Going to Monet's garden at Giverny had been a "bucket list" item for me, and I was able to make the…read moretrip recently while visiting Paris! It was such a beautiful place and did not disappoint. The flowers in mid-April were beautiful to see, with huge peonies, lots of tulips, crocuses, wisteria on the Japanese bridge, and other spring blooms. This also seemed to be a good time to visit as it gets more packed during the summer. Tip: Rather than doing a bus tour, it was fairly easy to simply take the SCNF train to Vernon. From Vernon, there are regular shuttle buses directly to Monet's garden for 5 Euros each way (10 Euros round trip), so it is very straightforward. The train from Paris to Vernon leaves from Gare St. Lazare. Also, if you do go via train to Vernon to get to Giverny, there was an adorable cat cafe there for lunch: Cookie's Cat Cafe!

We visited in early June and the most wonderful flowers were blooming!…read moreWe had a guided tour through Viator, which you don't need. We only had to do it for the transportation from Paris to Versailles. We went through the house first, because later in the day, the line for the house can get long. The house had interesting decor and colors, and a TON of Japanese artwork, which he fancied. I enjoyed checking out the old school kitchen. There are some paintings of his in the first room, of both of his wives. The garden was magnificent. They have a path that has directions. You can't just go anywhere you want. Some areas are blocked off. Workers were busy pulling weeds etc. There is a Japanese garden that isn't too far to walk. That was very peaceful. It surrounds a lake with lily pads. Very picturesque. Summer is a great time to visit because lots of things are in bloom. Later, the sunflowers will bloom. So each season has its own stars. I have heard winter time isn't fantastic for flowers, which makes sense. So I would say spring summer and fall are best for the gardens.

One of those surprising things you weren't expecting! A steampunk like museum dedicated to turn if…read morethe century motors and engines. The friendly owner often has one fired up for visitors to see. All the engines are in one big room. Placards explain their history in French and English. It won't take long to just take a look since the building is halfway between Monet's gardens and the church where he is buried. Tip jar for donations.

I was very impressed walking through this building. The display is in the information told me…read morethings that I never knew about something that I thought I knew quite a bit of bad. The presentation was well conceived and comfortable. There were plenty of places to stop and listen with the language interpretation headsets that were presented before going on the tour. It's self guided and at your own pace. It worked out wonderfully period it is attached to the Basilica which are able to wander around on the inside which is an amazing structure that was rebuilt after World War II you can imagine the massive size of this name out of work that went into restoring it to its former glory. Be sure to see this little storyboard showing the rebuild.

While I would say that it can be a little difficult to find, being located in a small alleyway…read morebeside the Rouen Cathedral, it is about Jeanne d'arc, and anything about Jeanne is pretty clearly advertised in and around Rouen (in fact they clearly mark all of the significant Jeanne related spots in the city). This isn't actually your ordinary museum, and it definitely isn't her house (you are going to have to go out into the French countryside to actually find her birthplace), but it is a museum that is dedicated to her (I believe that it is the former Archbishop's residence). The museum is more like a guided documentary that follows the second trial of Jeanne, the one that acquitted here (after she had been burnt at the stake mind you) and goes through all aspects of her life, her time in the military, the Battle of Orleans, and of course here capture, trial, and eventual execution. As it is set up as a video where you move from room to room for a different part, they only let people in every fifteen minutes, and the entire tour takes around an hour and a half (depending on how long you spend in the final rooms that look at her legacy). Certainly a different way to set up a museum, and definitely a place to visit if you happen to be in Rouen.

From the owner: Tous au musée Le musée est situé à quelques mètres de la Seine et du centre ville. Il programme…read moreplusieurs expositions par an sur des thèmes différents. Il est très appréciable de pouvoir profiter de la gratuité pour tous le mercredi ainsi que tous les jours pour les enfants et scolaires. Tout le monde a la possibilité de s'instruire.

Walking through this castle is certainly an experience! When we were there, they had an exhibit…read morefrom the "monuments men" movie which was very interesting in the main floor rooms. Then we decided to go up to the top to see the view from the Keep (watchtower). It starts with a simple set of stairs, and then it gets much more challenging. The steps themselves are uneven, the risers aren't uniform so some steps are higher than others, and the steps just keep on coming. About halfway up, you get to the dovecote, where they would keep their carrier pigeons, which was really cool to see. It also gave you a great break from the steps. But the steps continue and get steeper and more challenging. I made it about 2/3 the way up, but my adult children made it all the rest of the way up and said the view from the very top was spectacular, but the view from the level I stopped at was pretty darn good too! I probably could've made the rest of the flights, but I was also getting concerned about getting back down due to the steepness of the steps and the shortage of good handrails. Definitely a climb you need to do with good footwear! We enjoyed the stop, and got great views of the valley, and would recommend it to others.

If you like smaller museums, this is a very neat place to check out at least once when visiting…read moreParis. The main floor and second story have beautiful old interiors. The lower level has a more modern look and features a large collection of Monet works, mostly later ones. It is a beautiful place. They also have a temporary exhibition area with rotating exhibits, although I happened to come between exhibits based on when my trip was. They were setting one up while I was in town. The museum isn't huge, so I suggest timed tickets to make entry easy. The residential and tree-filled neighborhood where this museum is located is also quite pretty. It may be nice to walk around and look at the architecture before or after.

This was a great afternoon and a special treat was the theme exposition on Sleep and hypnosis and…read moreart about it over Centuries. Put Centuries in a few rooms and you get a real overview on how we look at sleep and how we need it. The Monet Exhibit and mantle clocks are not to be missed. We always need a Monet gift from the store, make it 4.

One visit is not enough…read more When you learn to swim. One lesson is never enough. The more you dive into the depths and emerge for a breath of air, the more you enjoy. The more rapturous moments are grasped. Ah, so is the Musee d'Orsay. It is not a museum to plunge to once. One must visit multiple times. Otherwise, it is impossible to swim between exhibits, paddle through the intentions of artists. Be sure, you don't need to swim to enjoy the galleries. Even dog paddling between famous works is enjoyable. However, to truly move through exhibits with ease takes practice. You will thank yourself.

We arrived at Musée d'Orsay without a pre bought ticket…read more The line wasn't that long so we decided to stay. We were inching along, and then suddenly the line moved really fast, they were letting people enter faster. We spent over 10 minutes and we were in. This museum is smaller than the Louvre, and has many floors and seems harder to navigate, so I just let my son take the lead and I followed. We took our time admiring the paintings: Monet, Lautrec, Van Gogh, Degas....some people are going with the flow, but some took too much time posing with the paintings, maybe thinking it's their personal studio .... We really like this museum. The time we went, there is a special exhibit dedicated to Renoir.