London & Paris

Day 1 | Sunday 10 January
Arrive London
London and Paris have long stood at the centre of European artistic and cultural life. Across the centuries, painters, writers, musicians and performers have moved between these two great capitals, drawing inspiration from their museums, theatres and intellectual circles. Beginning our exploration in London, we stay in Bloomsbury, a neighbourhood whose literary and artistic associations make it a fitting introduction to the cultural traditions that connect these two cities. Arrival transfers will be arranged by Academy Travel throughout the day, with time to settle into the hotel before we gather this evening for a welcome drink, followed by dinner in the Chapel Room. Overnight London (D)

Day 2 | Monday 11 January
Faces of Modern Britain
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, housed within Somerset House on the Strand. Established in the 1930s through the
vision of industrialist and collector Samuel Courtauld, today its celebrated holdings include masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism by artists such as Manet, Monet, Degas and Van Gogh. A special exhibition, Winifred Gill: A Bloomsbury Pioneer, also allows us to examine the work of one of the movement’s lesser-known figures, providing further insight into the intellectual circles that flourished in this part of London during the early 20th century. 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 set aside to explore its extensive collection. In the evening, we kick off our performance program with Caryl Churchill’s satirical classic, Cloud 9, at the Lyttelton Theatre on the South Bank. With a cast led by Charlotte Ritchie and Sam Troughton, this bold new staging directed by Dominic Cooke explores themes of imperialism and sexual politics. Overnight London (B, L)

Day 3 | Tuesday 12 January
Oxford Museums & Evensong
For over 800 years, Oxford has been one of Europe’s leading centres of learning, its colleges and institutions associated with generations of scholars, writers and public figures. Travelling west from London this morning, we arrive in the fabled ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ for a guided walk through its historic centre. Highlights include the Sheldonian Theatre, Sir Christopher Wren’s first major commission, the medieval Divinity School, and the chapel of Harris Manchester College, whose ‘Arts and Crafts’ stained glass was designed by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. Lunch is then 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. 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
Victorian Taste & European Art
London’s artistic life has long been shaped by both private patronage and public institutions. Today we explore these complementary worlds, beginning in the former home of one of Victorian Britain’s most celebrated artists before visiting one of the nation’s great public galleries. Following a morning talk in the hotel, we travel to Kensington to visit Leighton House – the former home and studio of Frederic, Lord Leighton. Conceived as a ‘private palace of art’, its richly decorated interiors draw inspiration from the architecture of the Middle East and Mediterranean. After a break for lunch, we then continue to The National Gallery, where, alongside highlights from the permanent collection, we take in two major exhibitions. Renoir & Love brings together more than 50 works from the most productive period of the artist’s career, while Van Eyck: The Portraits reunites all of his nine surviving portraits in a single exhibition. Together, they explore two pivotal moments in the development of European painting. Later in the evening, we make our way to the Barbican Centre for a special concert marking the 80th birthday of American composer John Adams. Conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and joined by Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, Adams leads a program spanning four decades of his career. Overnight London (B)

Day 5 | Thursday 14 January
Collecting the Past
Unlike many major museums, the Wallace Collection remains displayed within the grand townhouse for which it was originally intended. Nestled in the heart of Marylebone, this hidden gem among London’s cultural institutions was assembled by the Marquesses of Hertford and bequeathed to the British nation in the late 19th century. After spending the morning exploring its excellent collection, which includes Frans Hals’ famous work The Laughing Cavalier, we continue to the venerable British Museum. Founded in 1753, it was the world’s first national public museum and remains one of the most significant repositories of human history and culture. A highlight of our visit is The Bayeux Tapestry, displayed in Britain during its first return in nearly 1,000 years. Stretching almost 70 metres in length, this remarkable embroidered narrative recounts the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It’s then a short walk back to our hotel, with time to freshen up before tonight’s performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House. Presented in David McVicar’s acclaimed production, the opera combines comedy, fantasy and Enlightenment ideals in a work that has captivated audiences since its premiere in 1791. Overnight London (B)

Day 6 | Friday 15 January
Fashioning Identity
The visual languages of art and fashion often extend beyond aesthetics to express ideas of identity and status. Today’s program explores these themes through two contrasting exhibitions, beginning with Painting the French Riviera, a major survey at the Royal Academy of Arts. Spanning the late 19th and 20th centuries, the exhibition explores how the Mediterranean coast inspired generations of artists, from the pioneers of modernism to those drawn to the region’s distinctive light, colour and landscapes. Through works by Monet, Signac, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso and Chagall, it examines the Riviera’s evolution inspiration to destination. After a break for lunch, we then turn our attention to one of the most recognisable public images of the modern era with the landmark exhibition Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Bringing together the most extensive display of Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe ever assembled, the exhibition features designs by couturiers including Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, highlighting the craftsmanship, symbolism and careful messaging embedded in royal dress across more than 70 years of public life. On return to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight London (B)

Day 7 | Saturday 16 January
Covent Garden
Covent Garden occupies a distinctive place in London’s cultural history. Developed in the 17th century as the city’s first planned square, it evolved from a fashionable residential district into a centre of commerce, entertainment and performance, becoming closely associated with London’s theatrical life. Accompanied by a local guide this morning, we explore the area’s historic streets and squares, tracing this transformation through the urban fabric of the West End. Highlights include the Seven Dials precinct, an ambitious experiment in town planning designed to attract affluent residents, and St Paul’s Church, often known as the ‘Actors Church’. Our walk concludes near Covent Garden Piazza and the London Coliseum, where we attend a matinee performance of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. Presented by thr English National Ballet, this landmark production was created by Rudolf Nureyev in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee and premiered at the Coliseum the same year. Marking its 50th anniversary, the ballet combines Shakespeare’s tragic story with Prokofiev’s celebrated score, performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic. Overnight London (B)

Day 8 | Sunday 17 January
London to Paris
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. A visit here 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. We also take in the special exhibition Auguste Bartholdi: Liberty Enlightening the World. Focusing on the career of this Alsatian sculptor, the exhibition explores the monumental ambitions that defined his work and the political context that shaped it. Particular attention is given to the creation of the Statue of Liberty, a project first conceived for the Suez Canal before evolving into one of the world’s most recognisable public monuments. 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
Collectors, Patrons & Parisian Grandeur
The wealth and ambition of 19th-century Paris found expression not only in its museums and galleries but also in the grand residences and public buildings that transformed the city during the Second Empire. Following a morning talk in the hotel, we begin at the Musée Jacquemart-André. Inaugurated in 1913, it is the generous gift of Nélie Jacquemart and her husband Edouard André 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. We then continue to the Palais Garnier, Charles Garnier’s lavish opera house completed in 1875. During our guided tour, we explore its grand staircase, richly decorated foyers and celebrated auditorium, crowned by Marc Chagall’s colourful ceiling. The juxtaposition of Chagall’s modern vision of 1964 with Garnier’s lavish Second Empire architecture highlights the continuing evolution of one of Paris’s most influential buildings. Tonight we make our way to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. First performed in Mantua in 1607, the work is widely regarded as one of the earliest masterpieces of opera, transforming the classical story of Orpheus and Eurydice into a powerful exploration of love, loss and redemption. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 10 | Tuesday 19 January
The Medieval City
Medieval Paris emerged on and around the Île de la Cité before expanding across the Left Bank, where churches, schools and colleges established the city as one of Europe’s leading centres of learning. Accompanied by our local guide, we begin our day at Notre-Dame Cathedral. Reopened following the devastating fire of 2019, the cathedral once again reveals the architectural ambition of the Gothic age and the craftsmanship that has sustained it across more than 850 years of history. From here, we continue through the Latin Quarter, whose name recalls the language of medieval scholarship. Walking past the Sorbonne and towards the Panthéon, we trace the development of an intellectual district that has attracted students, writers and thinkers for centuries. After a break for lunch, we then visit the Musée de Cluny, France’s national museum of the Middle Ages. Housed within a medieval abbey and incorporating the remains of Roman baths, the museum contains one of Europe’s finest collections of medieval art. Highlights include treasures from Notre-Dame and the celebrated Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, among the most important surviving works of medieval European art. On return to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 11 | Wednesday 20 January
Fontainebleau
Few royal residences embody the history of France as completely as the Château de Fontainebleau. Developed over more than 700 years, it served successive monarchs from the medieval period to the 19th century, each leaving their mark on the architecture and landscape. Travelling beyond Paris this morning, we visit the château with a local guide, exploring a residence transformed by François I into one of the principal centres of the French Renaissance and later adopted by Napoleon as an imperial palace. Our visit includes the Grand Apartments, the Galerie François I and Napoleon’s private apartments, revealing the changing tastes of France’s rulers across the centuries. There is also time to enjoy the gardens before we return to Paris. In the evening, we make our way to the Opéra Bastille for Verdi’s masterwork, Il Trovatore. First performed in Rome in 1853, the opera is among the composer’s most celebrated works, combining political intrigue, family rivalry and doomed love with some of the most dramatic music in the operatic repertoire. The performance features an international cast including baritone Quinn Kelsey as Count di Luna and mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina as Azucena in two of the opera’s most compelling roles. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 12 | Thursday 21 January
Monet’s Paris
In the final decades of his life, Claude Monet embarked on an increasingly ambitious exploration of the passage of time, culminating in the monumental Nymphéas now displayed in the pair of oval galleries he helped design at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Alongside these celebrated works, our morning visit here also takes in Monet: Painting Time, a major exhibition marking the centenary of his death. Bringing together almost 40 paintings, the exhibition examines Monet’s changing treatment of time – from the fleeting impressions of his early career to the serial studies of haystacks, poplars and Rouen Cathedral. Lunch is then enjoyed at Angelina, one of Paris’s most celebrated tea rooms, before we explore the city’s historic Passages Couverts. Developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these elegant covered arcades anticipated the department stores and shopping galleries of modern Paris and preserve a fascinating glimpse of the city before Haussmann’s great urban transformations. As evening falls, we venture out to the Philharmonie de Paris, the striking concert hall designed by architect Jean Nouvel. Here we attend a concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Klaus Mäkelä. Renowned for his interpretations of Sibelius, Mäkelä leads a program pairing the Finnish composer’s music with works by Dmitri Chostakovitch. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 13 | Friday 22 January
Rodin, Bourdelle & Beethoven
Paris was at the forefront of a revolution in sculpture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and few artists were more influential in that transformation than Auguste Rodin. This morning we visit the Musée Rodin, housed within the Hôtel Biron where the sculptor lived and worked from 1908 until his death in 1917. Lunch is enjoyed in the museum’s garden restaurant before we continue to the Musée Bourdelle. Dedicated to the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, a student of Rodin and one of the leading figures of early 20th-century French sculpture, the museum preserves the artist’s former studio and workshops. Alongside monumental sculptures, the collection reveals Bourdelle’s longstanding fascination with music, particularly through his celebrated depictions of Beethoven, whose image and music remained a source of inspiration throughout his career. The evening sees us return to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for our final performance. Daniele Gatti will lead the Orchestre National de France in a program that pairs Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen, composed in the aftermath of the Second World War, with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, the Eroica, a work that transformed the scale and ambition of the symphonic form. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 14 | Saturday 23 January
From Impressionism to Modernity
The final day of our tour traces the evolution of French art from the age of Impressionism to the modern world of the early 20th century. We begin at the Musée Marmottan Monet, home to the world’s largest collection of works by Claude Monet, including Impression, Sunrise, the painting that gave Impressionism its name. Alongside the museum’s celebrated holdings, we view the special exhibition Histories of Landscape: From Monet to Hockney (1890–2025). Works by Monet are shown alongside those of Pierre Bonnard, Edvard Munch, Joan Mitchell and David Hockney, examining changing approaches to colour and light from the late 19th century to the present day. We then continue to the Musée des Années Trente in Boulogne-Billancourt. One of France’s most important collections devoted to the interwar period, the museum explores the cultural ambitions of the 1920s and 1930s through decorative arts, fashion and design. In the evening, we gather for a farewell dinner to celebrate the conclusion of our journey through these two great cultural capitals. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Day 15 | Sunday 24 January
Depart Paris
The tour ends after breakfast this morning. Individual airport transfers will be arranged by Academy Travel (B)