Giverny or Versailles: Which Day Trip?

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This page compares Giverny and Versailles on the factors that actually decide a one-day trip from Paris: whether the site is even open on your dates, what it costs, how you get there, and how much time it takes. For the wider set of day-trip options, start at Day Trips From Paris. For Versailles on its own, see the full visitor guide.

Season: one closes for winter, one doesn't

Giverny’s 2026 season runs April 1 to November 1, with hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and last admission at 5:30 p.m.¹. Outside that window, the gardens are closed, which rules Giverny out for a winter trip entirely. Versailles has no seasonal closure: the Palace and Trianon estate are open every day except Mondays, plus December 25, January 1, and May 1, all year round². If your dates fall between early November and the end of March, Giverny is not an option, and Versailles is the only one of the two you can visit.

What each costs

Sources:¹ for Giverny,²³⁵ for Versailles.

Giverny is a single flat-rate ticket to the house and gardens. Versailles’ €35 Passport, by contrast, covers the Palace, Gardens, and the Estate of Trianon together; a Versailles visitor who only wants the Gardens and Trianon, without the Palace, can pay €20 instead³. Whether Versailles’ own Museum Pass acceptance changes this math for a multi-site trip is covered separately in Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It?

Giverny’s student rate has one exception worth knowing before you buy: the €7 student ticket excludes fine-arts and art-history students, who pay the full €13 adult price instead¹. Versailles’ reduced pricing works differently, applying a flat €3 discount to EEA nationals and residents rather than singling out particular fields of study³. For a family with young children, Giverny is the cheaper stop either way, since it charges nothing under age 7 and a flat €7 up to 17, while Versailles is free only under 18 but has no discounted middle tier for children¹³.

Getting there from Paris

Giverny is reached by train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon–Giverny, then either a shuttle bus (€5 one-way, €10 return) or a rented bike for the final stretch into the village¹. The official page does not state the train’s journey time in minutes, so this page does not repeat a figure for it.

Versailles has three direct options, each with an official walking distance to the Palace:

Source:².

Neither destination’s own site states the total travel time from central Paris, only the walk from the arrival station, so this page compares access rather than minutes on the train. Versailles’ route is more direct: one train, one walk. Giverny’s route needs a train followed by a second, separately booked leg.

How much time to set aside

Versailles publishes its own route durations: about 1.5 hours for a short Palace visit, 2 hours for the Gardens, and up to 4 hours for the Trianon estate, and its FAQ recommends planning a full day around them⁴. Giverny’s official pages don’t publish a comparable visit-duration estimate, so this page leaves that figure out rather than guess at one.

Booking and access

Giverny tickets cannot be bought at the gate; advance online booking is required for everyone¹. Versailles only requires advance timed-entry booking for the Palace itself; the Gardens and Trianon estate can be entered at any time within their own hours, without a slot⁵.

Can you do both in one day?

Neither site’s own pages describe a combined itinerary. Versailles’ own guidance is to plan a full day around the Palace, Gardens, and Trianon estate⁴, and Giverny adds a train transfer plus a separately booked shuttle or bike on top of whatever time you spend at the gardens¹. Based on what each site says about its own visit, treating them as two separate day trips is the safer plan.

Tours worth considering

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Both destinations can be visited independently by train, so a tour isn’t required for either. A guided or small-group product is worth considering in two cases:

• You want Giverny handled as a single booked day, with transportation from Paris arranged for you rather than coordinating the train, shuttle, and Giverny’s own advance-booking requirement yourself. See the small-group half-day trip to Giverny and Monet’s gardens.
• You want Versailles with a guide and transportation together, rather than booking the palace’s own guided-tour add-on separately from your train journey. See the small-group Versailles tour with transportation from Paris.

Skip a paid product for either destination if you’re comfortable booking a train ticket yourself and, for Giverny, its required advance entry ticket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Giverny or Versailles better for a day trip from Paris?

It depends on your dates and what you want. Giverny is only open April 1 to November 1 and costs €13; Versailles is open year-round, costs €35 in high season, and covers far more ground, including a palace, formal gardens, and a separate estate¹²³. If your trip falls outside Giverny’s season, Versailles is the only choice.

Can you visit Giverny and Versailles on the same day?

Neither site’s own pages describe a combined itinerary, and each is built around its own full-day or near-full-day visit, so this page treats them as separate trips¹⁴.

Is Giverny open in winter?

No. Giverny’s 2026 season runs April 1 to November 1; it is closed the rest of the year¹.

Do I need to book Giverny tickets in advance?

Yes. Tickets cannot be bought at the gate and must be booked online in advance¹.

How do I get to Giverny from Paris without a tour?

Take a train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon–Giverny, then a shuttle bus (€5 one-way, €10 return) or a rented bike for the final leg¹.

Which is cheaper, Giverny or Versailles?

Giverny, at €13 for an adult ticket. A Versailles Passport is €35 in high season or €25 in low season, though a Gardens-and-Trianon-only ticket at Versailles is €20¹³.

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