Giverny and Monet's Garden Bike Tour

Paris, France

To begin your Giverny and Monet's Garden Bike Tour you will travel by rail through the beautiful wheat and sunflower fields of Normandy, along the lazy Seine river to the village of Vernon.

Once in Vernon visit the charming farmers' market to buy picnic supplies. You'll then hop on your bike and pedal across the river to a beautiful park along the banks of the Seine for lunch. At lunch you can also sample the local's favorite drink: cidre.

It will then be time for your relaxing 5 kilometer (3 miles) ride down the bike path to the village of Giverny and the world-famous gardens of Claude Monet. Cruise past the Giverny church and its cemetery containing graves of local citizens dating back to the 17th century, British soldiers from World War II and even Monet himself buried within his family's vault. You will pass the Hotel Baudy, where Impressionists Manet and Renoir used to paint.

Shortly you will arrive at the highlight of the day - Monet's Garden

Spend about 1.5 hours enjoying Monet's gardens, his house and the famous water lily pond where some of his most famous works originated. Be sure to bring your camera and plenty of film! Additionally, the village of Giverny offers you the American Museum of Art (across the street from Monet's Gardens), numerous cafes and small streets begging to be explored.

USD $95.76

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Darley	October 2011
Only one word to describe this tour, fantastic. The tour was well planned and obviously well rehearsed as everything just happened. This group has their own bikes so you know they are in working order. The market was a wonderful experience and my kids walked away with dresses as well as lunch. The picnic spot is as no doubt been said many times - picturesque to say the least. Our guide knew the local history and at various points of interest he would stop the group and give a brief history lesson. These were short and to the point, this allowed for any questions. The ride to Monet's garden is flat and on an old rail line so no cars for most of it. The gardens are incredible and well worth the trip as is Monet's house. We were lucky and blessed with perfect weather which added to the whole experience. My family highly recommends this tour as a must do whilst in Paris. The only negative comment I can make and in fairness can't be controlled by the operator is that this is a bike tour and if you are not confident on a bike then look for a bus tour instead.

Review by: Asheville	October 2011
Fantastic!!! Our leader,Billy, was so much fun and knowledgeable. The market was amazing and the gardens beautiful. I would encourage everyone to take this tour.

Review by: HELEN N	October 2011
This made our visit to Paris very special.It was great fun riding our bikes,the group was not too big,our guide was very informative,and even those not interested in Art or gardens would thoroughly enjoy the day.It was great to see some of the counrtyside.Thanks Helen,Perth,W.A.

Review by: Tera S	September 2011
The concept of this tour is fabulous, and for the most part completely worth it. It is an easy bike ride technically and our guide was very informative and funny. Unfortunately I got left behind with a flat tire and had to bike like all hell to catch up with the group. It was a really bad ending to a great day.

Review by: JR Danks D	September 2011
Overall an excellent way to visit the garden. Beside the delights of the garden its self you get to see other parts of France by rail and bike. Our guide was very attentive and informative and the trip provide adequate time for the garden, picnic and a bit of shopping. I would highly recomend to most age groups as it is not a difficult bike ride. Just make sure you can ride a bike as 1 in our trip simply couldn't and had to walk it!!!!!!!

Review by: Ingrid S	September 2011
Brilliant highly recommend for all ages, My ten year old and I loved it. Billy our guide was fantastic, his knowledge and general passion for what he did shone through and made our day remarkable. He suggested and pointed us to great vendors at the market for our picnic,_br/_ also some of the shops. The general feeling from all was true enjoyment.

Review by: Robert W	September 2011
Loved it, Billy was great. Nothing was to much trouble for him and he was spot on with his knowledge of the place. 6 stars.

Review by: Denise L	August 2011
Really excellent day. Billy our guide did an excellent job managing a large group. We all relaxed and had a great day full of informative commentary. Damian and Denise

Review by: siobhan d	August 2011
This tour exceeded our expectations. Our guide Billy was an absolute professional and knew a lot of interesting things about Monet. He made the trip so interesting and great fun. He kept his head when one our group got a flat tire and we were heading back to the train. Super trip and we will be looking for other tours with Viator in future trips.

Review by: MmeM	August 2011
Such fun! The only bad thing was the rain which prevented us from having a picnic lunch. We ate in an expensive café instead. But the guide, Jackson was fantastic! The sun came out and the gardens were beautiful. It really was a highlight of my stay in Paris!

Review by: Kbones	August 2011
Great trip out of the city! Totally worth it, so beautiful. But do not eat at the first resturant you see, if doesn't have a great menu, further down towards the gardens there are more options.

Review by: Maria G	August 2011
I loved Paris, but Giverny made me really feel like I was in France. It was so quaint and beautiful. The walk through the town of Vernon and it's great open market was fun and we got great food for our very relaxing and entertaining picnic by the river. Billy, our guide was awesome! He was fun and made the historical background he provided not only educational, but very engaging! The bike ride through the country gave us a great view and lots of fresh air. The Giverny tour was the best part of our trip (my husband and I agreed) and we would do it again!

Review by: Ken J	August 2011
We had an excellent day. even though the rain could have spoilt the bike part, Jackson was ready with ponchos and with the change of picnic plan to a superb lunch in the amazing Hotel Baudy. The day couldn't have been bettered.

Review by: James W	August 2011
The Bike Tour to Monet's Garden was lots of fun and our leader was very informed. We had a great time.

Review by: Victoria C	August 2011
I could have spent all day there!

Review by: John P	August 2011
Great tour led by a very nice and informed tour guide. The bike leg to Giverny under the moist cloudy skies made it even better. What a great sight.

Review by: Victoria	August 2011
There is no cider. There is a cider maker nearby but it is not part of the tour and there isn't time on the tour to go visit the cider maker.

Review by: Katharine C	August 2011
It was a wonderful relaxing bike ride in Giverny. Monet's gardens are well worth seeing. Our tour guide Megan was really charming and nice. We highly recommend this tour and will sign up for other Viator tours in other cities in the future.

Review by: Kimberly A. W	July 2011
My cousin and I had a great time on the bike tour! Perfect weather, great guide, and the bike ride was not too long or too short. Thanks for an awesome experience!

Review by: Mary Lynn	July 2011
My 13 year old and I did this tour and enjoyed it very much. It was a nice day out of Paris. The guide was great. Easy easy bike ride.

Review by: Jane L	July 2011
Pretty and safe bike ride mostly along a bike path. A relaxing tour with time to explore. Megan was a friendly and very helpful tour guide. The summer light was wonderful and the garden superb. Tourists quiet and well-behaved in the garden.

Review by: David L	July 2011
Fabulous day out. Very friendly, helpful and experienced host.. Great lunch sourced from both the local market and patisserie was had in a local park by a river in mild weather. Followed by a nice, easy ride of approx 30 minutes each way in the french countryside to Monets house and garden. The house and garden are both meticulously maintained, with the garden absolutely gorgeous in the summertime and easily identifiable in Monets most famous paintings. Surpassed all our expectations. One of the absolute highlights of our stay in Paris and highly recommended.

Review by: Kim Wan N	July 2011
Great summer excursion. Lovely picnic spot. Highly recommended if you love cycling in the country side and for Monet enthusiast.

Review by: Eugene W	July 2011
The tour was excellent. Suggestion on instructions. The instructions said to meet at Gare Saint-Lazare. We took the metro to Gare Saint-Lazare and stayed below ground for quite awhile looking at the RER lines for Voie 22. It would have helped if your meeting instuctions said to come ABOVE GROUND to the inter regional train station.

Review by: Daniel S	June 2011
Enjoyed the bike ride and lunch. Giverny was packed, but that of course couldn't be helped. _br/_ Our tour guide Meghan was the best.

Review by: Kathleen W	June 2011
Our group loved this tour. The combination of the beautiful weather, train ride, trip to the market, picnic on the Seine, and Monet's gardens is hard to beat. Definitely worth the money!

Review by: Naomi O	June 2011
One of the highlights of my trip to Paris, was a wonderful day and the guide made it very interesting with all the information provided

Review by: Paul F	June 2011
Cool trip. Simple day trip to take a short diversion from Paris. Easy ride with serene countryside vistas. One thing that would help: Suggest participants bring along their own plastic utensils and a picnic sheet in order to better enjoy the market-bought riverside lunch better.

Review by: Robert A	June 2011
Even with rain following us it was a memorable fun day in France. Monets Garden was magnificent even with umbrellas.. our guide Megan was fun, shared some great info and some superb baguettes and wine were enjoyed along the river. The actual bike ride was perfect for all levels of fitness and skill....a perfect family adventure ..

Review by: vlfrance	June 2011
I very much enjoyed it and the guide, Andrew, was charming and took good care of our large group. There wasn't a cider visit though, as the tour description gave.

Review by: Dette	May 2011
Megan did a great job with a difficult group as some people didn't enjoy the actual bike ride. The train ride, the market to get our lunch and the actual tour of the gardens was the best day I had in Paris - a real highlight.

Review by: Toni-Marie E	May 2011
Our guide Megan was quite entertaining and friendly...the group had a great dynamic to it and the whole experience was made fantastic by the luck of having great weather on the day of our tour! _br/_ I loved the picnic beside the river, but due to the fact that it was a Tuesday, the market in town wasn't there._br/_ Monet's gardens were beautiful, and it was nice to have some time alone to walk around the village._br/_ Great tour!!!

Review by: Brittany W	May 2011
It wasba day filled with many different adventures...taking the train, riding bikes, visiting the farmers market, enjoying a picnic and sightseeing on monet's property. The three towns we were in were quaint and unique. Our guide was absolutely wonderful and very knowledgeable on French culture. Monet's garden and studio tour was very crowded and packed with visitors.

Review by: Kevin R	May 2011
A most enjoyable day. Not at all strenuous for those who don't ride very often. Helped by an energetic and well organised guide. Giverny and Monet's gardens are well worth the visit - away from the bustle and crowds of Paris. K and H April 11

Review by: Albert H R	May 2011
Had a great time and Jackson (our tour guide was lots of fun). Only problem one of the women on the tour had never been on a bike...why would you book a bike tour.? The biking was very easy and lunch on the Seine wonderful. Everyone got along great, nice blend of people, weather was fantastic. Thanks. JoAnn

Review by: Jonathan H	May 2011
Cannot rate this tour highly enough! We had a great experience with our guide named Jackson. He met us promptly at the train station in Paris and we rode the train to Giverny. On the train he gave us a little overview about what we would do that day and some of the history of the area.

Review by: Diane B	May 2011
Great trip thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone, really easy cycle ride, the picnic by the river with all the goodies we'd brought in Vernon was delightful, Monets gardens are beautiful a blaze of colour and our guide was very pleasant, all in all a great day.

Review by: Chiu F	May 2011
one of must visit spot. Monet garden is so beautiful. also it is definitely refreshing when biking at nice May in France.

Review by: noel o	April 2011
loved the whole tour. the guide was great and provided with historical facts. fun going to the markets to get our lunch and sitting in the park by the water. scenery lovely leading up to monet's garden.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
It was a fun tour. Fat Tire tour guides are great, Monets Garden is beautful to say the least, and the bikes are ultra comfy and easy to ride.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
Fabulous day trip - it was great to leave the city for a day and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside. Giverny is simply amazing and our guide was fantastic. Overall, an unforgettable day.

Review by: Marc R, United States of America	June 2010
Excellent day -- guide took good care of us. You do need to ride through a town with some traffic to get to the bike path, so if you don't feel comfortable on a bike you may want to reconsider. The market is great.

Review by: Beverly N, United States of America	June 2010
This tour was the highlight of the week. Seth our guide was incredible. He was a wealth of knowledge about history, bicycling, and anything we wanted and needed to know. The whole day was an adventure. Monet's Garden was picturesque. I felt like a kid again riding my bike through the beautiful countryside.

Review by: Claudia F, Brazil	June 2010
Our guide on the trip was really great. He had answers for all questions and made it much more pleasant. Tks !

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	May 2010
A great tour with lovely cheap markets to choose picnic lunch.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
This bike tour was an absolutely wonderful experience. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and kept the group laughing all day long. The scenery was breathtaking and well worth the ride. The bikes could have used a tune-up, but other than that, the experience was fabulous!

Review by: Derek W, United Kingdom	May 2010
We both really enjoyed the excursion to Giverny, the guide was excellent, and really entertaining and friendly, and it was a well balanced day, with lots of interesting stops on the way.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
A very enjoybale day with Andrew who brought a diverse group together for allot of fun. Monets gardens are a must if you are in the Paris area.

Review by: Thomas C, United Kingdom	April 2010
Our trip to Giverny was just wonderful. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Monet and Paris life as well. We made friends, learned quite a bit and enjoyed the beautiful French countryside, all-in-all just about perfect! I would recommend this trip to anyone.

Review by: Janice S, United States of America	October 2009
Jackson was our guide and he led us safely to Giverny and back although bicycling through the traffic in Vernon was a bit scary.The picnic along the Seine was beautiful as was the ride to Giverny. It was not too strenuous and Jackson shared history and information about the area as we travelled. The gardens were spectacular and we visited in October. I can just imagine what it would be like in the summer.