Giverny (France)

Giverny is a Seine River cruise port located in northern France. This small town (population around 500) is on River Seine's right bank. The small village is approx 80 km (50 mi) from Paris (in north-west direction), Giverny is best known as the location of Claude Monet's garden and home ("La Maison vue du Clos Normand"). The complex is run by the nonprofit Fondation Claude Monet and is visited by over 0,5 million tourists annually.

The French Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) noticed the picturesque village while looking out of the train window and moved there in 1883. In 1890, he purchased a house along with the surrounding property and set out to create a magnificent garden that he wished to paint. The landscaping project also included creating lily ponds and a Japanese bridge. Some of Monet's most famous paintings were of the garden in Giverny.

In 1966, Claude Monet's property (the house and the garden) was donated by his son to Academie des Beaux-Arts. In 1980, it was designated a museum and opened to public visits after the completion of restoration works.

• The vast Nymphea's studio was restored.
• The collection of Japanese engravings was exhibited in several rooms.
• The gardens were replanted.
• Monet's house became a popular tourist attraction, particularly in the summer during the flowers' bloom.

The other main attraction is Giverny's Museum of Impressionism, dedicated to impressionism's history. Hotel Baudy was the center of artistic life in Giverny's heyday. It is now a cafe and restaurant.

Giverny tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

Claude Monet's garden