Paris in Springtime

Day 1 | Monday 16 March
Arrival
Following individual travel arrangements to Paris, join the tour leader for a mid-afternoon orientation tour of the local area. In the evening we’ll enjoy welcome drinks and dinner at Le Train Bleu, the fine dining restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, whose majestic, thematic rooms representing the cities and regions of France were created for the Universal Exhibition in 1900. Overnight Paris (D)

Day 2 | Tuesday 17 March
Palais, Places & Passages
After a talk in our hotel this morning we begin our Paris adventure with a walking tour through the elegant Palais Royal precinct. Originally built for Cardinal Richelieu, the Palais was the childhood home of Louis XIV and the venue for lively parties thrown by the Regent, Phillipe d’Orléans. Strapped for cash in 1781, Phillipe subdivided the site, creating one of the first purpose-built shopping promenades. There’s time to explore the chic boutiques in the beautiful Belle Epoque arcades before lunch at Angelina’s on rue Rivoli, where Coco Chanel used to sip her chocolat chaud. We then take the metro to the Place de la Concorde. Dominated by the Luxor Obelisk, the Place offers exceptional views down the Avenue des Champs Elysees, the grand ‘spine’ of Paris. Adjacent to the square is the elegant Hôtel de la Marine, a fine neo-classical building which was the French Naval headquarters for more than 200 years. Here, we visit the hotel’s beautifully restored 18th-century apartments and view the exceptional Al Thani collection, a beautiful array of precious objects belonging to the Sheik Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 3 | Wednesday 18 March
Musée D’Orsay | Tosca at Opéra Bastille
When the Gare d’Orsay was completed in 1900, painter Edmund Detaille remarked that the new railway station looked more like a palace of fine art than a transport hub. It is fitting, then, that one of Detaille’s own works now forms part of the museum’s superb collection of 19th-century art, housed within the beautifully reimagined Musée d’Orsay, which opened in 1986. After a morning talk at our hotel, we make our way to the museum for a guided tour of its collection highlights, followed by lunch together in the elegant, frescoed restaurant on site. This afternoon we turn our attention to the museum’s major temporary exhibition, Renoir and Love – a subject on which our tour leader has published extensively, offering valuable insights into Renoir’s depictions of intimacy, sensuality and the feminine form. For the first time since 1985 – when the last Renoir retrospective was staged at the Grand Palais – a selection of the artist’s and Impressionism’s greatest masterpieces will be reunited in France. Tonight we make our way to the Opéra Bastille for Puccini’s gripping opera, as Angel Blue stars as the volatile diva Floria Tosca, alongside Freddie De Tommaso as Tosca’s revolutionary lover, Cavaradossi. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 4 | Thursday 19 March
The Marais
This morning we take a guided walking tour through the Marais. The chequered history of this fascinating district saw it transform from swamp to royal precinct. It then fell out of favour and into decay before being reborn first as an active Jewish community, and finally the fashionable, bohemian heart of Paris. Thanks to its aristocratic past, the area has retained many of its grand mansions, or hotels particuliers, most now repurposed as exceptional museums. We visit the Musée Carnavalet, whose comprehensive display charts the history of Paris through to 1789, before a light lunch in our tour leader’s favourite bistrot. There is also the opportunity to visit other sites such as the elegant Musée Picasso before returning to the hotel. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Day 5 | Friday 20 March
Musée Marmotten Monet - Paris Between the Wars
After a talk this morning we make our way to the Musée Marmottan Monet on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. Once the hunting lodge of the Duke de Valmy, then home to collector Paul Marmottan, the lodge now houses an extraordinary collection of Impressionist works, established with bequests from Doctor Georges de Bellio, an early supporter of the Impressionist movement, and Claude Monet’s son and heir Michel. Here we’ll see many of Monet’s later works such as the monumental water lily canvases, beautifully displayed in a purpose-built room. After a break for lunch we transfer to nearby Boulange Billancourt, a smart area west of the centre of Paris, where we visit the Musée des Années Trente, an often-overlooked gem which champions the fine, decorative, and industrial arts of the 1930s. The excellent, wide-ranging collection includes paintings and decorative arts from the period. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 6 | Saturday 21 March
Marché aux Puces
Today is at leisure if you wish to relax near the hotel or accompany your tour leader on a stroll around one of Paris’s famous flea markets. Known as the Marchés aux Puces, these markets first appeared in Paris in the 18th century, located just outside the gates of the city to avoid paying fees and taxes. Still found around the périphérique, the ring road which separates the city from the suburbs, the markets sell quality second-hand goods. The Marché aux Puces de Vanves, today’s destination, is one of the smaller and easier to navigate flea markets, tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. Expect to find eccentric furniture, vintage collectables and quirky curiosities - some of which should fit in your suitcase! Overnight Paris (B)

Day 7 | Sunday 22 March
Musée Jacquemart-André | Ballet at Opéra Garnier
The Musée Jacquemart-André was inaugurated in 1913 as the remarkable legacy of Nélie Jacquemart and her husband, Édouard André, who built their sumptuous mansion on one of Haussmann’s grand new boulevards in the late 19th century. Filled with an exceptional collection of fine and decorative arts gathered during their travels, the house has long been one of Paris’s most atmospheric private museums. This morning we explore its recently renovated galleries, with free time afterwards to enjoy lunch at the museum’s elegant café. Following our visit, we take a gentle walk to the nearby Parc Monceau, a refined oasis created in the late 18th century by Philippe d’Orléans, cousin of Louis XVI. Immortalised by Monet and cherished by Berlioz, the Park’s picturesque, English-style layout – with its winding paths, follies and shaded lawns – has made it a favourite destination for an afternoon promenade. In the late afternoon we make our way to the Opéra Garnier for a contemporary ballet performance featuring works by Marcos Morau, Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright – an intriguing contrast to the theatre’s historic Second Empire grandeur. After the performance, we return to the hotel area for dinner at a nearby restaurant. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Day 8 | Monday 23 March
Château de Chantilly
Joining our coach this morning we head north of Paris to the town of Chantilly where we visit the chateau, built in 1882 for the son of King Louis-Phillipe I, Henri d’Orléans, Duc d’Aumale. Exiled in 1886, D’Aumale was permitted to return to France once it was revealed that he had bequeathed the chateau, his extensive art collection and extraordinary library to the Institut de France. A noted collector and bibliophile, d’Aumale’s art collection includes works by Raphael, Van Dyck, and Delacroix and his library has over 17,500 volumes and illustrated manuscripts including the magnificent Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Following our visit we’ll have a break for lunch in the town of Chantilly before returning to Paris. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 9 | Tuesday 24 March
Republic of Pleasure
Following a talk this morning in our hotel, we make our way to Montmartre which has a fascinating and colourful story to tell. The site where the 3rd-century Christian bishop and martyr Saint Denis was believed to have been beheaded by the Romans, Mons Martyrium was also the birthplace of Parisian bohemia, cabaret and, arguably, of modern art. Our walking tour takes us through the winding, cobbled streets and up to the basilica of Sacré-Cœur then on to the Montmartre cemetery, whose famous residents include Dégas, Nijinsky and François Truffaut. After free time for lunch, we visit the Musée de la Vie Romantique, a charming museum devoted to the works of novelist George Sand and artists of the Romantic Period. The afternoon is at leisure before our evening performance (schedules permitting). Overnight Paris (B)

Day 10 | Wednesday 25 March
Notre Dame & Left Bank
Today we take a guided walking tour of the famed Rive Gauche, an area long associated with the Bohemian counterculture thanks to its proximity to the University of Paris. Our walk begins at one of Paris’s most iconic monuments, the cathedral of Notre Dame. Open once again following the catastrophic fire of 2019, the Cathedral has been painstakingly restored by skilled artisans using similar techniques and materials to those used for its original construction in the 12th century. In a break from tradition, more than 100 artists were invited to submit designs for a new, contemporary stained-glass window in the cathedral, hopefully to be revealed in time for our visit. After a break for lunch, we make our way to the Musée Cluny where we can see some of the original items rescued from Notre Dame, replicated when deemed too fragile to return, along with a wealth of medieval treasures such as the lovely Lady and the Unicorn tapestry. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 11 | Thursday 26 March
Love & War | Théâtre des Champs Elysées
August Rodin bought the 18th-century Hôtel Biron in 1908, using the residence as a home and studio until his death in 1917. He bequeathed his entire collection of sculptures and a number of significant paintings to the French State and the Hôtel was established as the Musée Rodin in 1919. Today the museum and surrounding sculpture garden offer an extraordinary insight into the sculptor’s life with many of his greatest works on display. We have free time to explore the collection and enjoy lunch in the museum café before continuing to the Hôtel des Invalides, housing the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Under a dome created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louis XIV and regilded with 12 kilos of gold leaf for the Bicentenary of the Revolution in 1989, the Emperor rests in a magnificent red porphyry sarcophagus alongside many of France’s greatest military heroes. Returning to the hotel, there is time to relax before our final performance this evening, when we make our way to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées – one of Paris’s most distinguished early 20th-century theatres, renowned for its elegant Art Deco interiors and rich musical history. Here we attend a concert by the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, joined by internationally acclaimed violinist Christian Tetzlaff, with a majestic repertoire from Bach to Frank Martin under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock. Overnight Paris (B)

(Photo: Dalbera - Flickr)

Day 12 | Friday 27 March
Orangerie & Musée des Arts Décoratifs
This morning we take a pleasant walk across the elegant Tuileries Gardens to the Musée de l’Orangerie. This collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art complements what we have seen at the Marmottan Monet and includes a further set of Monet’s magnificent Water Lilies, gifted by the artist in 1922, as well as a temporary exhibition of the art of Henri Rousseau, entitled The Ambition of Painting. After a break for lunch we continue to the Musée des Arts Decoratifs. Occupying the west wing of the Louvre, and now often referred to by its fashionable acronym, MAD is dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of the decorative arts. This vast collection of largely European decorative arts dates from the Middle Ages to the present day, including furniture, fashion, ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles, toys and more. The fragile nature of many of the objects means that the museum stages fascinating, carefully curated seasonal exhibitions alongside the permanent collection. While your tour leader will help you navigate this extraordinary space, you may like to choose an area that particularly interests you to explore at leisure. Overnight Paris (B)

Day 13 | Saturday 28 March
Musée d’Art Moderne
Often overlooked in favour of the city’s more famous art museums, the Musée d’Art Moderne, or MAM Paris, holds an excellent and extensive collection dedicated to modern and contemporary art of the 20th and 21st centuries, including monumental murals and works by Picasso, Braque, Dufy, Matisse, Bonnard and Giacometti. Our visit this morning takes us through some of the collection highlights followed by free time to explore further. The afternoon is at leisure before we meet again this evening, making our way back to the Palais Royal for our farewell dinner at Le Grand Véfour, an opulent brasserie which first opened in the arcades of the Palais in 1784. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Day 14 | Sunday 29 March
Departure
Our tour ends after breakfast in our hotel. Transfers are available to Charles de Gaulle airport for those meeting departing flights. (B)