Art in Paris - An exploration of the art treasures of Paris!

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Water lilies at the Orangerie.

THIS TRIP IS NEXT SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 26 - MAY 3, 2011.
Please see the current trip description for details.
We can also organize and operate this trip as a private departure.

Start organizing your private Paris art adventure here.

Paris in the Spring Slide Show

Immerse yourself in the art and history of Paris, and feel the heartbeat of one of Europe’s great cities! The Louvre and a wealth of other museums—including the Orsay and Rodin Museums—will be "in your backyard." Take your time and explore their vast and exquisite collections. Architectural icons like Notre Dame are woven into a centuries-old cityscape. Day trips from Paris will let you experience Claude Monet’s home at Giverny, the palace of Versailles, and the chateau and gardens at Vaux le Vicomte. Sip a café au lait; stroll down a shaded allée; feel the chic of the Champs Elysées! Paris is a city like no other!

Your guide on this Parisian art adventure is award-winning art educator, Amy Osaki, founder of Walking Softly Adventures, who studied and lived in Paris. Let Amy reveal the unique aspects of Paris to you in a way that avoids the hassles and the crowds. Explore what is new as well as what is timeless, and savor well-known masterpieces as well as the little known secrets of the City of Light.

Les Invalides from Pont Alexandre III, Paris.

Notre Dame de Paris.

Day 1
Theme: “We are in Paris!!”
Begin with a trip orientation meeting and an introduction to a Paris neighborhood. In celebration of your arrival in the City of Light, enjoy an afternoon walk through the streets of Paris passing major monuments and new attractions on both banks of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame. Dine this evening at a small Parisian restaurant.

The Louvre.

I.M. Pei's pyramid, Louvre

Day 2
Theme: “Old Paris”
Beneath the modern city lie the roots of the original settlement of the Parisii (the original tribe) as well as the remnants of Lutece (the ancient Roman city). If you know where to look, you can actually see physical evidence of the city's two thousand year history! We focus today on the banks of the Seine and the two islands, Ile de la Cité and Ile St Louis. Begin with a visit to the Louvre, formerly home to French kings and now the repository of one of the great art collections in the world. Start with the history of the building itself, from the archeological remains of the earlier fortress to the decorated royal rooms. Then see the masterworks in the galleries including the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, and the Coronation of Napoleon. This afternoon cross the river to the Museé de Cluny which features a Roman bath built in A.D. 200 as well as a fabulous example of medieval domestic architecture along with a collection of art from the Middle Ages. Among the many treasures in the museum is the tapestry of the Lady and the Unicorn, and an outstanding new medieval garden. Continue to the island in the river Seine and the cathedral of Notre Dame thereby completing a route along both banks of the river and through a thousand years of history.

Splendor at Vaux le Vicomte.

Vaux le Vicomte

Day 3
Theme: “It doesn’t pay to upstage the king.”
Step into the era of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and unravel the rivalries and risks of the royal court. In the late 1600’s before King Louis XIV turned his father’s old hunting lodge at Versailles into a palace, the king’s finance minister, Nicholas Fouquet, created the masterpiece of Vaux le Vicomte. Today travel east of Paris to the chateau. A masterpiece of excess, the architecture, interior design and landscape design are extraordinary. The king was invited to the opening feast, and was furious! His subject had a more spectacular palace than he. Fouquet was arrested, imprisoned, and never returned. Louis had the design team (Le Brun, Le Notre, and Le Vau) taken to Versailles where they began work on the king's palace. Today, see what all the fuss was about. Have lunch at the castle, and return to Paris later in the afternoon.

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Day 4
Theme: Versailles (King Louis)
Travel by train to the palace of Versailles, home to the kings Louis XIII, XIV, XV, and XVI. Enjoy a private tour of the castle far from the madding crowds during which you'll visit the King’s bed chamber, the King’s private suite, and the royal opera. Linger in the opulent chateau, stroll through the extensive grounds, and return to Paris this afternoon. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are at your leisure.

The Palace of Versailles.

The Musee d'Orsay.

Day 5
Theme: 19th century and Impressionism
Adjacent to the former royal palace of the Louvre are the newly renovated Tuileries Gardens. Whet your appetite for a feast of Impressionist art by beginning the day viewing the newly renovated galleries of the Orangerie Museum housing Monet’s water lily paintings. The new installation is stunning. Linger and enjoy the excellent collection of 19th and early 20th century art by Cezanne, Derain, Matisse, Rousseau, Soutine, Picasso and Modigliani. Cross the Seine on a the new pedstrian bridge (Passerelle Solférino), to enter the Orsay Museum and its new exhibition of Impressionist art. The curators have selected masterworks from the world’s greatest collection of French Impressionist art and present them in the context of the entire period from 1848-1914. The exhibit encompasses art from the Barbizon School (Corot and Rousseau), the Realists (Courbet, Daumier), the Impressionists (Manet, Monet, Morisot, Renoir), and the Post-Impressionists (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat).

Water lilies at Monet's garden, Giverny.

Day 6
Theme: Monet, Giverny, and Impressionism in the 19th century
Today depart Paris by train from the Gare St Lazare (a 19th century engineering marvel that Monet captured in one of his paintings) and travel one hour west of Paris into Normandy. Leave the modern hustle behind and step off the train at Vernon fillled with half-timbered medieval buildings and a Romanesque church. Travel three miles east to the village of Giverny where you'll visit Monet’s home and garden. Here is where the artist lived from 1883 until 1926. Leisurely explore the house and gardens and the secrets of the village typically overlooked by the rushing crowds. Enjoy lunch at an excellent small restaurant housed in a brand new museum. Visit the Hotel Baudy which housed American artists, and pay homage at the newly restored church where Monet married his second wife and where he was buried. Linger, savor, and relax amidst the beauty of a place that inspired Monet and over a century’s worth of artists from France, the United States, Japan, and beyond. Return to Paris by train.

Bridge at Monet's Garden at Giverny.

Day 7
A day at your leisure. Whether you decide to return to a favorite museum (Louvre or Orangerie) or discover a new one (such as the Pompidou), Amy will be happy to offer her suggestions for a fulfilling day in the city. Or you might decide to just relax and fall under the spell of Paris.

Day 8
Theme: Rodin and Monet (19th century)
Continue to revel in the masterworks of the 19th century at the Rodin Museum which houses the largest collection of his art anywhere in the world. The museum occupies the 18th century hotel where Rodin lived and worked from 1908 until his death in 1917. Art by Rodin and Camille Claudel fills the rooms. Here is the heart of the neighborhood where Amy lived while a student at the Sorbonne and the Louvre. Perhaps you'll take some time to sample the wares of les pâtisseries in a quest for the best pastries in the neighborhood. Complete the homage to Impressionism at the quiet Musée Marmottan which houses Monet’s Impression Sunrise which inspired the name "impressionism."

Willows and water lilies at Giverny.

Formal gardens at Vaux le Vicomte.

All images on this page by Amy Boyce Osaki.

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