I can almost hear the tennis balls on the old court behind the historic Hotel Baudy, one-time resting place for renowned American painters, Monet’s friends, and famous artists. If Monet’s house was full, he would send his overflow of guests to this pink villa down the road. Guests were often found playing card games on the metal tables in the rose garden behind the hotel, a simplistically charming and timeless French setting complete with white cobblestones, an ancient watering pot, and romantic trellises.

Behind Hotel Baudy, the setting is kept just as the American painters left it over one hundred years ago

One of the many beautiful, vine-covered stone homes along the cobbledstoned roads

Outside of the American Art Museum

Hedge gardens at the American Art Museum

A crepe food truck close to the gift shops along the main road.

Many tourists do not make it to Restaurant Baudy. They dine at the more casual, lesser quality tourist traps closer to Monet’s home, and they do not even realize this historic garden setting is just another few moments down the road. The food is many steps up from your average tourist-fare, so keep an eye out for the patio with the ancient green and yellow sign.

Behind the Inn

Behind the Inn

The rustic dining room is not equal in aesthetics nor ambience to the flower-laiden patio. We waited patiently for a table in the atmospheric outdoor patio shaded by umbrellas and low, leafy trees. Although Baudy draws its fair share of tourists, locals were plentiful enough. We chatted with a French woman and her husband who live in the next town. They often spend a romantic, leisurely afternoon in Giverny, wandering the quaint roads and having a relaxing lunch at Baudy. Sounds like a Normandy-dream come true.

Lunchtime at Baudy

Exceptional salmon pate

Fromage

Salad with poulet

Behind the inn

On our way to Auvers-sur-Oise, a castle on the side of the road.