Column: Claude Monet's gardens

If you are familiar with Claude Monet’s famous collection of paintings, “Water Lilies,” Giverny is the perfect daytrip from Paris to see Monet’s canvases come to life.

The small village of Giverny is also home to an art museum featuring work by Impressionist artists, but is most famous for Monet’s home and gardens.

Though Monet’s gardens have their own kind of beauty, as you walk through the village, it seems as though the entire area has been touched by Monet’s paintbrush.

Flowers of every kind peek out from every corner, and long stretches of vines hug each home. 

The streets are full of strolling tourists, musicians singing and strumming along, and ice cream trucks cozied up on each corner.

Walk a little deeper into the village, following the rows of greenery and flowers, and you will come across Monet’s home and gardens.

Visitors can walk into his studio, kitchen and bedroom.

The bright yellow walls of his dining room, patterned blue tiles in his kitchen and the amount of Japanese artwork that decorate the walls give visitors insight into the life of this famous Impressionist artist.

The gardens seem to garner the most attention by far. There is one garden right outside Monet’s house with row after row of flowers, varying in species, color and size.

The second garden can be reached through a small set of stairs near the entrance. It is home to the famous Japanese-style bridge spotted in Monet’s work.

Here is where you see the canvas of water lilies come to life.

Beginning around 1887, Giverny became a popular spot for many American Impressionist artists due to the presence of Monet — the overall tranquil atmosphere helped a little, too.

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