare alongside the railway tracks.
- The Petit Train Givernon, a tourist train that departs from in front of the station.
Check the shuttle's departure times before you travel, since they are set around the train timetable and the season. By road, the station is about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) from Monet's house, roughly 11 minutes, by our OSRM routing.
The honest case for the train: it is the cheapest way for one or two people, and the trip itself is pleasant once you are on board.
The honest case against: it takes four separate legs each way counting the metro to Saint-Lazare and the shuttle, Saint-Lazare is a large and busy station, the shuttle can be crowded on a fine summer day, and the timetable decides when you can leave.
Choose the train if you are a solo traveller or a couple, comfortable with stations and connections, and staying near Saint-Lazare.
Option 2: a private car
With a car, the trip is one drive of about 59 minutes on a clear road, out of Paris on the A13 motorway towards Normandy. The chauffeur drops you near the house, waits while you visit, and drives you back, or on to a second stop.
Rides in Paris are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
Giverny works on an hourly chauffeur booking or a full-day chauffeur. Elly8.net's published Paris rates, per vehicle and all-in, are:
| Vehicle | Per hour (3-hour minimum) | Full-day chauffeur | Passengers / bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sedan | US$90 | US$665 | 3 / 2 |
| Business SUV | US$115 | US$850 | 6 / 6 |
| First Class SUV | US$135 | US$995 | 6 / 6 |
| First Class Sedan | US$145 | US$1,070 | 3 / 2 |
| Executive Sprinter | US$180 | US$1,325 | 12 / 12 |
Prices include the chauffeur, taxes and standard gratuity; tolls and parking are billed at cost. Capacities come from the fleet table.
A typical Giverny outing by car is about five hours from hotel pickup to drop-off: two hours of driving there and back on a clear road, plus two to three hours in the house and gardens and the village. At US$90 an hour in a business sedan, five hours comes to US$450. A family of five in a Business SUV for the same five hours comes to US$575. That is arithmetic for planning; the fare is fixed when you book, and the full-day chauffeur from US$665 is the better choice if you add a second stop.
Choose the car for families with young children, travellers with limited mobility, groups who want to stay together, photographers carrying equipment, and anyone who wants to arrive for the 10:00 opening without an early train.
A sample Giverny morning by car
Built around the 10:00 opening, a relaxed half-day looks like this:
- 8:45, hotel pickup. On a clear road the drive takes about an hour; leaving before nine gives a margin for traffic on the way out of Paris.
- 10:00, the gardens open. With a timed ticket already booked, you start in the Clos Normand, the flower garden in front of the house, then cross to the water garden and its water lily pond, the subject of the paintings that made the place famous.
- 11:30, the house. Monet's rooms are inside the pink-rendered house at the top of the garden, restored at the end of the 1970s along with gardens replanted as he knew them.
- 12:30, lunch in the village. The village has places to eat within walking distance, and the Musée des impressionnismes is close by if you want an hour of paintings after the gardens.
- 14:00, back to Paris. You are at your hotel by mid-afternoon, with the evening free.
That is a little over five hours from pickup to drop-off. Your chauffeur waits in the village throughout, so there is no shuttle to catch and no train timetable deciding when you leave.
Arriving or leaving by air
Some travellers fit Giverny around a flight. By our OSRM routing, Charles de Gaulle to Giverny is about 92 km (57 mi), roughly 1 hour 16 minutes on a clear road, and Giverny to Orly about 87 km (54 mi), roughly 1 hour 14 minutes. With luggage in a Business SUV, a garden visit on the way to an afternoon departure from Orly, or on the way into Paris after a morning arrival, is practical between April and November. These combined itineraries are quoted in the web booker, fixed in US dollars before you pay, and the published airport transfer fares start at US$135 from Orly and US$170 from CDG in a business sedan.
Side by side
| Train and shuttle | Elly8.net private car | |
|---|---|---|
| Legs each way | Metro, train, shuttle | One |
| Travel time each way | Up to 1 hour on the train, plus the metro and shuttle | About 59 minutes on a clear road |
| Cost for one or two people | A regional train ticket each, plus the shuttle | From US$270 for 3 hours, per vehicle |
| Cost for a family of five | Five sets of tickets | Business SUV from US$115 an hour |
| Control of timing | Train and shuttle timetables | You choose pickup and return |
| Add a second stop | Separate journey | Same car and chauffeur |
Combining Giverny with Versailles
With a car, Giverny pairs well with Versailles on a single day between April and November. Versailles to Giverny is about 62 km (39 mi), roughly 52 minutes on a clear road by our OSRM routing.
A workable plan: Versailles when the palace opens at 9:00, the drive to Giverny over lunch, the gardens in the afternoon, and back to Paris for the evening. Remember that the palace is closed on Mondays. That is a long, full day, so book a full-day chauffeur from US$665 in a business sedan. Our guide to Paris to Versailles explains the palace's opening rules, and our Paris day trip with a private driver guide compares other combinations.
Giverny on the way to Normandy
Giverny sits just off the A13, the motorway from Paris to Normandy, which makes it a natural stop on a two-day trip to the D-Day beaches. On a single-day Normandy trip there is rarely time; on the way back from an overnight stay it fits well. See our guide to Paris to Normandy by private car for the routing and the cemetery's opening hours.
Tips for a Giverny day
- Go between April and early autumn. The house and gardens are closed from November to March.
- Book a timed ticket first, then the car.
- Aim for opening time. The gardens open at 10:00, and the earliest visitors have the paths to themselves.
- Plan for the weather. Much of the visit is outdoors, and the famous water garden is best on a calm, bright day.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The gardens and the village lanes are best explored on foot.
- Ask for child seats when you book, with the children's ages.
Groups, painters and private tours
Giverny is a favourite for art groups, garden clubs and family trips. An Executive Sprinter with driver carries up to twelve passengers in one vehicle, which keeps everyone together on the narrow lanes of the village. Hotel concierges can arrange the day for guests through hotel accounts, and the day can be paired with an afternoon private city tour back in Paris. For painters and photographers, the main advantage of a car is the luggage space: easels, tripods and camera bags travel in the back rather than on a crowded shuttle, and the chauffeur can collect the group when the session ends rather than when the timetable says. Every published fare is on the Paris car service page.
How to book
- Enter your hotel as the pickup and Giverny as the destination, with the date and pickup time.
- Choose an hourly booking or a full-day chauffeur, and the vehicle class.
- Press Reserve now on a published fare, or use the web booker for a combined itinerary. Confirmation arrives by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, with refunds to the original card.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Giverny from Paris?
Giverny is about 68 km (42 mi) from the 8th arrondissement, roughly 59 minutes by car on a clear road by our OSRM routing. Traffic leaving Paris on the A13 can add time at rush hour and on summer weekends.
How do I get from Paris to Giverny by train?
Take a TER train on the Paris-Rouen-Le Havre line from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, a journey of up to an hour. From the station, a shuttle bus leaves from the Rue de la gare and a tourist train departs from in front of the station.
When is Monet's garden at Giverny open?
Claude Monet's house and gardens are open from 1 April to 1 November. For 2027, the regional tourist office lists daily opening from 10:00 to 18:00. They are closed from November to March, so a winter trip to Paris cannot include a Giverny visit.
How much does a private driver to Giverny cost?
With Elly8.net, an hourly chauffeur in Paris costs from US$90 an hour in a business sedan, US$115 in a business SUV and US$180 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. A full-day chauffeur costs from US$665. Prices are per vehicle; tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Can we visit Giverny and Versailles in one day?
Yes, by car, between April and November and on any day except Monday, when the palace is closed. Start at Versailles at 9:00, drive about 52 minutes to Giverny, and spend the afternoon in the gardens. A full-day chauffeur from US$665 covers the day.
Is the train or the car better for a family?
For a family with young children, the car is usually easier: one vehicle from the hotel to the village, child seats on request, and no connections. For two adults travelling light, the train and shuttle are cheaper and work well.
