Visit the Stunning Monet Gardens in Giverny

Claude Monet's Garden at Giverny
Last updated: 21 Nov, 2013

Giverny is probably most well-known for the beautiful house and gardens once owned by Claude Monet. Monet lived within the house from 1883 until he died and he created the contrasting yet equally striking gardens that became a source of inspiration for many of his famous paintings.

The Monet gardens feature two separate sections. One section is a flower garden known as the Clos Normand and the other is a Japanese-inspired water garden.

The house and gardens fell into disrepair following Monet’s death and WWII. They were later restored over a period of close to a decade and have been open to members of the public to explore since 1980. During the restoration process the gardens were replanted with the same flowers that were planted by Monet.

The Clos Normand

The Clos Normand was begun in 1883 and today it features an assortment of stunning spring, summer and autumn flowers as well as a variety of ornamental and fruit trees. The flowers are grown at diverse heights in order to add wonderful visual impact to the garden. There is a central corridor which features iron arches that support climbing roses. The garden features rare and more common flowers which were planted by Monet according to their colours rather than a rigid formal design.

The Water Garden

Work on the Water Garden, which is situated on the opposite side of the road to where the Clos Normand is located, began in 1893. Claude Monet took inspiration from prints of Japanese gardens when he was designing the garden.

Within this garden is a beautiful Japanese bridge, the original of which featured in Monet’s work (the bridge had to be replaced when the garden underwent restoration as the original bridge had suffered too much damage to be repaired). There are a number of other attractions too such as smaller bridges and weeping willows but the most renowned attractions are the water lilies floating on the surface of a picturesque pond. The water lilies within Monet’s garden also featured in many of his paintings.

Visiting the gardens and house

The majority of the artwork and objects found within the house, such as furniture and Japanese woodblocks, at one point belonged to Monet himself. The house features a number of brightly coloured rooms which give the interiors a vibrancy and intriguing appeal and which are sure to delight visitors as they explore Monet’s home.

There are several different ways to reach the gardens and house at Giverny, such as by car, bus shuttle , train or on foot to name a few.

The gardens are open from the start of April to the start of November each year and visitors can walk around them, though they must stay on the designated walkways in order to preserve the plants within them. In order to travel from the Clos Normand to the Water Garden there is an underground passage that visitors can pass through, which is an easier method than Monet had which involved traversing a railway and road. 

Individual tickets cost €9.50 for adults and €6 for children, while entry is free for children younger than 7 years old. Tickets can be booked online or bought at the gardens. Guided tours lasting an hour and 15 minutes are also available for an extra fee but must be booked in advance.

A pleasing plethora of fantastic sights to be seen

A visit to Monet’s gardens and house in Giverny provides a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse into the private life of a master painter and to see some of his subject matter first-hand. Though a visit to the gardens and house will be of interest to fans of Monet’s work, it is not only art lovers who will enjoy exploring these beautiful attractions as they both provide an abundance of eye-catching sights to please art enthusiasts and/or curious holidaymakers alike.

About the author

Catherine Baecker

With a love for the outdoors and the written word, travel writing allows me to enjoy both passions and to encourage people to get out there and discover some answers to the never-ending question of what’s round the next bend.

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