31 Jul 2023
I paid top dollar for this tour and opted to add the private Giverny guide. Unfortunately, the guide got sick and LivTours scrambled to get a replacement for us. I am very thankful they found a guide for Versailles but we had to tour Giverny on our own.
At 8:30AM, we were picked up at the hotel by the driver. The van was luxurious and very comfortable. When we got to Giverny, he walked us to the entrance of Monet’s gardens then we were on our own. It was very, very crowded and this was also the 1 day on our 12-day trip that it rained. I’m glad we brought umbrellas from the hotel. I think not having a guide very much degraded our visit here. Without historical input, it was pretty much just a nice garden and a house. We were able to walk around the town a little bit, get souvenirs, and lunch. We stayed there until 2 PM before driving to Versailles. I would have canceled this visit but it was too late to plan an alternate activity.
It was sunny and hot by the time we got to Versailles. Our driver dropped us off and we were met outside the gates by a coordinator who walked us to the ticket booths by the garden entrance. Our guide, Giovanna, was there to drive us around. She’s an art history teacher so we learned so much from her. Thank goodness for the golf cart! We wouldn’t have been able to see as much of the gardens and fountains walking in the heat! We spent about 1 1/2 hours there then went through a group entrance to see the palace. Spent about another hour there then met our driver for the drive back to Paris.
I would definitely recommend the Versailles private tour with golf cart. It was a fun and more efficient way to see the gardens. I would give Giverny a pass without a tour guide.