It is one of the most photographed bridges in the world.

No, it's not London's Tower Bridge, nor is it San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, or even the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It's a much more modest bridge - little more than the length and breadth of a cricket pitch.

It is the Japanese bridge in painter Claude Monet's garden at Giverny, 80km west of Paris, France.

Here in this garden, with its signature bridge, Monet nurtured his renowned skills in painting nature, water and light and the vibrant colours of a garden in different seasons.

“Apart from painting and gardening, I'm not good at anything," Monet said.

Before you even go to Giverny you must visit the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris, at the other end of the Tuileries gardens from the Louvre.

Here you will see the famous Les Nympheas, the Water Lilies, eight giant panels inspired by the water lilies in Monet's Giverny Japanese garden.

The artist gave the paintings to France to celebrate victory in the Great War.

It took Monet 12 years to paint the masterpieces, which were hung in 1927, a year after his death.

The paintings reflect the passage of hours, from morning to sunset, and the changing seasons at Giverny, from the bright colours of spring and summer to the more sombre colours of autumn and winter.

Giverny was the inspiration for Monet's wonderful impressionistic paintings, which have had such a powerful effect on 20th century art.

Half a million visitors each year enjoy the gardens and Monet's house and see firsthand the waterlily pond.

Giverny is about an hour's bus ride from the centre of Paris and the best way to visit is to take an organised, half-day tour.

Monet was the best-known of a colony of painters who lived in the village of Giverny at the turn of the 20th century.

The village inspired countless other artworks but Monet's garden art is best known.