There are few places in France as magical as Giverny, a quaint village that lies just 50 miles from Paris. Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism, discovered this gateway to Normandy as he glanced out of a train window back in 1883. I was lucky to discover it, too.
Drive from Paris, and the rolling hills of the French countryside welcome you as you approach Giverny. Monet’s house and gardens are run and preserved by the Fondation Claude Monet, a not-for-profit organization. You can visit Monet’s house, unstructured garden and water garden, as well as the Museum Impressionism Giverny. They are open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to November 1, 2022.
Where to Begin?
Start your visit to Giverny with a walk down rustic, stone streets and alleys. You’ll find beautiful, historic buildings; quaint shops; and cafes specializing in foods and products from Normandy. But your visit is all about Monet, so head to the gardens, Travel through an underground passage that leads to the world-famous Water Garden. Within minutes, you’ll be in the heart of the garden. It is literally like walking into a Monet painting!
A sense of tranquillity hits you as soon as you enter. Maybe it’s the giant copper beech tree towering overhead, the wooden bench beckoning you to sit and take in the beauty of nature, or the quiet waters of the oval-shaped pond and its plantings.
Magical Monet
The inspiration for Monet’s water garden was provided by 17th-century Japanese water gardens, which is immediately apparent as you walk by an island of oversized bamboo plants along a narrow waterway, created by diverting a branch of the Epte River. The look is evocative of the Japanese woodblocks that Monet collected for decades.
It seems that every shade of green is represented in this magnificent garden with plants, trees and grasses. Native aspen and beech trees provide shade from the sun while delicate weeping willows frame the pond as they drape into the shimmering water. Walk alongside the pond and you, too, will feel inspired.
The meandering paths are flanked by colorful seasonal flowers: azaleas, peonies, irises, rare Japanese lilies, and, of course, the spectacular wisterias that envelop the infamous Japanese bridge, recognized the world over from Monet’s paintings. We were lucky! We picked the perfect time for a visit as the flowers were in full bloom. Delicate light purple and white flowers hung overhead from the bridge, falling gently toward the water and ornamental grasses. There was only one disappointment; there were so many visitors to the garden that it was difficult to get that perfect photo.
We were a bit early for the full impact of the waterlilies. According to our guide, the white flowers bloom first, followed by the pink ones and later the yellow ones. We spotted white waterlilies, but only a handful of the pink blossoms. Still, we were not disappointed.
Monet’s Main Garden
Next, we headed back through the tunnel to the main garden in front of Monet’s country house where he lived from 1883 to 1926. Wow! It is magical Monet personified. What an explosion of color! Pinks, purples, yellows, oranges, blues, blacks and whites, all planted in tidy, geometric patterns! The garden boasts 100,000 perennials and 100,000 annuals that are replaced each year. For a list of what you can find, click here: http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/fleurs/listflor.html.
The flower garden is a stark contrast to the water garden, which offers soft curves and angles. Here, rows of irises planted in straight lines stand in front of Monet’s house (top photo), a colorful masterpiece in pink and with green trim, a departure from the traditional, dark, colors of the era. The pink shade was fashioned after colors found on the French Caribbean island of Martinique. Monet added a pergola and climbing plants so the house would blend seamlessly with the garden. It worked.
House and Studio
Monet loved color. That’s apparent from his artwork as well as the colors he hand-picked for his home — from the soft blue of the sitting room to the sunny yellows of the painted dining room to the royal blue and white ceramic tiles of the kitchen. And what is amazing is that everything is just as it was when Monet lived there. Don’t miss the breathtaking views from his bedroom window and the artwork there.
One of the highlights is a walk through Monet’s studio and the reproductions of his works showcasing his career. Many of the originals can be found at Musée Marmottan-Monet in Paris.
Stroll over to the Museum of Impressionism Giverny and see not only works by Monet, but iconic pieces by other masters of impressionism. There are two exhibitions per year and you can discover them here. With the COVID-19 pandemic, an online ticket system was introduced, but you can purchase your tickets here.
Lunch recommendation
When your visit to the gardens is finished, why not sample local cuisine? Walk past charming slate-roof buildings and homes, to Les Nymphéas, French for the water lilies. The restaurant/tea room is a remarkable find with countless varieties of flowers outside the entrance. Known for its home-cooked regional food, it won’t disappoint.
Our lunch was delicious. We feasted on tender chicken in a Calvados cream sauce with apples, a side dish of noodles and an egg souffle, complemented by a mouth-watering apple tart for dessert. Is your mouth watering yet? Ah, if I only had the recipes!
Lovely photos. Thanks for the tour!