Paris Travel Guide:

Best Daytrips - Giverny and Chantilly

Giverny and Monet Tour

From Viator Tours

This section of our  Paris Travel Guide describes our remaining choices for best daytrips from Paris. Click the links below to go directly to a specific place or just continue reading to explore these daytrips from Paris.

Giverny  Chantilly

Giverny and Chantilly  are "easy" daytrips and will not have you rolling back to Paris at midnight, unless that is your desire.

• Giverny sits in a delightful section of the French countryside and the journey there has its own delights.  Monet's home and gardens exist an almost shrine-like environment, but somehow it seems to befitting that this great master is so revered.  If you admire Monet's work, we recommend you visit Giverny, if only to see the famous water gardens.
• Although many visit Chantilly to see the Chateau, the area is also well known for golf.  If you have not seen Versailles or Fontainebleau, they are a superior choices to Chantilly.
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GIVERNY

If you are a fan of Monet, you might want to consider a trip to his home at Giverny. This quaint, picturesque residence is surrounded by lush, formal gardens, including Monet’s famous Water Garden, complete with the green Japanese style bridge (a re-creation as the original bridge had fallen into disrepair before the garden was restored). When the garden is in bloom the compound is spectacular.

Monet’s home is popular but the crowds do not seem to detract from the ambiance of the setting. There is a large gift shop containing an enormous variety of Monet-related items. It does a brisk business and is a great place to wander.

Some areas of the interior of Monet's house are open for touring and should not be missed, especially the rooms devoted to his collection of Japanese prints.  Most of the rooms at Giverny have been decorated to recreate the interior colors commonly used in the era  when Giverny was Monet's main residence.

The village of Giverny is approximately midway between Paris and Rouen (about 75 kilometers from Paris) and is a convenient stop if you are on your way to Haute Normandy. (You can take the train from the Gare St-Lazare to Vernon, the closest stop to Giverny, but you will need to take a bus or taxi to reach Monet's home).

The countryside around Giverny is beautiful and you might want to consider renting a car for the trip. Ample parking is available for the residence. Giverny is open from the beginning of April to the end of October.

Visit the website of the Fondation Claude Monet  for more information.

 
Giverny and Versailles by Minivan
From Viator Tours

CHANTILLY

Less than an hour drive (30 miles) north of Paris (or by train from Gare du Nord and taxi from the station)), the Chateau De Chantilly features the Condé Museum that is  known for its excellent art collection.   Chantilly has impressive grounds and the Chateau and its setting are picturesque.

The original Grand Chateau was destroyed during the Revolution and today’s Chateau, while interesting, is less important than either Versailles or Fontainebleau.  The grounds are extensive and a wonderful place for walking.

If you are a horse fan, you might be interested in visiting the Musée Vivant du Cheval (the Living Museum of the Horse).  The museum occupies the former Grand Stables of the Chateau De Chantilly. In summer, the museum offers a equestrian show most evenings. For more information, visit the official site of the museum here. Note, there is a substantial rehabilitation effort at the chateau and the interior rooms may not always be available for touring.

The town of Chantilly, which lies just outside of the Ile-de France region in Picardie, is  also known for  horse racing (at the Hippodrome de Chantilly) and is very popular with Europeans for golf-related vacations. 

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The Best Places to Visit in Paris Champs Elysées Louvre  Marais Latin Quarter -Île de la Cité Invalides Eiffel Tower Montmartre  Or consider Daytrips to Versailles Fontainebleau Or return to our Paris home page