Giverny was one of my favorite places to visit my entire trip. I’m a novice gardener and art enthusiast, so this was a dream come true. Our driver provided an adventurous ride, an excellent lunch, and lots of entertainment. I loved all the details he knew about Versailles (even if it is very crowded and hot in July). Also, I have back issues and appreciated the ability to take most of the trip at my own pace, with several car ride breaks in between. A great balance of structured guidance and flexibility to roam both places. Highly recommended!

All was lovely! The only thing I would suggest is when you advertise the guide as English speaking, you need to make sure he is truly fluently a English speaking without a strong foreign ascent. Our guide was SO accommodating, professional and sweet. And I could tell he knew his educational historical and artisan history well, BUT - he did not speak English without some Trouble at times. He had a strong foreign accent and was hard to understand. We all had to listen intently (uncomfortably intently) the entire time to understand what he was saying. Then when in the tour with all the people packed In the rooms and all the people talking. We definitely could not understand him. Then in addition to that, our equipment he gave us worked only a little bit because if the accent and broken English was not bad enough, on the tour the channel we were assigned to hear on had interference and other guides talking on the same assigned channel as our guide. So we could all not hear.

We took a tour that included Giverny, Monet’s home and gardens in Normandy, and Versailles in the afternoon. Our guide, Marcello, provided a great introduction on the drive north, with good advice about “must see” views in the gardens. Arriving in the chilly autumn morning meant the sunlight suffused the gardens, with a surreal insight into Impressionism. Even in October the flowers were blossoming. Whether you prefer the Normandy gardens or the lily ponds you will enjoy. Lunch was a few km away in a new/old restaurant that shuttles people from numerous tour parties, with mechanical precision. Again, Marcello regaled us with Louis XIV, rattling off statistics from the number of fireplaces to the vertical rise in the Seine to fill the canals, all with a merry twinkle. you can only see the brisk tour of the palace in half a day. To see the gardens complete is a week. But the image of a fountain in the canal ejaculating each time Le roi stepped theatrically was priceless.