It is recommended to be guided to make most of your visit of Claude Monet's house and garden at Giverny.

If you come from Paris, you may use a bus or minibus tour [6] that will include a guide for the visits.

If you come on your own, you can book a private guided visit in English[7] proposed every weekday from Tuesday to Friday morning and evening (on appointment only).

If you are feeling energetic, try hiking one of the nature trails that wind through the hills above Giverny. The panoramic views of the village, the Seine valley, and the neighboring town of Vernon are quite stunning to see unfold beneath you. Two of the area's trails start at a signboard behind the city hall, found just up Rue Blanche Hoschedé-Monet. Make sure you're wearing sturdy shoes or boots and are in relatively good shape, as some sections of the trails up in the forested hillsides can be very challenging. Water and insect repellent might also be good ideas, depending on the weather. Information on other scenic hiking trails can be found at the Office of Tourism in neighboring Vernon.

The nearby Forêt de Bizy is also a lovely place for a picnic or a nature walk, and is a good way to get away from the throngs of tourists that one sometimes sees in Giverny.

It is always best to arrive early in Giverny in order to avoid the throngs of bus-driven tourists who arrive later in the morning and keep coming all day....

• Monet's House (Fondation Claude Monet) [2], 84 rue Claude Monet, tel 02 32 51 28 21, open April-October Tu-Su 10 am - 6 pm, admission €5.50 (€1.50 house; €4 gardens), €3 students and seniors, under-7s free, wheelchair access available - the house is quietly eccentric and highly interesting in an Orient-influenced style, and includes Monet's collection of Japanese prints [3]. There are no original Monet paintings on the site - the real drawcard, is the gardens around the house - the water garden with the Japanese bridge, weeping willows and waterlilies is now somewhat iconic. Monet's house has the obligatory gift-store attached, designed to help you part with your money in exchange for all manner of things Impressionist.

• the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny [4], 99 rue Claude Monet, tel 02 32 51 94 65, open April - November Tu-Su (Th-Su in November) 10 am - 6 pm, admission €5, €4 students and seniors, €3 12-18s, under 12s free, wheelchair access available - this small museum features American artists influenced by Impressionism and has a good program of temporary exhibitions

• The Natural Mechanical Museum [5], 2 rue Blanche Hoschedé-Monet, Phone: 02 32 21 26 33. 27620 Giverny. Association under 1901 law, founded by the Guillemard brothers: Jean-pierre, René and Gérard currently run restorations and exhibitions with the help of an enthusiasts team who devoted their time and known-how to the Patrimony preservation. The museum origin is a private collection of steam internal combustion engines; founded in 1955 by the Guillemard family a GIVERNY resident's since generations. Former threshing entrepreneur and blacksmith ADOLPHE Guillemard has transmitted to his children his know-how and passion for the vintage mechanies. Along years, purchasing, donations of engines pile-up awaiting for the needed parts or just a time to restore. Since 1982 the number of collected items inereased due to closing of workshops, factories or mills. The preservation of these engines was a rescue task, numbers of testimonials items already gone. In 1990 the collection find home in the actual local where the engines are in permanent show, installation of the Carels 1908 diesel engine weighting 28 tons keep the team busy for months on overhauling and restoration; it becomes in 2003 the world bigger old running diesel engine.

By car

Take the A13 from Paris to Bonnières, then the D201 to vernon where you cross the river Seine- look for signs....

By train

Take the train from Paris Gare St-Lazare to Vernon (journey time 45 minutes; see SNCF), then take a taxi or bus (€4.00 return ticket) to the village. The bus service is timed to link with the train and a combined ticket can be obtained at Gare St-Lazare.

By bus

Bus and minibus trip from Paris to Giverny on half day tour and to Giverny and Versailles on full day tour, are operating everyday except Monday [1] (closing day of Giverny Monet gardens).

There is a small restaurant attached to Monet's House (beware tourist trap prices and overcrowding) and a few reasonable options in the village [8]&[9]. On a fine day, bringing a picnic lunch with you might be a better option - walk up out of the village along some of the small lanes [10] for a change from the crowds.