London & Paris

Day 1 | Sunday 10 January
Arrive London
Airport transfers to our hotel in London will be arranged by Academy Travel. In the evening, we meet for introductions and welcome drinks in the hotel, followed by dinner. Overnight London (D)

Day 2 | Monday 11 January
The Courtauld Gallery & National Portrait Gallery
| Royal Opera House
Today introduces two of London’s most distinctive public collections, each shaped by a different philosophy of collecting and display. Following a morning talk in our hotel, we begin with a visit to The Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House. Established in the 1930s through the vision of industrialist and collector Samuel Courtauld, alongside fellow philanthropists, the gallery was conceived as both a teaching collection and a public resource. Today it is celebrated for the depth and quality of its holdings, particularly its outstanding group of late 19th- and early 20th-century French paintings, which offer an exceptional overview of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism within an intimate setting. Our next stop is the National Portrait Gallery, a collection founded on the individuals who have shaped British history and culture. Beginning with a welcome lunch in the gallery’s fine restaurant overlooking Trafalgar Square, the afternoon is then free to explore its extensive collection – spanning six centuries of fascinating portraiture from the Tudor period to the present. In the evening, we make our way to London’s prestigious Royal Opera House for our first performance. Overnight London (B, L)

Day 3 | Tuesday 12 January
Oxford Museums & Evensong
Heading out of London today we travel to Oxford, the fabled ‘City of Dreaming Spires’. Here our guided walking tour gives us special access to the historic heart of this university town, including the Sheldonian Theatre and Harris Manchester College Chapel. The chapel, an unexpected jewel in one of Oxford’s smallest colleges, was built in the arts and crafts style of the 19th century and is beautifully illuminated with striking stained-glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. Lunch is enjoyed on Oxford’s bustling High St, before the afternoon is spent at the Ashmolean Museum – the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. Founded in 1683, it is the oldest public museum in the UK and houses an extraordinary range of collections, from ancient Egyptian mummies and classical sculpture to Islamic ceramics and Renaissance masterpieces. Our visit to Oxford concludes with Evensong in the lovely chapel at Christ Church College before we return to London. Overnight London (B, L)

Day 4 | Wednesday 13 January
Leighton House & The National Gallery | West End
Today begins with a talk in our hotel, introducing the themes of artistic privacy and public display that shape the day’s program. Our first stop for the day is Leighton House, the former home of leading Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton. Discreetly set in Kensington, the house is a remarkable example of 19th-century design, its richly decorated interiors reflecting Leighton’s interests in the Middle East and classical antiquity. Conceived as a ‘private palace of art’, it displays many of Leighton’s own works and offers a rare insight into the cultural ambitions and social world of Victorian artistic life. After a break for lunch, we continue to the National Gallery where we delight in two major exhibtions. Renoir and Love will bring together paintings, drawings and works on paper from across Renoir’s career, exploring the theme of love in its many forms and examining how Renoir’s handling of colour, touch and composition conveys emotional closeness. And, for the first time in history, all of Jan van Eyck’s surviving portraits will be displayed together in a single setting. This unprecedented assembly allows for close comparison of works rarely, if ever, seen side by side, offering insight into van Eyck’s revolutionary approach to oil painting and surface detail. Tonight we plan to make our way into West End’s Theatreland for our second performance. Overnight London (B)

Day 5 | Thursday 14 January
Wallace Collection & British Museum | Barbican Centre
Moving from a former private residence to one of the world’s great public museums, our program today highlights contrasting approaches to collecting, display and cultural ambition. We begin at the Wallace Collection, nestled in the heart of Marylebone. A hidden gem among London’s cultural institutions, the collection was assembled by the Marquesses of Hertford and bequeathed to the British nation in the late 19th century. Superbly displayed in what was once the family’s London residence, we spend the morning exploring this excellent collection which includes Frans Hals’ famous work The Laughing Cavalier. After a break for lunch, we then visit the British Museum. Founded in 1753, it was the world’s first national public museum and it contains over eight million objects that paint an interconnected portrait of the world’s cultures. A highlight of our visit will be the Bayeux Tapestry, seen in Britain during its first return in nearly 1,000 years, while the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy is closed for major renovations until late 2027. Extending some 70 metres in length, the embroidery depicts the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, unfolding as a continuous visual narrative of power, ambition and conquest. It’s then a short walk back to our hotel, with time to freshen up before tonight’s performance at the iconic Barbican Centre. Overnight London (B)

Day 6 | Friday 15 January
Tate Britain & the V&A
Tracing connections between fine art, design and everyday creativity through two of London’s most significant collections, our morning is spent at Tate Britain – a veritable temple of British art from the 16th century to the present. Our vist here offers the opportunity to experience a major exhibition devoted to two of the most celebrated British artists of the 20th century. Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant explores the artists’ extraordinary personal and creative partnership over more than 50 years, situating their work within the wider cultural milieu of the Bloomsbury Group. Seen while staying in Bloomsbury ourselves, the exhibition features over 250 works and provides a tangible connection to the intellectual and artistic circles that shaped modern British art, literature and design. Our afternoon is then spent at London’s extraordinary Victoria and Albert Museum. Founded in the mid 19th century as a museum of art, design and manufacture, the V&A’s vast and diverse collections trace the history of creativity across cultures and centuries. From decorative arts and fashion to sculpture and architecture, the museum offers insight into how artistic ideas are translated into objects made for both everyday life and elite patronage, making it an ideal setting for considered exploration at your own pace. On return to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight London (B)

Day 7 | Saturday 16 January
Covent Garden | Royal Opera House
Our morning is devoted to a guided tour through Covent Garden, tracing the district’s evolution from monastic landholdings to one of London’s principal centres of theatre and performance. Setting out from our hotel, we walk through a sequence of historic streets and spaces that reveal layers of urban planning and cultural life. Along the way, we explore the Seven Dials precinct, a 17th-century experiment in town planning designed to attract fashionable residents, before continuing to the elegant colonnades of Covent Garden Piazza – London’s first planned square – and St Paul’s Church, long associated with the theatrical community and often referred to as the ‘Actors’ Church. The walk concludes near the Royal Opera House, where we plan to attend a matinee performance, followed by the remainder of the day at leisure to prepare for our onward journey to Paris. Overnight London (B)

Day 8 | Sunday 17 January
To Paris & Musée d’Orsay
The artistic and cultural dialogue between London and Paris has shaped European art for centuries, and this morning we cross the Channel to continue that exchange. An early departure takes us to historic St Pancras International, where we board the high-speed train to Paris. Arriving in the early afternoon, we begin the Paris chapter of our journey with a visit to the Musée d’Orsay. Housed within the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station completed in 1900, it was transformed in the late 1980s into France’s national museum of 19th-century art. The conversion, led by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, preserved the character of the original structure while creating a carefully considered setting for the collection. A guided visit introduces the museum’s outstanding holdings, tracing artistic developments from Realism through Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, many of which form an important point of reference to works encountered earlier in London. Following our visit, we cross the Seine to our hotel, with time to settle in before reconvening for dinner this evening. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Day 9 | Monday 18 January
Musée Jacquemart-André & Parc Monceau
| Opéra-Comique
Our program today focuses on Paris in the late 18th and 19th centuries, shaped by private taste and new urban spaces. Following a talk in our hotel this morning, our first point of call is the Museé Jacquemart-André. Inaugurated in 1913, it is the generous gift of Nelie Jacquemart and her husband Edouard Andre who built a sumptuous mansion on one of Hausmann’s grand new Boulevards and filled it with a magnificent collection of fine and decorative art gathered on their travels around the world. After exploring the newly renovated museum, we then walk the short distance to the lovely Parc Monceau, a genteel oasis established in the late 18th century by Phillippe d’Orleans, cousin to Louis XVI. Imortalised on canvas by Monet and beloved by Berlioz, the park’s informal layout in the “English” style makes it a popular destination for an afternoon promenade. After time to freshen up back at our hotel, we conclude our day with a performance at the historic Opéra-Comique. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 10 | Tuesday 19 January
Notre Dame & Musée Cluny | Palais Garnier
Turning to the medieval foundations of Paris, today traces the city’s religious, intellectual and artistic life along the Left Bank. We begin with a walking exploration of the famed Rive Gauche, starting at one of Paris’s most iconic monuments, the newly reopened Notre-Dame Cathedral. Partially destroyed by fire in 2019, the cathedral has been meticulously restored using traditional materials and techniques that echo its 12th-century origins. From Notre-Dame, we continue through the Latin Quarter, long associated with scholarship and learning through institutions such as the Sorbonne. After a break for lunch, we then visit the Musée de Cluny – the Musée National du Moyen Âge. Housed within a former medieval abbey and incorporating the remains of a Roman bath complex, the museum offers an exceptional survey of medieval art and material culture. Highlights include objects salvaged from Notre-Dame following the fire, rare liturgical works, and the celebrated series of tapestries The Lady and the Unicorn – widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of medieval European art. This evening we make our way to the Palais Garnier, designed by Charles Garnier. Its richly decorated interiors – from the grand staircase to the gilded auditorium – reflect the spectacle and social ritual that surrounded 19th-century operatic life and provide a fitting setting for an evening performance. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 11 | Wednesday 20 January
Fontainebleau | Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Moving beyond Paris today, we explore the evolution of royal power and artistic taste – from the medieval period through to the Napoleonic era – at the Château de Fontainebleau. Often overshadowed by Versailles, this lesser-known treasure began as a medieval castle before being transformed into a hunting lodge for the early Kings of France, and later into a magnificent Renaissance palace when François I commissioned architect Gilles le Breton. The château survived the French Revolution largely unscathed, though it later fell into disrepair until it was rediscovered by Napoleon, who developed a suite of apartments in his favoured Empire style. Our visit includes the Grand Apartments and Napoleon’s private rooms, followed by time to stroll through the surrounding gardens. We then return to Paris in time to freshen up for this evening’s performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées – an Art Deco masterpiece. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 12 | Thursday 21 January
Musée de l’Orangerie & Les Passages Couverts
Today offers a slower-paced exploration of Parisian art and urban life, beginning with a morning visit is to the Musée de l’Orangerie, set at the western end of the Tuileries Garden. The museum is renowned for Claude Monet’s monumental Nymphéas cycle, installed in two purpose-built oval rooms designed in close consultation with the artist to encourage a continuous, immersive viewing experience. Beyond Monet, the collection also includes important works by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso and Modigliani, offering further insight into early 20th-century modernism. We then make our way to Angelina for lunch, a favoured meeting place for Parisian society, artists and designers in the early 20th century, before enjoying a leisurely stroll through the nearby Passages Couverts. Dating largely from the late 18th and 19th centuries, these elegant covered arcades provide a glimpse into Parisian life before Haussmann, and are now home to a mix of specialist shops and historic cafés. On return to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 13 | Friday 22 January
Musée Rodin, Musée Bourdelle & Musée de la Musique | Philharmonie de Paris
Exploring artistic creation across sculpture and music, today we move from the intimate world of the artist’s studio to one of Paris’s most ambitious contemporary cultural institutions. Beginning our day at the Hôtel Biron, now the Musée Rodin, we experience where the great sculptor Auguste Rodin lived and worked from 1908 until his death in 1917. In an unprecedented gesture, Rodin bequeathed his entire collection to the French State, and today the museum and its surrounding sculpture garden offer a compelling insight into his life, working methods and artistic legacy. We enjoy lunch together in the museum’s garden restaurant before continuing to the former studio of another major French sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle. Often overlooked, the Musée Bourdelle presents a rich collection of the artist’s own works alongside pieces he acquired, including several powerful busts of Ludwig van Beethoven, revealing Bourdelle’s engagement with musical expression and heroic form. We then travel to our final destination of the day, the Philharmonie de Paris. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and inaugurated in 2015, the building is a striking example of contemporary cultural architecture, its flowing form clad in interlocking aluminium panels that shift with the light. Here we enjoy an evening performance in the Grande Salle Pierre Boulez, celebrated for its immersive acoustics. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 14 | Saturday 23 January
Musée Marmottan Monet & Musée des Années Trente
Our final day of touring begins in the leafy western reaches of Paris at the Musée Marmottan Monet, once a modest hunting lodge bordering the Bois de Boulogne. Now a treasure trove of Impressionist art, the museum owes its remarkable holdings to key bequests from Doctor Georges de Bellio, an early champion of the Impressionists and physician to several of them. It is particularly renowned for its stunning selection of Monet’s Water Lilies and the very painting that gave the movement its name, Impression, Sunrise, and despite a daring heist in 1985 which temporarily relieved the collection of some key works, we can appreciate over 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works on our visit today. After a break for lunch, we continue to the Musée des Années Trente, housed within the elegant Espace Landowski in Boulogne-Billancourt. This often overlooked museum provides a vivid insight into French artistic, cultural and social life during the interwar years, a period marked by experimentation and rapid change. Its diverse collection spans painting, sculpture, furniture, fashion, ceramics, industrial design and architectural models, capturing the shifting aesthetics and modern aspirations of the 1920s and 1930s. We end the day with a farewell dinner at Le Grand Véfour, tucked beneath the arcades of the Palais-Royal. This opulent brasserie first opened its doors in 1784 and has welcomed a glittering clientele ever since. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Day 15 | Sunday 24 January
Depart Paris
The tour ends after breakfast. Please refer to your individual documents for your onward journeys. (B)