As much as I love Paris, I’ll admit slipping away into the countryside feels like such a gift, an escape from the bustling city, even if it’s just for the day. There’s something magical about trading the wide boulevards for winding country lanes, the clatter of city life for the rustle of trees, and the hum of bees in the fields. And just under an hour from the city, an entirely different France reveals itself, one of misty riverbanks, medieval villages, sunflower fields, and landscapes so serene they seem almost untouched by time. One of my favourite day trips from Paris is a visit to Giverny, the heart and home of one of France’s most famous painters, Claude Monet. This self-guided tour invites you to wander through medieval streets, cycle across riverbanks bursting with colour, and enter the storybook world that Claude Monet once called home.
I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. — Claude Monet.
- Vernon and Giverny History
- Why Giverny Makes the Perfect Day Trip from Paris
- How to Get to Vernon from Paris
- How to Get Around Vernon and Giverny?
- Why a Self-Guided Tour of Giverny Is Better Than a Bus Tour
- Self-Guided Tour of the Maison and Gardens of Claude Monet
- Monet's Water Garden
- Museum of Impressionism Giverny
- Picnic Time
- The Village of Giverny
- Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny
- Biking back to Vernon
- Le Vieux Moulin
- Collégiale Notre-Dame de Vernon
- Château de Bizy
Vernon and Giverny History
Although Vernon and Giverny are often mentioned together, they’re separate places. Vernon is a small town on the banks of the Seine, with a rich history stretching back to medieval times. Vernon is the nearest train station if you’re coming from Paris (about 45 minutes by rail). Vernon shows you the historic, everyday Normandy, old mills, medieval churches, riverside walks, and quiet French charm. From Vernon, it’s just a short bike ride (about 5 km), a quick shuttle bus, or even a scenic walk to reach Giverny. Giverny is a tiny rural village a few kilometres west of Vernon, most famous today as the home of Claude Monet.
For hundreds of years, Giverny was little more than a cluster of farms and small stone houses surrounded by orchards and fields along the riverbanks. But, everything changed in 1883, when Claude Monet, already a well-known Impressionist painter, though not yet a legend, glimpsed the village from a train window while travelling through Normandy. Enchanted by the gentle slopes, open skies, and how the light danced on the river, he rented a house with his family. Soon after, he purchased the property outright and transformed it into the masterpiece we know today. Monet’s arrival quietly put Giverny on the map. Over the next decades, more artists followed, especially American painters drawn by the same soft light and rustic charm, turning the tiny farming village into an informal artists’ colony.
Why Giverny Makes the Perfect Day Trip from Paris
You find yourself in a completely different world in just under an hour by train from bustling Paris. The journey to Vernon–Giverny is simple and stress-free, and from there, it’s just a short bike ride or shuttle to the heart of Giverny village. No rental cars are needed. No complicated transfers. It’s one of the most relaxing day trips you can take from the capital. And Giverny is not just beautiful; it’s familiar and magical. The arched Japanese bridge, the floating water lilies, the pink-shuttered house, you’ve seen them before on museum walls and in art books. But seeing them in real life, surrounded by birdsong and the scent of wild roses, is a completely different experience. It’s like walking into Monet’s imagination.
You can spend the day leisurely wandering through gardens, having a long riverside lunch, and browsing tiny village shops. Or you can cycle through meadows, explore Vernon’s medieval heritage, and venture into the Normandy countryside. Giverny allows you to design the day that feels right for you.
How to Get to Vernon from Paris
Take the train from Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris (easily reached by Metro Lines 3, 12, 13, or 14). Board a TER regional train toward Rouen or Le Havre, stopping at Vernon–Giverny. Trains run about once an hour and take about 45 minutes direct. Tickets cost between €9–€16 one way, and you can book via the SNCF Connect app, on sites like OMIO or at the station.
How to Get Around Vernon and Giverny?
Renting a Bike in Giverny
Just steps from the Vernon–Giverny train station, Givernon Bike Rental Station offers a convenient and efficient starting point for your cycling adventures. Givernon Rental Station offers classic bicycles (€15 per day) and electric bicycles (€25 per day), but I always recommend taking an e-bike if you have the option. The route from Vernon to Giverny is relatively flat and scenic, making it accessible for most cyclists. However, an e-bike can enhance your experience by providing additional comfort and ease, especially if you plan to explore further or prefer a more relaxed ride. Even on a flat road, the wind blowing along the river can make it feel like you’re working much harder than expected. All rentals include a lock and basket; luggage storage services are offered at €5 per item.
Givernon Rental Station operates daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the tourist season (April to October). Reservations can be made easily online, and reservations in advance are recommended, especially for e-bikes during the busy summer season.
When I visited, I rented a bike, and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone heading to Vernon and Giverny. It’s the perfect way to connect with the scenery and experience the landscape up close!
Shuttle Bus
If biking isn’t your style, don’t worry; getting around Vernon and Giverny is still easy and enjoyable. From Vernon station, you can hop on the Giverny shuttle bus. The shuttle costs €5 for a single ticket or €10 for a return ticket. Once you arrive in Giverny, the village is small and perfectly walkable. Most of the key sights, including Monet’s house, the gardens, the Musée des Impressionnismes, and the church where Monet is buried, are all just a few minutes’ stroll apart along quiet, flower-lined streets.
Walking from Vernon to Giverny
If you want to enjoy the views of the countryside but are hesitant to rent a bike, you can walk from Vernon to Giverny. The route is approximately 5 km (3 miles) long and takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete, starting from Vernon–Giverny train station. You cross the scenic Pont Clemenceau bridge, which offers a stunning view over the Seine, and then follow signs for walking trails to Giverny and the Maison Monet.
Why a Self-Guided Tour of Giverny Is Better Than a Bus Tour
While bus tours might seem the easiest option at first glance, exploring Giverny on your own, by bike, on foot, or even with a slow meander through Vernon offers a completely different and far richer experience. Bus tours run on tight schedules. You’ll often have limited time in each location, meaning you might have to rush through Monet’s gardens or skip little corners of the village altogether. Bus tours typically head straight for Giverny and back, missing the chance to explore Vernon, a charming town filled with medieval half-timbered houses, riverside walks, and beautiful historic sites like the Old Mill and the Collégiale Notre-Dame.
Best Time to Visit Giverny
Monet’s House and Gardens are one of the most beloved (and busiest) destinations in Normandy, and timing your visit well can completely change your experience. Try to book the earliest time slot possible, right When It Opens. Typically, Monet’s House opens at 9:30 a.m., and if you can arrive right at or just before opening, you’ll have a precious window of calm before the big bus tours pour in around 10:30–11:00 a.m. Also, remember that midweek is better than weekends. Tuesdays through Thursdays are usually slightly less crowded than weekends or Mondays.
Travelling from Vernon to Giverny
Starting from Vernon, you’ll cross the Clémenceau Bridge. Once across the bridge, follow the well-marked signs for “Giverny” and “Musées de Giverny – piétons et cyclistes.” The path is part of the La Seine à Vélo cycle route, providing a safe and mostly flat terrain suitable for all skill levels.
The Seine accompanies you as you pedal, reflecting the sky and the lush greenery that lines its banks. The route is adorned with wildflowers, and the gentle rustling of leaves creates a soothing soundtrack to your ride.
Leaving Vernon behind, the path toward Giverny hugs the lazy bends of the Seine. It’s a gentle, flat ride, perfect for soaking up the scenery. Wild poppies and cornflowers bob along the roadside, and the river occasionally flashes silver through the trees.
You’ll pass sleepy farmhouses, stone walls carpeted in moss, and fields quilted in shades of green and gold. The only sounds are the crunch of your tires on the gravel and the cheerful trilling of birds. Every twist of the path feels like you’re pedalling deeper into a painting, and soon enough, you are.
Monet painted the Seine repeatedly, especially its moods under different lighting conditions, including dawn fog, clear afternoon reflections, and violet sunsets.
Upon reaching Giverny, you’ll find designated bike parking areas conveniently located near the entrance to Claude Monet’s House and Gardens. Specifically, bike racks are near the Restaurant Les Nymphéas, directly opposite Monet’s home. These facilities allow you to securely lock your bike before exploring the village on foot.
Self-Guided Tour of the Maison and Gardens of Claude Monet
When you arrive at the Fondation Monet in Giverny, if you purchase your tickets in advance, head to the entrance along the Sente Leroy. This entrance will lead you directly into the garden, with the choice of going into the Clos Normand or towards the Water Garden. If you notice any large groups heading in one direction, I would advise heading in the opposite direction to avoid the crowds. But given the choice, visiting the Water Garden first makes more sense for the overall order of this self-guided tour.
Who Was Claude Monet?
Claude Monet was one of the founding figures of Impressionism, a revolutionary art movement that changed how the world saw painting. Instead of carefully detailed, realistic scenes, Monet captured fleeting moments, the shimmer of light on water, the softness of mist, the vivid rush of blooming flowers, using quick brushstrokes and a daring love of colour. His work challenged the art world of his time, pushing artists to paint what they saw and felt.
Why did Monet choose Giverny?
By the 1880s, after years of struggling financially and personally, Monet sought a quieter life closer to nature. In 1883, he discovered the sleepy village of Giverny while travelling through Normandy by train. Enchanted by its peaceful landscape, the winding Seine River, and the promise of endless light and colour, he moved there with his family. In Giverny’s gardens and fields, Monet found his lifelong muse here, creating many of his most iconic masterpieces and forever linking his legacy to this little corner of France.
Flowers for Every Season
No matter when you visit, Monet’s gardens in Giverny are a feast for the senses.
Springtime
In spring, the early flowers lay the foundation for Monet’s fresh, brilliant light studies. Daffodils and Narcissus are the Bright yellow trumpets scattered along the paths, catching the cool spring sunlight. Rows of tulips in every imaginable shade, crimson, gold, pink, and purple, create rivers of colour between the flower beds. My favourite is cherry blossoms, trees frothing with pale pink and white petals, briefly clouding the sky in a soft colour.
Le Printemps, Giverny (1899–1900) by Claude Monet captures a blooming orchard in springtime, with soft pink and white blossoms filtering light through delicate branches. Painted in Giverny, it showcases Monet’s signature loose brushwork and his focus on light, atmosphere, and the fleeting beauty of nature.
Summer
By summer, Monet’s garden explodes into its full, dazzling glory. This is when the air hums with bees, roses climb higher, and the colours grow richer and more tangled. Roses climb trellises and archways, spilling over in creamy whites, deep reds, and soft pinks. Peonies’ heavy, lush blooms in blush, crimson, and snow white, their scent almost overwhelming in the heat. Poppies, scarlet, flash across the garden beds, nodding in the summer breeze. Irises, Tall, sword-like leave,s and violet, blue, and yellow petals danced near the ponds’ edges.
“The Artist’s Garden at Giverny” (1900) burst with this messy, layered profusion of roses, poppies, and irises. The thick foliage and bold colour combinations echo how he designed the garden: wild but intentional, letting nature seem untamed even though every choice was deliberate.
Autumn
As summer fades, the garden shifts into softer, earthier tones. The light grows lower and golden; Monet’s brush follows this change into deeper hues. Dahlias are giant, show-stopping blooms in brilliant oranges, deep reds, and rich purples. Sunflowers tower above the other beds, their faces following the slanting autumn sun. Chrysanthemums are densely petaled flowers in rust, burgundy, and gold.
Monet’s painting “Chrysanthemums” perfectly captures the deep, saturated richness of his autumn gardens at Giverny. Unlike the soft pastels of spring or the bright splashes of summer, this work bursts with dense, velvety blooms, thick clusters of crimson, gold, and deep purple chrysanthemums layered in heavy brushstrokes across the canvas.
Monet’s Water Garden
Monet didn’t just paint gardens; he built one, planting flowers like he painted brushstrokes, layering colours and textures so that his surroundings would constantly bloom into a new inspiration. When Monet bought his house in Giverny in 1890, the gardens already existed, but he had much grander visions. In 1893, he acquired a neighbouring piece of land across a small railway line, a marshy plot fed by a nearby stream. Rather than leaving it wild, Monet set out to shape it into something revolutionary. He diverted the stream and had the pond carefully dug by local labourers. He installed sluice gates to control the water levels. To span the pond, he built a small, gently arched wooden footbridge and later painted it a soft shade of green to blend harmoniously with the surrounding plants.
Monet’s love and fascination with Japan inspired much of the Water Garden. While Claude Monet is best remembered as a founding figure of French Impressionism, many people don’t realize how deeply he was influenced by Japanese art and culture. In the late 19th century, Paris experienced a wave of fascination with Japan, a movement known as Japonisme, and Monet quickly became a passionate admirer. Over his lifetime, he collected more than 200 Japanese ukiyo-e prints by artists like Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro, many of which still hang in his house today.
When Monet began designing his gardens at Giverny, he did not attempt to recreate a traditional Japanese garden. Instead, he wove Japanese inspiration into the very spirit of his landscape. Monet planted species like bamboo, Japanese peonies, irises, and azaleas, blending them freely with European flowers to create a rich, layered tapestry of colour and texture that would evolve with the seasons.
Japanese bridge
The famous Japanese bridge that arches gently over its water lily pond is the most visible example. Inspired by the curved footbridges he admired in Japanese prints, Monet built a simple wooden bridge, painting it a soft green to harmonize with the surrounding plants. Later, he trained thick wisteria vines to tumble over its railings, creating a dreamy cascade of blossoms that blurred the line between architecture and nature, much like the delicate flowering scenes in the ukiyo-e prints he loved. You’ll recognize the bridge instantly from his paintings, but seeing it with your own eyes, hearing the frogs croak and the bees hum, feels almost surreal.
The Water Lilies, the Nymphaeas
While everyone calls them water lilies, the blooms Monet filled his pond with were specifically Nymphaea, a family of aquatic plants that includes both hardy and tropical varieties. He planted a variety of Nymphaeas, chosen carefully for their different bloom times, colours, and the reflections they would create. Some had delicate white petals, others blushed pale pink, while rarer varieties flared rich purples and vibrant blues.
Their broad, floating leaves created mirror-like surfaces, catching the light and turning the pond into a living, breathing painting, a new masterpiece every hour of the day. This mix of hardy and exotic lilies gave Monet’s pond a constantly changing palette and an endless source of inspiration.
The Water-Lilies
The Water Lily Pond and its Japanese bridge became the subject of hundreds of Monet’s paintings, but a few series stand out. The Water-Lily Pond (1899) was one of the first and most famous depictions of the bridge draped in wisteria, arching gently over the shimmering lilies. Painted in soft greens, blues, and pinks, it captures a tranquil summer day where the boundary between water, sky, and garden seems to dissolve.
At first glance, Monet’s Water Lilies paintings seem simple, with floating flowers, rippling water, and soft colours. But this deceptive simplicity, combined with extraordinary depth, has made them some of the world’s most loved and critically praised works of art.
Part of their power lies in how they invite us to see differently. Instead of offering a traditional, grounded landscape with a horizon, Monet immerses us completely in the water’s surface. There’s no sky, no background, just a shifting world of reflection, light, and fleeting beauty. It was a radical idea at the time: a painting with no fixed center, no dominant subject, where nature itself becomes a pure, vibrating atmosphere.
Monet’s Water Lilies are also celebrated for the emotional response they evoke. They capture sensations, peace, awe, the quiet pulse of life, rather than simply documenting a scene. In front of these works, viewers often describe feeling as floating, breathing with the garden itself, slipping out of time. The paintings are immersive, almost meditative, offering a rare moment of stillness in a constantly moving world.
Monet’s late Water Lilies series also helped lay the groundwork for modern abstraction. His brushstrokes loosened, his compositions became more daring, and the way he dissolved forms into light and colour anticipated the work of later artists like Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. In this way, Monet’s gardens didn’t just change how people painted landscapes, they changed how people thought about painting altogether.
Clos Normand
Heading back towards the house, you will pass through the Clos Normand. In French, clos means an enclosed space, typically a walled or hedged garden, and Normand simply refers to the region of Normandy where Giverny is located. When Monet arrived at Giverny, the garden was little more than an orchard. Over time, he transformed it into a lush, colourful paradise. Unlike the formal, symmetrical gardens traditional in France, Monet’s Clos Normand was designed to feel wild and overflowing, much like one of his paintings. Narrow gravel paths weave through dense flowerbeds brimming with tulips, irises, roses, peonies, poppies, and nasturtiums, depending on the season.
Metal arches stretch over the central path, covered in climbing roses and clematis, creating a tunnel of blooms as you walk toward the house. Monet organized his garden not by plant type but by colour, composing beds like an artist would arrange a palette. He once said he wanted his garden to be a living canvas on which he could experiment with light, shadow, and reflection, just as oil and brush.
The Maison of Claude Monet
When Monet purchased the house in 1890, it was originally a more traditional gray stone farmhouse. But Monet, always an artist first, wanted his home to blend more poetically into the lush, vibrant gardens he created around it. He painted the house’s exterior a delicate pink, a warm, welcoming colour that caught the changing light throughout the day, from morning’s cool glow to sunset’s rosy blush. Against this gentle backdrop, he added green shutters and doors, a nod to the surrounding plant life. This fresh, leafy green wasn’t harsh or artificial; it was chosen to harmonize with the foliage that brushed up against the house, the vines, roses, and flowering trees. These iconic colours are now one of the most memorable aspects of the house, inspiring all those who visit to fill their homes with more colour and life!
Monet’s Studio-Salon
Stepping into the house, you walk in through Monet’s Studio-Salon. Once the pulse of his creative life, this light-filled room was Monet’s personal studio before he moved his painting entirely outside. Today, it’s furnished like a second living room, filled with copies of his paintings, water lilies, haystacks, and misty mornings along the Seine. The real works now live in museums, but seeing them here, scaled to the modest walls, gives them a startling intimacy.
Epicerie
The next room you step into is the épicerie or pantry. While less famous than the luminous dining room or the serene salons, this small space offers a revealing glimpse into the heart of Monet’s daily life and into the rhythms of a well-loved, lived-in house. My favourite item in this room is the small box on the wall near the front door, which would have been where the eggs from the chicken coup were stored when they were brought in every morning.
Salon Blue
Salon Bleu, the Blue Sitting Room, is a space that feels as gentle and luminous as a watercolour wash. The Salon Bleu served as a quiet gathering place for Monet and his family, a room for reading, writing letters, relaxing with friends, or simply sitting and enjoying the ever-changing light from the garden outside. Unlike the bold yellows of the dining room or the rich kitchen tiles, the Salon Bleu is painted in soft, delicate shades of blue, creating an atmosphere of coolness, calm, and quiet elegance. The blue colours flow from the wall onto the clock and cabinets surrounding the room, creating harmonious arrangements.
Japanese ukiyo-e prints with scenes of travellers, gardens, rivers, and seasons from artists like Hiroshige and Hokusai line the room, reinforcing Monet’s lifelong fascination with Japan and his love of capturing fleeting moments of natural beauty.
The Bedrooms
Climbing upstairs (mind the slightly uneven steps, the house is on its own time), you reach the family bedrooms. Monet’s room is a gentle, restful space of light blue walls, pale wooden furniture, and crisp linens. He could see his beloved gardens from his windows, waking up every morning to the same evolving canvas that fueled his art.
The room is dotted with reproductions of paintings by his friends: Cézanne, Renoir, Signac, and Caillebotte. So many of these you will probably recognize, and although today they are just reproductions, it’s amazing to think that at one point, the real things would have been right here in his home, a veritable museum of some of the best works in the world!
Madame Monet’s room (Alice Hoschedé, his second wife) is nearby. It is decorated with soft florals and delicate feminine touches.
The Dining Room
Returning downstairs, we turn the corner, and the house explodes into a Symphony of Yellow. The dining room hits you like a burst of sunshine. Everything, the walls, the wooden buffet, the chairs, and the intricate fireplace mantel, is painted in varying shades of bold, buttery yellow.
The vibrant colour wasn’t just for show. Monet believed yellow was the happiest, most inviting colour, perfect for family gatherings and meals with friends. Scattered across the walls, you’ll find his prized Japanese prints, delicate images of cranes, cherry blossoms, and kabuki actors, framed simply, lined up neatly like quiet guests at the table.
If you peer carefully at the large table, you might spot small flower arrangements that echo the colours outside, arranged from the blooms in the gardens.
The Kitchen
Through a connecting door, you step into the kitchen, a surprising shift from the brilliance of the dining room. Here, walls are covered with glossy blue-and-white Delft tiles, their intricate floral and pastoral scenes creating a cool calm. Look up, and you’ll see rows of shining copper pots and pans hanging from racks, so polished that they almost seem to glow against the blue backdrop.
Monet loved fine food almost as much as fine light, and this kitchen was the working heart of the house. The combination of warm copper and cool tile is as thoughtful as any of his paintings, a study of contrasts, balance, and beauty.
The Gift Shop / Monet’s Old Studio
Although I can never pass up a gift shop, the one in Giverny is extra special, as it’s housed inside Monet’s original studio. This large, light-filled room would have been where the scent of oil paint mingled with the fresh air drifting in from the open windows. In this studio, Monet painted some of his early Giverny works, often moving between the garden and the easel, capturing fleeting changes of light and colour with swift, vibrant brushstrokes. In this room, he began his deep exploration of floral subjects and atmospheric studies, eventually leading him to the Water Lilies series. The studio was spacious, with high ceilings to accommodate his larger canvases, and it was here that he lived closely with his art.
Instead of wet canvases and palettes, the room is filled with treasures inspired by Monet’s art and the spirit of Giverny, beautiful books, reproductions of his works, prints, homewares, and artisanal products from Normandy. In a way, the transformation feels fitting. Monet’s studio was always a place where beauty was created and shared, and today, visitors from around the world can take a little piece of that beauty home with them, still surrounded by the same light and colours that once stirred the master’s imagination.
Museum of Impressionism Giverny
A short amble from Monet’s gardens brings you to the Musée des Impressionnismes or Museum of Impressionism Giverny. Although smaller than grand Parisian museums, it offers a beautiful collection that situates Monet’s work within the broader context of Impressionism and its evolution into the 20th century. The Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, nestled in the heart of the village that Claude Monet called home, offers a captivating journey through the world of Impressionism and its enduring legacy.
The museum is renowned for its dynamic temporary exhibitions, which delve into various facets of Impressionism and its global impact. Past exhibitions have spotlighted artists such as Edgar Degas, Gustave Caillebotte, and Joaquín Sorolla, as well as thematic explorations like “Japonismes / Impressionnismes,” which examine the influence of Japanese art on Impressionist painters. Notably, the 2022 exhibition “Monet/Rothko” juxtaposed the works of Claude Monet and Mark Rothko, highlighting their art’s emotional depth and abstraction.
For visitors to Giverny, the Musée des Impressionnismes offers a rich, immersive experience that complements a tour of Monet’s house and gardens. It provides deeper insight into the artistic movements that shaped the late 19th and early 20th centuries, making it an essential stop for art enthusiasts and casual visitors.
The museum gardens are a quiet, often overlooked oasis where you can sit under the trees and let everything you’ve seen sink in.
Picnic Time
Right across from the Musée des Impressionnism is a small parking lot with a small garden featuring a few picnic tables. If you want somewhere peaceful to sit and enjoy your picnic lunch, there is also a hillside across from the Musée des Impressionnismes garden where you can sit under some trees for shade and watch the tourists pour through town.
The Village of Giverny
Before jumping back on your bike, you should take some time to explore the village of Giverny. The village unfolds into quiet country lanes, ivy-draped cottages, and sleepy farmhouses that still hold the spirit of the time when Monet lived here.
Rue Claude Monet, the village’s charming main street, is narrow and mostly flat, ideal for a gentle pedal. Cars are rare, and most of the people you’ll encounter will be fellow cyclists or slow-walking visitors admiring the gardens spilling over from stone walls.
As you explore this street, take your time. You’ll pass colourful galleries tucked into old stone houses, cozy cafés with garden terraces, and tiny art studios where local painters carry on the Impressionist tradition. The scent of roses, lavender, and freshly cut grass perfumes the air. Every few meters, a view looks like it belongs in one of Monet’s paintings, a sun-dappled path here, a rustic fence overgrown with wildflowers.
Au Coin du Pain’tre
If you haven’t packed a picnic, Au Coin du Pain’tre is a delightful spot to enjoy a meal. This charming café-bakery, with a shaded terrace, is the perfect setting to relax and savour local flavours. The menu features a variety of options, including fresh sandwiches, quiches, and salads, all prepared with quality ingredients.
Dessert at Babzacao
Nearby, you can find a hidden gem spot to enjoy a dessert at Babzacao, an artisan chocolatier committed to crafting high-quality, handmade chocolates and confections. Inside the boutique, you’ll find an array of treats, from classic chocolate bars to unique confections. But in the hot summer, nothing is better than a refreshing treat, like their soft serve covered in melted chocolate and various toppings. You can enjoy this treat outside on their cozy terrace, relaxing and looking out on the Normandy countryside.
Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny
Continue along rue Claude Monet until you reach a modest, weathered stone church at the far end of the village, this is the Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny. This peaceful Romanesque church is home to a simple family tomb marked by a modest cross, which marks the resting place of Claude Monet himself, alongside members of his family. It’s a surprisingly humble grave for a man whose work changed the course of art history.
During the spring and summer, flowers bloom atop the gravestone, and the foliage creeps up around the cross, almost obscuring it from view, making it even more hidden. This makes finding the grave even more of a pilgrimage spot, and unlike the house, which is filled with tourists, this spot was all mine, with not a lone soul around. It allowed me to take a moment of silence to thank this man for all he had done for art history and the beautiful creations he gave the world.
Biking back to Vernon
You can take the walking and biking path from the Church back to Vernon. To find this path, continue along Rue Claude Monet, which turns north up the Chemin to Rouet, which leads you onto the “Sente de Vernon” or Path of Vernon, which continues west back towards Vernon. This path is only for pedestrians and cyclists, but we will also slow down when passing anyone on the path.
This pathway is one of the most peaceful parts of the day. As you pedal, the tranquil environment, dotted with wildflowers and the gentle rustle of leaves, evokes the scenes that inspired Monet. I stopped at various points along the way to pick wildflowers or enjoy the views of the countryside.
Château des Tourelles
The path that eventually leads you to the Rue de la Ravine. Head northeast on Rue de la Ravine toward Route de Magny en Vexin and right onto Rue du Dr Chanoine. Turn left onto Rue de la Chaussée towards the iconic Château des Tourelles. The Château des Tourelles is a remarkably well-preserved medieval fortress, constructed in 1196 under the orders of King Philip II of France. The castle was part of a strategic initiative to fortify the town of Vernon against English forces during the conflicts with Richard the Lionheart.
Le Vieux Moulin
Located just behind the Chateau, you’ll spot a crooked, half-timbered house precariously perched on ancient stone piers stretching across the quiet Seine. You can almost hear the creaking timbers whispering tales of the Middle Ages. This is the Vieux Moulin de Vernon, or the Old Mill of Vernon, which was built in the 16th century atop a 12th-century old bridge! Originally constructed as one of several watermills on the medieval bridge, Le Vieux Moulin utilized the river’s flow to power its milling operations. Over time, the bridge suffered damage from floods and neglect, leading to its partial collapse in the 17th century. While most of the bridge and its mills were lost, Le Vieux Moulin remarkably survived as the remaining structure from that era.
Its charming architecture and scenic location have inspired numerous artists, including Claude Monet, who depicted it in his 1883 painting “Houses on the Old Bridge at Vernon.” Despite suffering damage during World War II, the mill was restored through local efforts and remains a cherished landmark.
Collégiale Notre-Dame de Vernon
From here, you can head back to Paris if you prefer to make this a half-day trip. However, if you want to make the most of your visit, take the afternoon to explore the town of Vernon. Wind your way through Vernon’s cobbled streets to the Collégiale Notre-Dame, whose first stones were laid in the 11th century! But as centuries passed and styles changed, the building grew upward and outward, embracing Gothic architecture’s pointed arches and delicate traceries. The western façade, added in the 15th century, dazzles with its intricate rose window and soaring twin towers that seem to lift the whole structure toward the sky.
Step inside, and you are greeted by a world where history and light intertwine. The cool stone interior, bathed in shifting colours from the stained-glass windows, hums with an ancient stillness. Many of the original medieval windows were shattered during World War II, but they have been replaced with bold modern designs, abstract blues, golds, and reds that cast the old walls in a new, ethereal glow. I adored stained glass, and although some modern interpretations don’t resonate with me, these glowing glass pieces were some of the most transcendental I’ve ever seen.
Scattered throughout the chapels and alcoves, you’ll find sculptures and paintings that survived the ages, including images of Saint Adjutor, Vernon’s patron saint, once a knight of the Crusades, now a stone figure watching quietly over the faithful.
Tour des Archives
As you explore the town centre, you’ll be able to appreciate Vernon’s medieval character. Narrow lanes with cobblestone still weave between rows of half-timbered houses, their crooked beams and overhanging upper stories offering flashes of colour and charm. Many of these homes date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, their façades painted in soft pastels or left bare to reveal the warm tones of ancient wood and stone.
Even today, Vernon feels wonderfully untouched by time. The medieval structures aren’t roped off or hidden away; they are part of the living town, coexisting quietly with everyday life.
A short stroll away or ride away from the church, you’ll find the Tour des Archives, a squat, round tower left from Vernon’s medieval fortress. Its thick stone walls once defended the town from invaders, and today, it stands alone and proud, a silent witness to centuries of change.
Walk the perimeter and imagine the view centuries ago: guards scanning the horizon, villagers bustling below, banners snapping in the wind. If you come early enough, you might have it to yourself, the silence broken only by the distant toll of the Collégiale’s bells.
Château de Bizy
If you have more time to spend in Vernon, you should stop at Château de Bizy, nicknamed the “Versailles of Normandy,” easily reached on your bike. The Château de Bizy was once owned by the grandson of Louis XIV (the Sun King) and later by the Duke of Penthièvre. During the 19th century, Napoleon himself visited here.
The inside of the castle is only visible during the guided tours at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5 p.m. The guided tours are in French; however, written summaries in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese can be provided during the visits.
Stepping into the salons of the Château de Bizy feels like crossing into another time. These richly decorated rooms, renowned for their exquisite 18th-century woodwork and the magnificent Gobelins tapestries from the prestigious Royal Houses series, offer visitors a glimpse into the opulence and artistry of France’s grandest eras.
Among the treasures displayed are rare souvenirs from the First French Empire, carefully preserved by the descendants of Marshal Suchet, who was granted the title Duke of Albufera by Napoleon himself. These heirlooms, tokens of battles, honours, and courtly life, weave a vivid story of the family’s close ties to the Napoleonic world.
The Gardens
The exterior of the Chateau has been classified as a Historic Monument, and these gardens are the perfect setting for a leisurely stroll, especially right before sunset. They offer visitors a glimpse into the elegance of a bygone era. One path, known as the Fountains Walk, leads you past a series of sculpted water features that once formed the centrepiece of the château’s Baroque landscape. Though time and the ravages of World War II have stilled their waters, the fountains still speak of the 18th-century splendour that once dazzled royal guests.
Look closely, and you’ll spot the details that made this garden famous: graceful sea horses rising from stone basins, playful creatures like “Gribouille,” whose name adds a whimsical touch to the otherwise formal layout. Standing before these sculptures today, it’s easy to imagine the water once sparkling and dancing around them, bringing the stone figures to vibrant life.
On another side of the park, the Promenade de Vénus invites visitors to walk through what remains of an elegant French formal garden. Here, you’ll be greeted by the imposing statues of Fleuve, representing the river, and the mighty god Mars, both standing watch along the broad avenue. At the promenade’s far end, Venus herself awaits a silent, timeless guardian at the top of the Avenue des Capucins, a grand alley that once led straight from the château down to the banks of the Seine. There’s a serene majesty here, a sense of ancient mythology stitched into the very design of the landscape.
Fleur de Seine Dinner
After you have explored the gardens and galleries, reclaim your bicycle and begin the slow, golden-hour ride back to Vernon. Once back in Vernon (or perhaps you never left!), reward yourself with dinner at a riverside café like Fleur de Seine. The Fleur de Seine is a charming and relaxed crêperie situated along the Seine River, and its spacious outdoor terrace allows guests to enjoy picturesque views of the water and surrounding greenery.
A day spent wandering through Vernon and Giverny feels like stepping through layers of history and art, carried along by the gentle flow of the Seine and the golden light that once inspired some of the world’s greatest painters.
From Vernon’s medieval towers and half-timbered houses to the vibrant, living canvas of Monet’s gardens, every corner invites you to slow down, look closer, and savour the quiet beauty that still lingers here. It’s a reminder that beyond Paris’s bright lights and grand boulevards, a softer, more timeless France waits, one shaped by nature, creativity, and the enduring spirit of those who came before. Whether you come for the art, the history, or simply the peaceful rhythm of the countryside, Vernon and Giverny offer a journey you won’t soon forget.
Happy Travels, Adventurers!
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