In April 1883, Claude Monet rented a house in the village of Giverny, on the south bank of the Seine 80 kilometres from Paris. He stayed for 43 years, until his death in 1926, creating the water garden and producing the Nympheas - the Water Lilies series. The connection between the Paris Marathon and Giverny is not merely geographic. If you have run through the Tuileries and past the Orangerie on Sunday, going to the source on Monday is a logical continuation of the same story.
Getting There
The SNCF Intercites service from Paris Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon takes 50 minutes. Trains run roughly every hour; advance booking (SNCF Connect) is around €15 to 25 single.
From Vernon station, Giverny Bike operates a shuttle bus to the village of Giverny from April to November - the journey takes 10 minutes and the shuttle runs to coincide with train arrivals. A taxi from Vernon to Giverny is approximately €12 and takes 8 minutes.
Giverny: Monet's Gardens
The Fondation Claude Monet preserves Monet's house and gardens. The foundation opens in late March and runs through November; early April is typically the first week or two of the season, when the crowds that will eventually overwhelm the site in June and July have not yet formed.
The gardens are in two sections separated by an underpass beneath the road.
The Clos Normand - the main flower garden - surrounds the house on its south side. In April, this garden is in its earliest phase: tulips, narcissus, wallflowers, and the first of the wisterias beginning to climb the rose arches. Monet designed it as a painting, with colour and height arranged for visual effect at walking pace.
The Water Garden - the famous pond - is accessed through the underpass. Monet purchased the additional land for the water garden in 1893 and diverted a small river to fill the pond. The weeping willows he planted now overhang the water at their full mature scale. In April, the Japanese cherry trees surrounding the pond are in blossom, the first waterlilies are not yet showing (they bloom from June), but the wisteria on the Japanese bridge is typically at or near its peak - a dense cascade of lilac over the green water that is, for about ten days in April, exactly the image that Monet painted repeatedly.
The paths around the water garden are level - packed gravel on slightly uneven ground, manageable for post-marathon legs if taken slowly. Benches are placed at intervals.
A practical note on crowds: Even in early April, Giverny is popular. The site opens at 09:30; arriving at opening gives you approximately one hour of the garden in relative quiet before the mid-morning groups arrive. Book tickets online in advance at fondation-monet.com. Entry is €14.
Vernon and the Seine Valley
The town of Vernon itself is worth an hour - a small Norman market town with an intact medieval tower and a 15th-century timber-framed house. The flat path along the Seine riverbank from Vernon runs north toward the weir and the old mill, with views across the river to the wooded Normandy hills.
Where to stay: Options in Giverny are limited to small guesthouses and B&Bs; the La Musardiere is a well-regarded property in the village. In Vernon, the Hotel d'Evreux on the main square is reliable and well-positioned for the station and the riverside.
Getting Back
Intercites services from Vernon to Paris Saint-Lazare run roughly every hour until late evening. Journey is 50 minutes.