Welcome back, Tartlets! Today we’re leaving Paris and heading to the quaint French villages of Giverny and Vernon. Even though these towns are only an hour away from Paris, we felt as if we were miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Spoiler alert: C’était magnifique.
From Paris to Giverny and Vernon
We had beautiful weather the entire time we were Paris. On our last day in the city, it rained. But this was fine since we were taking a train to Giverny that morning.
Giverny is in the Normandy region of France and about an hour’s ride away from Paris. It’s a great day trip for most folks, but we learned from our Charleston vacation that we enjoy time in the country when we visit a major city. Hence, our plan to spend a few days in the Normandy region.
We chose Giverny as our base since it’s where artist Claude Monet’s gardens are, and Mr Tart has always wanted to see them. I’m going to devote an entire post to Monet’s house and gardens, but first I want to talk about the village of Giverny itself.
Giverny is absolutely breathtaking. It’s like something out of a movie. Flowers bloom everywhere. Old stone houses are covered in ivy. Chickens cluck through the gardens. Rolling green hills sprawl in the background. Cows graze in the pastures at sunset.
Hell, even the sewer covers were the prettiest I’ve ever seen.
I took about a bajillion photos, and not one of them truly captures how gorgeous this town is. I must have pinched myself a hundred times while exploring Giverny. I just couldn’t believe I was able to visit and stay for a few days in someplace that beautiful and historic.
As much as I enjoyed Paris, I fell completely, head over heels in love with Giverny and its surrounding areas. I swear, if it weren’t for my cat, I might not have come home.
Things to do in Giverny and Vernon
Giverny
“Exploring” is kind of a big word for what we did in Normandy. We walked through and around Giverny for a few hours, often circling back parts we’d already seen since the village isn’t that big. But there is plenty to see and enjoy.
The rain had tapered off by the time we reached Giverny, though there were still dark, moody clouds overhead that make for some great photos. The stormy weather had also chased off a lot of the tourists, so we were able to explore our new “home” without too many people.
There are loads of little cafes and restaurants, many with outdoor seating so you can enjoy the beautiful flowers, landscape, and ambiance of the village. We even found a chocolate shop.
And, there are galleries. Lots and lots of art galleries run by local artists. You just wander in and wander out. A really great thing about the galleries in Giverny is that they cater to all budgets. Whether you’re looking to purchase canvases or postcards, there’s something for everyone to take home as a wonderful souvenir.
If you just want to marvel at the beautiful scenery, you can do that, too. One of my favorite parts of the village was the “Medieval Section”.
It was even more quiet in this section of town because, clearly, only locals live here. It was wonderfully peaceful, and I really felt like I’d stepped back in time.
And, in case any of you are wondering: YES, I looked up real estate while we were there. And, surprisingly, it’s not that completely unaffordable.
Is 40 years old too soon to be dreaming of retirement??? Asking for a friend.
Vernon
Once we’d explored Giverny, the next stop was Vernon, the village next door.
It’s a few miles away, and there’s a walk/bike path through the pastures and along the Seine River between the towns. Since I don’t like bikes, we decided to walk.
The path was really tranquil. It was well-paved and easy to follow, and it took us past cow pastures, more rolling hills, cute houses, and, of course, the river.
As you got closer to Vernon, there was even some local artwork on display. I wanted to rip this one off the hanger and take it home with me.
There’s a castle in Vernon that you can look at. Like, an honest-to-goodness castle. The kind that you think of when you think of “fairytale castle.”
You can’t go inside it, but that’s okay. Staring at it in awe was enough for us.
Perhaps even prettier is the Old Mill and remains of a bridge that were once part of the castle.
You can walk across the river and go into the proper center of Vernon, but we decided to stay by the castle so Mr. Tart could do some sketching.
Meanwhile, I wandered up and down the banks of the Seine, taking in the views of Vernon and admiring the Old Mill.
Oh, and I took a lot of photos.
We took an Uber into downtown Vernon the next day. It was a cute town with yet more cafes, restaurants, and shops, though a lot of places closed strangely early in the evening. We tried to have dinner one night in Vernon, but nothing was open.
We’re glad we chose to stay in Giverny instead of Vernon since, even though Giverny is smaller, it gave us more options for things to see and do.
Where we stayed in Giverny
So, guys. This is where we stayed in Giverny.
A little self-catering house claled Cottage les Quatre Saisons.
It was like living in a frickin’ fairytale for three days.
A stone house. A walled garden with a wooden gate so low that you have to stoop under it. Roses growing with wild abandon, stretching right over your head. Lush foliage everywhere. **fluttery sigh**
Inside, the cottage was cozy and full of modern conveniences. I adored everything about this little cottage. It was a perfect private getaway for the two of us to relax in after long days of sightseeing and eating all the pastries.
Below is the view from the bedroom window. Some mornings, the cows were grazing in the pasture across the road.
Other days, a dense fog hid the hills from view. Even in the rain, it was absolutely gorgeous and 100% peaceful.
Giverny is much cheaper than Paris, so renting this three bedroom-two bathroom cottage for a few days made a lot of financial sense.
It was literally steps away from the main road going through Giverny, and about a five minute walk to everything we wanted to see and do in town.
Let’s get to the important stuff: the best desserts I’ve ever eaten
Let’s talk about THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about Vernon: the bakery located right behind the castle.
We stopped at Boulangerie Bousquet for lunch and picked up some sandwiches. The entire time I was in there, though, I was eying up the pastisseries. Because they looked AWESOME.
Sadly, I don’t have a photo of the bakery. This building next door is the closest we come. Sigh.
Before we began our walk home, I pulled Mr Tart back to the boulangerie. We picked up a dozen macarons, along with an entremet cake.
We sampled all different flavor macarons, but the winner for me was the Blackberry Cassis. It was the most perfect macaron I’ve ever tasted. The flavors, the sweetness level, the textures, everything was amazing.
Then, there was the entremet. THE ENTREMET.
Or, the “en-truh-may,” if you’re not sure how to pronounce that French word.
An entremet is a thin sponge cake layered with a fruit gelee (kind of like a jelly layer), a crispy layer, and then a mousse layer. Then the whole thing is covered in thin mirror glaze. We chose the entremet with pistachio sponge, raspberry gelée, and white chocolate mousse.
It’s possibly the most amazing dessert I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.
The cake was tender and moist and bursting with pistachio flavor. The gelée — which I didn’t expect to like — melted into sweet pools of raspberry on your tongue. The white chocolate mousse was perfectly whipped and not too sweet. And the mirror glaze on top was textbook perfect.
Mr Tart and I both think about/reference this entremet daily, even though our trip was three months ago. I’ve found nothing like it in America, and I don’t expect to.
But, believe me: I know where to find Boulangerie Bousquet the next time I’m in France.
My favorite part about Giverny and Vernon
Shockingly, all the yummy food wasn’t my favorite thing about Giverny. It was the evenings.
As I mentioned earlier, Giverny’s a great day trip from Paris. Which means that come five o’clock, the tour buses leave and the village empties out to just locals and the people staying overnight (which totally made us feel like locals).
Mr Tart and I would have a leisurely late dinner somewhere, and then we’d stroll through the village hand-in-hand, talking about our favorite parts of the day and what we wanted to see the next day.
The sun would slowly sink down over those green hills, and pastel colors that surely inspired Monet lit up the sky.
It was peaceful, quiet, and exactly what we needed to wind down at the end of long days of sightseeing.
Next up: Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny! Check back soon.
