Set off from central Paris for a unique excursion in the footsteps of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Admire the lush green landscapes of the French countryside as you travel by luxury air-conditioned coach to the small Normandy village of Giverny....
The trip will take approximately one and a half hours. The painter and gardener Claude Monet lived there for 43 years, with his family of eight children, from 1883 until his death in 1926 .
Passionate about gardening and color variations, he designed his flower garden, fruit tree orchard and water garden as if they were works of art. As you visit the gardens at Giverny, you will see the central pathway leading up to the house, bordered by different varieties of nasturtiums and roses, as well as the multicolored flower beds full of tulips, narcissi, daffodils, irises and peonies. Stroll through the Clos Normand Flower Garden, which is home to many plants of Eastern origins, until you reach the lavish water garden, so famous for its water lilies, weeping willows and green-painted Japanese Bridge (bridges like this are traditionally red in Japan). Be captivated by Giverny’s unique atmosphere, its light and the reflection of clouds on the water.
Take the opportunity to explore Monet’s pink-plastered house, where he lived and worked for many years (guided tours are not permitted due to the lack of space). Discover the blue reading room, which leads into the larder and Claude Monet’s studio, where the doyen of the french impressionists worked until 1889. These rooms, as well as those of his private apartments, have been reconstructed with the original furniture that was already in the house in Monet’s day. Visit the sunny yellow dining room, which has been reconstructed down to the very last detail. It was very modern for its time, with earthenware dishes and a kitchen tiled with local blue and white Rouen tiles. In the Dining Room, admire one of the most important collections of Japanese prints in the world.
At the end of your visit, take advantage of the village and the pretty gift and book shop; it is housed in what was once the studio where Monet painted the huge Water Lilies canvases. It stretches for more than 3,200 square feet! The shop offers a wide range of products linked to the Impressionist’s work: postcards, posters, teas, books, official Claude Monet tableware, flower seeds and plants.
You can also complete your excursion with a visit to the Musée des Impressionnismes, an ideal place to discover this artistic movement.
