Bonjour, we, two couples will be travelling to Paris in late April for only one week, and we will not be renting a car, but do want to take a day and visit Versailles and Giverny (Monet's house/garden specifically). My question is: what is the best way to go ... train, bus, tour company? If tour is the way to go is there any particular company you might recommend? In my research I find there is a fat-tire bike rental that is available from Vernon to Giverny. Sounds like fun if the weather is good. Anyone "been there and done that?"
I'd appreciate hearing any and all opinions, thanks,
Beckie

We've done the Giverny trip by train once. It's a quick train ride (I forget which station, but any guidebook will tell you). When you get off the train, all the local taxis are lined up outside the train station and everyone races to get them. We shared the last taxi with another couple that reached it the same time we did. If you miss the first round, they'll be back in 15 minutes or so. The bike rental would be a fun alternative in nice weather. It's not too far, and just down a quiet country lane.

And April is a LOVELY month to see the gardens. When we were there I was completely overwhelmed by the tulips and wisteria and forget-me-nots.

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visit Versailles

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To get to Versailles you can take the train or the RER. It's easy.

We spent two weeks in Paris beginning at the very end of August 2004 and did not have a car. We made the trip out to Giverny by train and it was truly a highlight of our stay in Paris.

The train to Vernon leaves from the Gare St. Lazare and is less than an hour. I'd suggest trying to understand the schedule before you go to the station. I somehow thought the trains ran more regularly and we waited at the station for a long time for the next train. The schedule varies a bit depending on the day of the week and maybe also the time of year. (This was true for the return train also.) You can check the schedules at the Rail Europe website and may even be able to buy tickets in advance.

We went on the little trip thinking we would take a cab. When we got to the Vernon station, there was a bus sitting outside the station with a sign marked to Giverny. It was a 10 minute ride and not at all expensive. The buses also picked up at a designated spot for the return trip. I don't know if they will have the bus in April, but look out for one.

If you want to know more about our impressions of Giverny, you can check out this entry in my blog (scroll down to "Friday").

Kathy

I have been there twice. The last visit was in June when the poppies, peonies and lilies were in bloom. We were adventurous and walked from the train station to the garden both times. It is about 3 miles and there is an dirt/alley path that you can catch outside of Vernon to Giverny. We are fanatical walkers so I would only recommend it if you absolutely love to walk. The bike option would be interesting also since it is a short distance.

Here is a previous discussion day trips from Paris. In my message, I include the link for Giverny info which includes very good information on how to get to the gardens. Do try to get a direct train to Vernon. Once we took the one where you transfer in Mantes La Jolie. It does take quite a bit longer since it is a commuter train to Mantes.

Hello,
Consider too or instead of Versailles a trip to Vaux le Vicomte
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/eng/accueil.htm
The inspiration of Versaille. It is more difficult than Versaille from Paris as you will need a taxi from the station but if there are 4 of you then the cost should be bearable. The gardens will be lovely in April but it is too early for a candlelit tour.
I am yet to go but plan to do this soon. It is quite close to Fontainebeau so you could vist both in the same day.
Wendy

Here is my experience and learned opinion . We have visited Versailles twice. The last time we took the RER from Paris to Versailles and then walked to the palace (it is something like 1/2 mile from the train station). You can rent audiophones in the palace for cheap (sorry can't remember how much) and you have to leave a form of identification (driver's license, etc). Then when you check the audiophones in you get the id back. The audiophones I thought were great - you can get explanations of a room, parts of a room (like a painting), and history. And you can replay as much as you want and stay in a room as long as you want. I highly recommend to NOT take a tour - it will be expensive, you will be rushed from room-to-room, if you are in the back of the group you will never hear the guide, if you want to dilly-dally to look at something in more detail you can't (gotta stay with the group), etc.

Paris is wonderful in April but be prepared for rain showers.

Thank-you to all who wrote ... we are very grateful for your valued opinions,
B

Beckie,

I had one more suggestion about your trip to Giverny. After we toured Monet's house and gardens, we walked along the dusty road through the village to the church. (We stopped along the way for a drink and ice cream at the outdoor cafe just down from the house.) Monet is buried in the cemetery of the old church, and we found the village very peaceful. It is definitely an enormous contrast to the bustle of Paris where our day started!

There's an American Art museum nearby, with beautifully landscaped gardens. You can visit the gardens at no charge. We didn't visit the museum, but some friends have and highly recommend it if time allows...

Kathy

Thank you Kathy. Must tell you I am enjoying your Grand Tour very much!
B

My wife and I are planning a trip to Paris at about the same time (arrive 4/28, leave 5/4). Now that I have done most of the reserving and some of the planning (not necessarily the right order, I know), I'm a bit concerned that we are going to have one completely dead day in the middle of the trip. May Day is Sunday 5/1. I have heard that basically everything in the city shuts down for the day, even more so since it's a Sunday.

Does anyone have any insight on what might be open? Churches perhaps? We're thinking of renting a car to visit the Loire Valley for a day or so. We have a nice-sounding B&B reserved near Chartres for the 1st and the 2nd. The current plan is to see Chartres on the 1st, wander through a chateau or deux on the 2nd, and then hit Versailles on the 3rd on the way back to Paris. Stay the last night in Paris and then fly out around 2pm.

1. Will Chartres (for example the bell tower, afternoon cathedral access, etc.) be closed down on May Day? Are we going to hit a traffic nightmare on the way out of town (like on a typical long weekend in the U.S.)?

2. Any suggestions for what to do on the morning of the 4th? Is a couple of hours in the morning sufficient to check out Sacre Coeur and Montmartres?

Thanks for any help!

-Mike

Hi Mike - welcome.

I can't answer your first question, other than to suggest that the regular Sunday church services are likely to limit tourist visits to Chartres Cathedral on May 1.

If you just want to visit the Sacre Coeur basilica and Montmartre, then IMO a couple hours will be plenty.

Do you have any interest in visiting the famous Père-Lachaise cemetery? A friend and I wandered through it searching for the tombs of Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Heloise and Abelard and others. It was the perfect way to spend a few low key hours.

Colleen-

Thanks. I anticipated limited access to the cathedral in Chartres on Sunday morning. As we'll be checking out of our hotel near Gare St. Lazare and renting a car at Gare Montparnasse on Sunday morning, I doubt we'll reach Chartres much earlier than 11 am anyway. Assuming that the entire town isn't shuttered for the day, we ought to be able to entertain ourselves until we're allowed in the cathedral and/or the tower.

I'd assume that Sundays are comparable in most cathedrals -- we managed to work around Sunday Mass at San Francesco in Assisi last May without any real trouble. The guidebooks and websites indicate that the Chartres tower and cathedral are open to the general public on Sunday afternoons. I'm just not sure because of May Day. Guess we'll find out for sure in 3 months...

The cemetery sounds like a good option for spending a few hours. Thanks.