Excursions and Tourist Visit : Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur

Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur

Honfleur at night panorama

First, you’ll visit Impressionist master Claude Monet’s country home in the lovely village of Giverny. Explore the remarkable flower and Japanese water gardens he created and painted. Monet’s gardens were a constant source of inspiration for him. Art lovers will recognize the water lilies, bridges, willows, the banks of flowers and the light reflected on the pond.

Flowering Guide at Giverny

• April: Tulips, pansies, forget-me-nots, narcissi, aubrietas, cherry and crabapple blossoms, daffodils
• May: Iris, peonies, rhododendrons, geraniums, wisteria, azaleas, wallflowers, daisies, delphiniums
• June: Roses, poppies, clematis, tamaris
• July: Roses, nasturtiums, ageratums, zinnias, nicotiana, busy lizzies, verbenas, dahlias, rudbeckias, salvia, gladioli, cleomes, cosmos, sunflowers, helianthus, water lilies
• August: Dahlias, roses, cosmos, rudbeckias, hibiscus, nasturtiums, water lilies
• September: Carpets of nasturtiums, asters, dahlias, cosmos, rudbeckias

Next, you’ll visit Rouen, where you will have lunch and can enjoy the city’s highlights, including:

• The spectacular Great Clock that is housed in a Gothic Belfry with a Renaissance archway. It also shows the phases of the moon dates from the early 16th century
• The Cathedral with its ornate facade and highly decorated entranceway, light filled nave, beautiful stained glass windows, effigy of Richard the Lionheart, staircase to the library and Lady Chapel. Monet painted it over 30 times!
• The Place du Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431.

Your final stop will be the charming town of Honfleur, with an inner port, built in the 17th Century. It was one of the major French ports in the slave trade, and was the starting point for expeditions of discovery. Samuel Champlain, the founder of Quebec, sailed from here.

Location