The first time I ever saw a painting by Claude Monet was at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved Monet’s works as well as that of many of the artists of the Impressionism movement. Since then I’ve seen his paintings at many museums around the world but in particular at the Musee d’Orsay and the Musee Marmotton. So naturally I’ve always wanted to go to Monet’s Garden in Giverny to see where the artist lived and worked.

Monet’s Garden is open from 1st April to 1st November. I went on the 2nd April and have to say this isn’t the best time to visit. It was very cold and pouring with rain that day and almost none of the trees and other plants were in bloom. There were lots of daffodils in flower and a few tulips but that was it as far as flowers go. I would have loved to have seen it when more tulips were out and when all the trellises were covered in roses and wisteria, that would have been beautiful.

Even though it was amazing to see the garden and pond Monet had painted so many times, I don’t recommend visiting at this time of the year. The only good thing about visiting in April is that there weren’t that many other tourists visiting. I can imagine it would be packed in summer. I will definitely be going back when the gardens are at their best.