Giverny with Kids: Ages, Fares and a Day That Suits a Family

Is it worth it with children?

For most families, yes. The visit is outdoors for most of its length, the colours are bold, and the bridge over the lily pond is the picture most children already know. The whole visit takes an hour and a half to two hours, which is about as long as a young child lasts in a garden. The hard parts are the rules: no picnics, no big bags, and a house with small rooms and a staircase.

What children pay, and what they get free

So a family of two adults and two children under 7 pays €26 at the gate. The visitor guide lists the other reduced fares.

The youngest age each kind of day takes

Give every child's age when you book, because operators price and seat by it. The coaches have no ISOFIX points, so a child too small for a seat belt needs its own restraint. The questions page covers the other booking rules.

The ages decide more than the price. The eight-seat minivan with hotel pickup does not take children under 3, and the eight-seat days with a driver-guide need every member of the party to be 7 or over. If your youngest is below both, look at the coach half-day or a private car, where you set the pace and the stops.

What children tend to love

• The bridge. Standing on the green bridge over the lilies is the moment they will recognise.
• The colours. Each bed in the flower garden is one colour; give them a colour to find.
• The kitchen. Walls of blue tiles and copper pans over a huge range.
• A house of eight children. Monet's household once held that many, and the bedrooms upstairs help them picture it.

A half-day that fits a young child's day

1. Breakfast first. Feed everyone well before you leave Paris: the road is about 80 km, and on the coach it takes about an hour.
2. Gardens before the house. Let the children run the flower garden and the pond while they are fresh, and keep the house for later.
3. The house, briefly. Twenty minutes is plenty with small children: the dining room and the kitchen are the rooms they remember.
4. Lunch in the village. Eat after the visit, then head back. On a half-day you are in Paris by the afternoon, in time for a rest.

With teenagers

Teenagers pay €7 at the gate until they turn 18, and students pay the same. The impressionism museum is free for them, which makes it an easy add-on. Teenagers who paint or draw may enjoy the first studio most, with its wall of reproductions hung the way Monet hung his own work; sketching is not allowed in the gardens, though, so leave the sketchbook in the bag. If yours know Van Gogh, a day that adds Auvers-sur-Oise takes ages 7 and over, and his room there is €8 from 12 to 17.

Food, bags and the no-picnic rule

This is the part to plan. Picnics are not allowed in the gardens, there is no left-luggage, and any exit is final, so you cannot pop out for a snack and come back. Feed everyone before you go in. Les Nymphéas, opposite the house, opens every day of the season, and the Musée des impressionnismes has a restaurant. Where to eat in Giverny lists the tables and their hours.

Pushchairs and small legs

The gardens are accessible to people with reduced mobility, though the paths are gravel. The house is a different matter: its bedrooms are up a staircase, so a baby carrier is easier inside. If one adult waits outside with a sleeping child, remember that leaving the site ends the visit.

In the rain, the paths are still open: at Évreux, the nearest long-term weather station, it rains on about one day in four from April to October, so pack waterproofs. The weather by month has the figures.

The best days for a family

Keep it to a half-day. The coach half-day from Porte Maillot is the cheapest, has child fares from 2 and gives you 90 minutes in the village afterwards. For a guide who can keep children interested, the eight-seat half-day takes ages 7 and over. With a baby or a toddler, the private day with an art historian accepts pushchairs and has infant seats, and it collects you from your door. The Giverny private tours page sets every private option side by side.

What to combine it with

If the children have energy left, the Musée des impressionnismes, at 99 rue Claude Monet, is free for them, and the whole building, toilets included, is accessible. Up the Seine, the castle at La Roche-Guyon takes children from 6 at a reduced fare, but pushchairs are not allowed inside. For a family that likes bikes, the cycling day rides 5 km along the Seine to the village after a picnic by the river: outside the gardens, where picnics are fine.

For the full plan, read how to visit; to add Van Gogh, read the comparison with Auvers-sur-Oise. The best time to visit covers the school-holiday months.

Days that work with children

Giverny Small-Group Minivan with Hotel Pickup or Meeting Point

Five hours in an eight-seat minivan from western Paris, with the entry paid and the gardens on your own. Ages 3 and over; infant seats available.

From $156 per person (minimum 2)

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From Paris: Monet Gardens & Giverny Bike Tour with Picnic Stop

Nine hours from the 15th: a bus to the Seine valley, a market picnic by the river, then 5 km by bike to Giverny and two hours at Monet's house and gardens.

From $138 per person

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Private Tour From Paris to Giverny Claude Monet's Gardens

A private car from your Paris hotel for up to three, pushchairs and infant seats accommodated, with two hours at Monet's house and gardens.

From $461 per person

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