Giverny Tours FAQs
Tickets, the season, the train, children, access and refunds, answered from the operators’ own listings and the Fondation Claude Monet’s own pages. Settling your Giverny booking? The answers below cover most of it.
Two answers matter more than the rest. First, the house and gardens have a season: they open every day from 1 April to 1 November and close for the winter. Second, read what your fare buys. Most tours carry the €13 ticket, but some name the visit only in their itinerary, and a guide is not always with you in the gardens.
After that it is the day itself. The house is not wheelchair accessible, bags must be cabin-size, and picnics are not allowed inside.
When are Monet's house and gardens open?
Every day from 1 April to 1 November in 2026, from 10 am to 6 pm, with last admission at 5.30 pm. From 2 November to 31 March the house and gardens are closed, and the Fondation Claude Monet publishes the next season's dates in the new year.
How much is a Giverny ticket?
At Monet's house and gardens an adult pays €13 in 2026, a child aged 7 to 17 or a student €7, and a visitor with a disability €6, with a companion at the full rate. Children under 7 go in free.
Do I need to book Monet's garden in advance?
It is not compulsory, but the Fondation recommends it, above all at weekends and on public holidays. Tickets also sell at the gate every day. An online ticket cannot be refunded, but you can change its date.
Do Giverny tours include the entrance ticket?
Most do, and the card says so where the listing names the ticket. Some private days name the visit only in the itinerary, so ask the operator before you pay at the gate. The private driver day leaves the ticket out altogether.
How long do you get at Monet's house and gardens on a tour?
Usually 2 to 3 hours in Giverny on a half day from Paris. The Fondation suggests an hour and a half to two hours for the house and gardens themselves. Days that add Versailles or Auvers-sur-Oise usually give Giverny about 2 hours.
How far is Giverny from Paris?
About 80 km west-north-west of Paris, on the right bank of the Seine. A half-day tour spends roughly an hour on the road each way, depending on the traffic out of Paris.
Can you visit Giverny and Versailles in one day?
Yes, on a combination day, but never on a Monday, when the Palace of Versailles is closed. The Estate of Trianon opens at noon in high season, so only a day that reaches Versailles in the afternoon can take you there too.
Is there a guide with you in the gardens?
On most small-group and private days, yes, and the card says so. The coach days give you a self-guided app and a tour leader instead, and some minivans leave you to explore on your own.
Is Monet's house wheelchair accessible?
No. The Fondation says the gardens are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility but the house is not wheelchair accessible. A disability card gives priority access at the group entrance on the Sente Leroy and a €6 fare.
Can I bring a bag or a picnic?
Only a cabin-size bag, at most 55 x 35 x 20 cm, carried in your hand or on your back; there is no luggage storage. Picnics, painting, drawing and pets are not allowed in the house and gardens.
What is the best month to visit Giverny?
April and May for the tulips and irises, the summer months for the water lilies, and October for autumn colour and a slower pace. The gardens open on 1 April and close on 1 November, so there is no winter visit.
Can I get there by train instead of a tour?
Yes. Trains run from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny station, and from there a shuttle costs €5 one way or €10 return, or you can walk or cycle the path of about 5 km. Check the SNCF timetable and the shuttle's own times before you go.
Can I cancel a tour and get my money back?
Most tours refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. A private half day from Paris is non-refundable and the Le Havre shore day needs six days' notice. Every card states its own terms.
Are the tours good for children?
Children under 7 go into the gardens free and 7 to 17s pay €7. Some tours set a minimum age of 3 or 7, so check the card. Picnics are not allowed in the gardens, so plan lunch in the village.
How much does a tour cost?
A coach half day from Paris starts at $80 a person, and the small-group minivans cost $138 to $255. A day that adds Versailles runs from $158, and private days from $318 a person. The card says what each fare carries.
Is Giverny open in winter?
Monet's house and gardens are not: they close from 2 November to 31 March. The village itself stays open, but the tours to it run in the garden season only.
What time of day is best at the gardens?
Travellers who arrived at the 10 am opening found the gardens quietest. The queue for the house builds quickly, so several advise going to the house first and the pond after. Last admission is at 5.30 pm.
Where do the coach tours leave from?
Place du Général Kœnig at Porte Maillot, in the 17th arrondissement, beside the church of Notre-Dame-de-Compassion. The coach brings you back to Porte Maillot.
Do any tours pick me up at my hotel?
Every private day picks up at your Paris hotel, and some small-group minivans do too. The coaches meet at Porte Maillot, and most minivans at a café near the Arc de Triomphe or in the 17th arrondissement.
Is there a Giverny tour from Le Havre?
Yes: a private shore day from the cruise port, which lets you choose two of Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur. It promises to have you back before the ship sails, and it needs six days' notice to cancel.
Can I cycle to Giverny?
The bike day goes by bus from Paris to Vernon, buys a picnic at the market and rides the path of about 5 km into Giverny, from $138 a person. On your own, bikes are for hire at the exit of Vernon-Giverny station.
What does the Musée des impressionnismes cost?
The Musée des impressionnismes charges €12 for an adult and €9 reduced, and under 18s go free. A combined ticket with Monet's house costs €25 for an adult, sold at the house.
Is there a combined ticket with the Paris museums?
Yes, sold at the house to individual visitors: with the Musée Marmottan Monet for €27 an adult, or with the Musée de l'Orangerie for €25.50. The Orangerie holds the Water Lilies panels Monet gave to the State in 1922.
Where is Monet buried?
In the churchyard of Sainte-Radegonde, the village church a short walk from the house. Some tours stop at the grave on the way in or out.
When did Monet live in Giverny?
From 1883 until his death there on 5 December 1926, aged 86: 43 years. He bought the property in 1890 and made the water garden from 1893.
Who owns Monet's house now?
The Académie des Beaux-Arts, to which Michel Monet, the painter's son, left the estate in 1966. The Fondation Claude Monet has run it since the house and gardens reopened in 1980.
Why is the Japanese bridge green?
Monet painted it green to set it apart from the red traditionally used in Japan, according to the Fondation. It stands on the line of the central path of the flower garden.
Where can I eat in Giverny?
Les Nymphéas, opposite the house, opens every day of the season, and the Musée des impressionnismes has its own restaurant. A few combination days put lunch in the fare.
Is there parking in Giverny?
Yes. The Fondation lists free car parks in the village, near the house, with space for bicycles too.
Can I leave and come back in?
No. The Fondation says any exit from the site is final, so see the house and the gardens before you walk out to the village.
Can I bring my dog?
Only a recognised assistance dog. Other pets are not allowed in the house or the gardens.
Is Giverny closed on Mondays?
No. Monet's house and gardens open every day of the season. It is Versailles that closes on Mondays, which is why no combination day runs then.
How far ahead should I book a tour?
As early as your dates allow in spring and at weekends. The small groups hold only 6 to 8 seats, and a private day depends on a guide being free.
Do the tours run in the rain?
Yes. Several listings say they run in all weather, so bring a waterproof. Rain falls on about one day in four through the season, going by the Évreux normals.
Can I see Giverny and Van Gogh's Auvers-sur-Oise in one day?
Yes, on a small-group or private day from Paris, from $250 a person. You see Monet's house and gardens, then the village where Van Gogh spent his last weeks.
How many people are on a small-group tour?
Six to eight on most minivan days. The Versailles day with lunch carries up to 16 and the bike day up to 20, while the coach days state no cap.
Does a priority ticket mean no wait?
No. A pre-booked or priority entry saves the ticket queue, not the crowd inside, and at least one listing warns you may still wait. Plan on the house being busiest in the middle of the day.
Do I tip the guide?
Tips are left out of almost every fare, and none adds one. Tip as you would at home, in euros.
What languages are the tours in?
English on every tour listed here. Some private days also offer French, Spanish, German or Russian, and the coach days add an app in ten languages.
Still deciding? The practical detail is in the visitor guide, and what travellers made of each tour is in the reviews. Every fare sits side by side on Giverny Tours.