Paris in Springtime

The tour starts at 3.30pm on Monday 10 March, at the Hotel Edouard VII, Paris.

The tour ends after breakfast on Sunday 23 March, at the Hotel Edouard VII, Paris.

After individual travel arrangements to Paris, join the tour leader for a mid-afternoon orientation tour of the local area before we meet in the evening for welcome drinks, followed by a welcome 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)

Following an introductory lecture in the hotel, 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. Here there’s time to explore the chic boutiques in the beautiful Belle Epoque arcades before we pause for lunch in a charming local bistrot. Afterwards we stroll to the Palais Garnier, where we tour this opulent and extravagant 19th-century temple to music, adorned with gold leaf, coloured marble, and artworks commissioned from the leading artists of the time. In the evening we make our way to the Salle Gaveau, a few steps from the avenue des Champs-Élysées. Here, French operatic tenor Roberto Alagna will perform alongside the Colonne Orchestra in excerpts from Puccini’s greatest operas, including La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Performance I
Venue: Salle Gaveau, Paris
Program: Roberto Alagna, Concerts Prestige

When the Gare d’Orsay was built in 1900, painter Edmund Detaille declared that the railway station looked like a palace of fine art. How appropriate then that one of Detaille’s paintings is now part of the exceptional collection of 19th-century art in the building beautifully recreated as the Musée d’Orsay. A talk at the hotel this morning is followed by a tour of the museum and collection highlights before a break for lunch in the elegant, frescoed restaurant. The afternoon is reserved for any special exhibits featured in the museum’s spring program, or more time in the permanent collection. Overnight Paris (B, L)

Following this morning’s lecture, today’s walking tour takes us through the Marais. The chequered history of this fascinating district saw it transform from swamp to royal precinct then fall out of favour and into decay before being reborn first as an active Jewish community then as the fashionable, bohemian heart of Paris. Thanks to its aristocratic past, the area has retained many of its grand mansions, or hôtels particuliers, now transformed into 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)

After our lecture 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)

The Musée Jacquemart-André was inaugurated in 1913, the generous gift of Nélie Jacquemart and her husband Edouard André who built a sumptuous mansion on one of Hausmann’s grand new boulevards in the late 19th century and filled it with a magnificent collection of fine and decorative art gathered on their travels around the world. This morning we explore the newly renovated private museum, with free time for lunch in the museum café. We then walk the short distance to the lovely Parc Monceau, a genteel oasis established in the late 18th century by Phillippe d’Orléans, cousin to Louis XVI. Painted by Monet and beloved by Berlioz, the park’s informal layout in the “English” style makes it a popular destination for an afternoon promenade. Returning to the hotel the afternoon is at leisure before meeting again this evening for dinner close to the hotel. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Today is at leisure if you wish to relax near the hotel, or your tour leader is happy to lead a stroll around one of Paris’s famous flea markets. These flea markets, or Marchés aux Puces,  first appeared in Paris in the 18th century, located just outside the gates of the city to avoid paying fees and taxes. Still located around the peripherique, 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)

This morning we travel to Fontainebleau. Ignored by large tour groups in favour of its showier competitor Versailles, Fontainebleau is a gem of a château and a wonderful destination in Spring. The original medieval castle on the site was transformed into a hunting lodge for the early Kings of France before Francois I commissioned architect Giles le Breton to transform it once more into a magnificent Renaissance palace. The château was further extended by subsequent monarchs from Henri II through to Louis XIV and remained relatively unscathed through the Revolution. The site languished until rediscovered by Napoleon, who decorated a suite of apartments in his favoured Empire style. Our visit today includes the Grand apartments and the apartments of Napoleon, followed by a stroll around the gardens. Returning to Paris the evening is at leisure. Overnight Paris (B)

Behind the clichés and tourist tat, Montmartre 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. After a talk in our hotel this morning, 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. Tonight we experience Debussy’s masterwork, Pelléas et Mélisande, at the Opéra Bastille. This mesmerising meditation on love and betrayal sees Antonello Manacorda conduct the landmark score, with French soprano Sabine Devieilhe and British baritone Huw Montague Rendall as the naïve title lovers, Mélisande and Pelléas. Kyle Ketelsen as the imperious Prince Golaud, Jean Teitgen as Arkel and Sophie Koch as Geneviève complete the cast. Overnight Paris (B)

Performance II
Venue: Opéra Bastille, Paris
Program: Opera, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande

After our lecture this morning, our group divides in two to make the most of small group visits to two special destinations – the Louvre and the Hôtel de la Marine – with the groups swapping destination after each visit. The Palais du Louvre was a royal residence from the time of Charles V – demolished, rebuilt and extended by successive monarchs – until Louis XIV took his court to his splendid new palace at Versailles. After the Revolution the Louvre became a public museum and today contains one of the world’s great collections of art and sculpture. A short walk across the Tuileries is the Hôtel de la Marine, a beautiful neo-classical building which served as the French Naval headquarters for over 200 years. Today the Hôtel displays beautifully restored 18th-century apartments as well as precious objects from the extensive collection of Sheik Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Your Louvre ticket allows all day re-entry. Overnight Paris (B)

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, together with a number of significant paintings, to the French State and the building opened as the Musée Rodin in 1919. Today the museum and sculpture garden which surrounds it offer an extraordinary insight into the sculptor’s life with many of his greatest works on display. There is time to explore the collection and enjoy lunch in the museum café before we continue on 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. Tonight sees us head to the Art Deco Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for a solo recital with concert pianist and composer Evgeny Kissin performing works by Bach, Chopin and Shostakovich. Overnight Paris (B)

Performance III
Venue: Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Program: Evgeny Kissin, piano. Bach Match No. 2 BWV 826; Chopin Nocturnes n° 3 op. 15 and n° 2 op. 9, Scherzo n° 4 op. 54; Shostakovich Sonata No. 2 op. 61, Preludes and Fugues No. 8, No. 15 and No. 24

Occupying the west wing of the Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of the decorative arts. The museum’s vast permanent collection of largely European decorative arts has objects dating 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 static collection. While your tour leader will help you navigate this extraordinary space, you may like to choose an area that particularly interests you and explore at leisure. After a break for lunch we walk up through the Tuileries 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. Overnight Paris (B)

After a relaxed start to the day we head to the Beaubourg district where, in 1977, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing opened what was then the outrageously modern Centre Pompidou, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Now nearly 50 years old the Pompidou is showing its age, so we have a very special opportunity to enjoy both the building and its superb collection of modern art before it closes till 2030 for renovation and expansion. After a break for lunch the afternoon is at leisure before we meet for our farewell dinner at le Grand Vefour, an opulent brasserie opened in the arcades of the Palais-Royal in 1784. Overnight Paris (B, D)

Our tour ends after breakast in our hotel. Transfers are available to Charles de Gaulle airport for those meeting departing flights. (B)