Visiting Claude Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny, Vernon, France

Claude Monet has been my favorite artist for as long as I can remember. His work inspired multiple school projects over the years and even a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York during spring break my senior year of high school so that I could finally see his paintings in person. I still have the framed waterlilies poster that hung above my bed growing up, which today brings a small sense of peace and serenity to my workout room at home. Despite my love for the artist who loved these beautiful flower I’d yet to make the trek to the mecca of Impressionism – Monet’s house and gardens in the small village of Giverny – until my most recent trip to Paris.

Monet lived and painted at Giverny for half his life from 1883 until his death in 1926. I read that he fell in love with the area after spotting it from a train window, and designed and tended to his elaborate gardens himself. Monet loved painting nature and in a sense, he brought nature into his home, enclosing it within a private space that offered an infinite and ever-changing source of inspiration to paint and re-paint. Giverny embodied everything that the Father of Impressionism would come to be known for, painting in plen air, capturing natural light with simple brush strokes and those oh-so-famous waterlilies. For art lovers and travelers alike, Giverny makes for an easy and worthwhile half-day trip from Paris. Here’s what you need to know: ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).