Giverny and Claude Monet

Our Guest House located in the heart of Petit Andely is located about 20 minutes from Giverny: this seems to us to be an essential stopover when you come to our House, indeed this renowned town and of such particular beauty will make you dive at the heart of Impressionism.

This town, located on the right bank of the Seine, has a very old history since archaeological excavations have shown that this village dates back to the Neolithic era, i.e. at the very beginning of our era.

The village consists of two main streets located on the hillsides and the houses are covered with pink and green plaster in particular, and the buildings are decorated with wisteria and Virginia creepers, giving a certain romanticism to the place. You will also discover the village church, built in particular in the Romanesque style, although additions were made later.

Of course, Giverny is best known for Claude Monnet’s house and gardens, he discovered Giverny around 1883 through the window during a train trip and he quickly fell under the spell of this small village, with barely 300 souls at the time.

He bought a house there and was the inspiration for Claude Monnet’s famous gardens, which he so wanted to paint. Some of these best-known paintings come from this garden, particularly known for its rectangular Norman enclosure, with arcades of climbing plants, intertwined around beautiful shrubs. You will also find a water garden made possible thanks to the tributary of the Epte, with the famous Japanese bridge, the pond and its water lilies but also its azaleas and wisteria of all splendour.

Of course the reputation of Mr Monnet attracted many impressionist artists to Giverny, and in particular Americans like Willard Metcalf, Louis Ritman… we even spoke of “Giverny Group” about them during magnificent impressionist exhibitions in NYC.

Claude Monnet’s son donated his illustrious father’s house to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1966 and after major works, it opened its doors in 1980. You will find a precious collection of woodcuts there. Japanese, the Nymphéa workshop has been perfectly restored, and the gardens have been replanted as at the time of the Master.

Also take the time before leaving Giverny to visit the Museum of Impressionism in Giverny, dedicated to the history of Impressionism, where the beauty of the paintings on display highlights artists with a skill in painting that you will remember. Finally, stop at the Hotel Baudy, it was for a long time a center of artistic life, it is now a café / restaurant, but it has kept its period decoration.