Monet’s Garden at Giverny is a great day-trip from Paris

The French Impressionist’s final home in Giverny is where Monet lived for 43 years, and painted every day in his gardens or studio.
His water garden is perhaps the best known of all his subjects; weeping willows, a wisteria-draped Japanese bridge, water lilies, rhododendrons and a vivid pallet of blooming flowers in all season. The house and gardens are lovingly restored.
It is possible to go to Giverny from Paris by train or by car, or you many take a half day tour.
We had a rental car and timed our visit for late in the afternoon, as the tour buses were leaving the crowded parking lots. The gardens close at 6pm. We arrived at 4:30pm and wandered through the gardens quietly with out large crowds.
About the Author: Marybeth Bond, the Gutsy Traveler, National Geographic author of 11 travel books, featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and founder of the Online Travel Magazine www.GutsyTraveler.com She has been featured over 1,000 times on TV, radio and print. She is a Contributor to CNN, CNN Airport Network and CNN.com
Speaker, spokesperson, author, travel expert, Marybeth, the Gutsy Traveler walks the talk. She's an adventurer; biked two months across the USA, traveler to over 90 countries, media travel expert for CBS News, CNN, ABC, NBC, NPR and National Geographic.

Maybe I could make it to Giverney, this fall when I’m in the Loire valley, is it possible? I’ve always dreamed of going to Monet’s Garden. What a sanctuary.