Claude Monet’s House & Gardens

If you ever wondered why you should visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, France, stop. Musee Monet attracts over half a million visitors from all over the world each year. It isn’t a should but a must-stop on any visit to France if you love the French impressionists.

I regret it has taken me two decades to finally tour this genius’ family home. Words fail to describe the zen Japanese garden and pond. When I stood on the bridge, I was transported into a Monet painting (check out my video on my YouTube page).

Monet purchased the land in 1893. It included a pond near his house. An avid gardener, he wanted to build something “for the pleasure of the eye and also for motifs to paint.” His water lily garden is a masterpiece. Starting in 1899, he painted a series of 18 views of the wooden footbridge over the pond.

Artist’s Portal

You enter the estate through a trellised gate. At the top, Musee Monet is written in script letters. Ahead lies a long-walled passageway. 

It feels otherworldly and mysterious as if you are entering a portal. Put aside your worries and prepare to step into Monet’s mind.

“When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow.”—Claude Monet

Two Gardens

There are two different gardens to see. Monet planted the original garden (Clos Normand) in front of his house.

Later, he created his second garden—a Japanese water garden on the other side of the road. The two gardens contrast and complement each other. 

I skirted the perimeter of the fenced grounds so I could see the Japanese-inspired water garden from a distance, like a peephole. 

If you squeeze your eyes tight and then reopen to look at the green, blue oasis, you might even recreate how Monet saw his flowers through cataract eyes. While Monet didn’t begin losing his vision until his 60s, it affected how he saw colors and objects in his gardens.

Monet’s Water Lillies

The water lily (nymphaeaceae) is a flowering plant grown on the water in temperate and tropical climates. Monet grew them in his Japanese gardens.

He did not set out to be remembered as the painter of water lilies. He grew them without thinking. But they eventually pervaded his senses.

“Then suddenly I had a revelation and clearly saw these wonders on my pond. I took up my palette and paintbrush. And since then, I’ve hardly used any other subject.”—Claude Monet

Monet’s gardens became his sole source of inspiration at the end of his life.

Forest Bathing

While there was no concept of Japanese-inspired forest bathing in the 19th century, Monet would have been a fan of this habit. (See my article on forest bathing at the Enid Haupt Sculpture Garden.)

“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.”—Claude Monet

I could have spent hours in his Giverny gardens, bathing in the aroma of pine needles, poppies, and petals. 

Autumn Splendor

When I visited Giverny in October, the flower palette consisted of autumn shades—burgundy leaves, orange and red mums, and yellowing strands of grass.

The water lilies had lost their flower “bonnets.” I only saw the flat cup-shaded leaves floating lazily on the water.

“For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment.”—Claude Monet

But how Monet must have loved to watch his gardens change each season. Vibrant summer blooms would replace the hesitant first spring flowers. But then the flowers wilted and died. Baked tree branches were the only ornamentation in winter.

Pretend World

If you can steer of the crowds and find a nook in the garden to hide, you can more easily enter Monet’s world.

Step back and study the riot of colors. Ponder the ripples on the pond. Watch the wind caress the trees. Listen for the frog’s croak.

I can imagine Monet as a red cardinal or bluejay in his gardens, sweeping down to smell a flower and then flying high in the air.

“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.”—Claude Monet

He heard a melody in his gardens that he painted in his oils. 

Woodblock Prints

Monet became an ardent collector of Japanese woodblock prints (also known as ukiyo-e) after discovering the artwork in Amsterdam in 1871. (It was used as wrapping paper in an Amsterdam food shop.)

His collection surpassed 200 prints by artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, and Utagawa Hiroshige.

Monet was not alone in admiring Japanese art, known as “japonism” in the second half of the 19th century. Many famous painters, including Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Rodin, and James Mac Neil Whistler, collected ukiyo-e engravings.

He laid out his Japanese gardens like a woodblock print, creating geometric lines through the installation of fences and his bridge. 

Monet’s House

Monet’s house is quite wide and resembles an inn. The rectangular brick building is covered in ivy. There is a main entrance and a side entrance. Visitors can see through the second-story windows, looking down on the gardens. 

From the moment he glimpsed this house in rural France, he knew he must own it.

“It was in 1883 that Monet fell in love at first sight for this charming house that he discovered during a walk. He lived in it until his death, in 1926.”—Giverny.org

Even though it is 98 years since Monet lived in his Giverny house, his spirit can still be felt. This artist didn’t just paint canvases. He painted his world in bold colors.

Interior Decoration

You should plan for a minimum of 30 minutes to tour Monet’s house. (Take a virtual tour on this Instagram reel.) On the ground floor, visit the reading room, which is still called the little blue lounge. It connects to the pantry, where the tea, olive oil, spices, and eggs were stored in cupboards.

Next enter the artist’s first studio. Monet worked in this space until 1899. It was restored in 2011. The layout of the studio/lounge resembles how it would have been in Monet’s time. (Watch a virtual tour on my YouTube page.)

The beige floral upholstery turns this room into a conservatory. Cozy sofas and recliners are inviting. Framed portraits of family members contrast with the wall-to-wall display of Impressionist paintings.

Private Apartments

Monet’s private apartments are located on the second floor. In 2013, Monet’s bedroom was painstakingly recreated. A beige coverlet is strewn across a feather mattress. Framed photographs line the walls. Two large windows frame the gardens outside. 

Some 60 paintings were chosen for reproduction. They are hung on the picture rails to recreate the room’s former atmosphere.

Examine the items and artworks on display that Monet saw when he was alive. There are reproductions of paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, Signac, and Caillebotte.

Next walk down to Alice Hoschedé’s bedroom. Alice was his second wife. Together, they raised eight children at the Giverny house. It will be no surprise that Alice kept a tiny sewing room adjacent to her bedroom. 

You can also tour the final room upstairs, which is Blanche Hoschedé-Monet’s bedroom. It was opened to the public for the first time in 2014. She lived at Giverny until her death in 1947.

Dining Room

The house’s dining room is an elegant room which Monet painted yellow. I think entertaining friends at his table brought sunshine into his life.

Monet displayed his collection of Japanese prints in this room. The dining room furniture is also painted yellow. The cabinets display blue ceramic tableware. He used a custom yellow and blue set for celebrations. 

The country kitchen features blue Rouen tiles. I could almost smell the garlic snails cooking on the huge cooker with multiple hobs.

Monet’s Cat

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I am obsessed with cats. During my week in France, I loved everywhere for felines in Paris. I saw dogs everywhere, but I couldn’t find a cat. I only learned when I returned home that all the street cats sleep at the Montmartre Cemetery.

Naturally, I thought that I might see a resident cat at Monet’s house since there are many soft chairs and sofas for a puss. While I didn’t spy one during my tour, I did see a ceramic sleeping cat in the dining room.

It turns out that this statue belonged to Claude. The Japanese cat returned to Monet’s house after 90 years. According to Japan Forward, Japanese business executive (Hideyuki Wada) donated the statue to the Foundation Claude Monet in time for the 160th anniversary between Japan and France. Reportedly, the statue was made in the Meiji era Japan.

Honoring Monet

I made the pilgrimage to Giverny to see his gardens and walk in his footsteps. As art lovers, we are privileged to see where the artist lived and worked. I felt like the clock in the kitchen stopped ticking after he died.

I think his friend Gustave Geffroy expressed it succinctly: “You had to see Monet in Giverny to know him and understand his character, thirst for life, and private nature. […] This house and this garden, they are also artworks and Monet spent his life creating and perfecting them.”

Tour Cost

The typical cost for a tour is $75 per person. This includes the round-trip motor coach fare from Paris and the 12 euro entrance fee to Claude Monet’s home in Giverny. You will have about two hours to tour the house and gardens. 

Opening Hours

Monet’s gardens can only be toured seven months out of the year. In 2024, the season opened on March 29 and ended on November 1. The venue welcomes visitors every day, including public holidays, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Prioritize your visit to Giverny on a weekday to avoid the crowds. It is hard to travel into the past and absorb a historic venue’s charm when you can’t get past multiple visitors holding up traffic and posing for selfies. 

Modes of Transportation

• By Train: You can travel by train from Paris, Rouen, or Le Havre. You will get off at the Vernon-Giverny train station, and then a bus shuttle will bring you to Giverny.
   
• By Car: You can rent a car and drive. There are three free-of-charge car parks in Giverny; 
   
• By Boat: You can book a river cruise on the Seine, which includes a stop at Monet’s gardens in Giverny.

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