Set off
at 8:15 am from your place of residence in Paris. The journey to Giverny by
luxury air-conditioned coach will take approximately one hour and 30 minutes.
Soak up the world of the painter, Claude Monet, famous for painting different
corners of his garden, such as the "Water Lilies" or the
"Japanese Bridge." The painter Claude Monet lived at Giverny with his
wife and eight children for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926.
Passionate about gardening and nature's changing colors, he designed his flower
and water gardens as if they were works of art. During your visit of Monet's
garden at Giverny, admire the multicolored flower beds, the Clos Normand Flower
Garden with its many Eastern plants, and the lush water garden, famous for its
water lilies and Japanese bridge.
Then
take advantage of your free time to visit Claude Monet's pink-plastered house,
where he lived and worked (guided tours of the interior are not permitted due
to the lack of space). Explore the reading room, leading into the larder and
the artist's studio. In addition to those of his private apartments, these
rooms have been reconstructed with Monet's original furniture. Visit the bright
yellow dining room, which has been reconstructed down to the very last detail,
with earthenware dishes and a blue-tiled kitchen. In the dining room, marvel at
one of the world's most important collections of Japanese prints. At the end of
your visit, explore the village and treat yourself to some souvenir shopping in
the gift and book shop, which was once used as a studio for Monet's Water
Lilies; it offers a wide range of products inspired by the artist's work.After
visiting Giverny, enjoy a tasty lunch at the Moulin de Fourges restaurant just
ten minutes away, where you can sample local food with a twist.
In the afternoon, explore the Palace and Gardens of
Versailles. Covering more than 721,000 square feet, the Palace has over 700
rooms. Follow your guide to the front of the line to see the most impressive
rooms: the King's Apartments, with seven salons each dedicated to a different
god, and the Queen's Apartments. Also visit the majestic Hall of Mirrors, a
reception room in which to see and be seen, dreamt up by the famous architect,
Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Almost 240 feet-long, it was designed to astonish
visitors of the Sun King Louis XIV; it is lit by 17 windows and 350 mirrors,
and overlooks the palace's splendid gardens, the second part of your visit.
Take advantage of your free time to visit the gardens of Versailles and its
works of art, fountains, ponds, flower beds and groves of trees. Return to
Paris scheduled for around 6:00 pm.