How to Get to Giverny From Paris by Train

Vernon-Giverny station handles approximately 180,000 passengers annually, most of them bound for Claude Monet's house and the gardens that defined Impressionist landscape painting. The station opened in 1843 as part of the Paris-Rouen line, predating Monet's arrival in Giverny by four decades. The Paris to Giverny train route departs from Gare Saint-Lazare, the same terminus Monet painted in his 1877 railway series. SNCF operates the line as part of its Normandy regional network, with service frequency tied to tourist season. Spring and summer see hourly departures between 08:00 and 18:00; autumn and winter reduce this to approximately six trains per day. Tickets cost between 15 and 20 EUR depending on advance purchase, with no reserved seating on regional services. The Vernon station sits on the right bank of the Seine, across the river from Giverny's elevated plateau. Historical records show Monet himself took this route when traveling to Paris, though he later kept a car and driver. The modern shuttle service, introduced in 1995, was designed specifically for museum visitors and aligns with garden opening periods. Buses park directly outside the station's main exit and display Giverny signage. Passengers arriving outside shuttle hours face a taxi fare of approximately 15 EUR to the village center, or a 25-minute walk along the D5 road. Bicycle rental operates from April through September at a kiosk adjacent to the station, offering an alternative for travelers comfortable with moderate hills. The route passes through Vernon's medieval quarter and crosses the Seine via a steel truss bridge built in 1950, replacing a 19th-century stone structure destroyed in 1944. Return trains to Paris run until approximately 20:30 in summer and 19:00 in winter, with the last practical departure allowing visitors a full afternoon in Giverny. The water lily pond, Japanese bridge, and the artist's studio remain the primary draw, though the village itself retains the agricultural character Monet documented in his correspondence.