Explore the Impressionist Countryside of Renoir, Monet etc. and Learn French

Before lunch we take an immersive tour with Renoir where he tells us about his vision of painting, the harsh criticism of his contemporaries, his studio secrets, his loves, his relatives and the fruitful inspiration drawn from the banks of the Seine. For more than ten years, Renoir made frequent visits to their home and around Chatou, where he painted around thirty canvases. Nearly forty years old, he undertook the ambitious Déjeuner des canotiers. This painting, painted on the balcony of the Maison Fournaise, is the fruit of long research. Retained at the Fournaises by his painting in 1880, he wrote to Monsieur de Bellio: “You will not regret your trip. It is the prettiest place around Paris."

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After lunch we take a walking, cycling or car tour (you choose!) along the beautiful Seine river to visit the actual locations painted by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir & Sisley. During the tour you will be accompanied by a French & English guide to help you learn more about these famous painters, their impressionist art & improve your French at the same time!

For those that prefer a car tour we can also include a visit to the Chateau de Monte-Cristo; home of Alexandre Dumas who is most famous for writing The Three Musketeers & The Count of Monte-Cristo but his family history is also incredible! (Private boat tours during summer are also possible with pre-booking essentials.)

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As mentioned on the previous tour. This

As mentioned on the previous tour. This is an optional tour for those preferring to be driven along the Impressionist route from Maison Fournaise to Marly-le-Roi.

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Monet is synonymous with Giverny but here, at the Musée des impressionnismes, you can also discover other artists, themes whilst visiting his gardens, home & the beautiful villages of Giverny & Vernon.

In partnership with the Orsay Museum, Claude Monet foundation and the Marmottan museum the "Musée des Impressionnismes" was founded in 2009.

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After lunch, we have a walking trail with 14 stops encouraging visitors to discover works by artists who were inspired by the village and its surrounding landscapes. The 2.7km-long trail is dotted with reproductions of works by the likes of Paul Jouanny, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Maximilien Luce. Placed in the exact spots where they were executed, these reproductions allow you to view the very spots in which the artists composed their canvases. Set in a great natural amphitheatre beside the Seine, its château rising from its centre, this fortified little medieval town occupies an exceptional site, protected by the Seine’s slopes. Impressionists came to stay here and paint the area, among them Monet and Renoir.

This was a truly innovative way of painting at the time, initiated by artists “de plein air” (“of the great outdoors”) as they were called, precursors of the Impressionists.

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Alternatively to the walking tour, we can travel to the final home & resting place of Van Gogh. On 20 May 1890 Vincent van Gogh moved into the Ravoux Inn, room no.5, a simple attic room of 7 sq. meters, lit by a sky light. On 28 and 29 July 1890 Theo van Gogh was present during his brother Vincent’s last moments. Out of superstition the landlords never again rented out this “room of the suicide” which occupied such an essential place in the artist’s spiritual universe. This haven of peace where “there is nothing to see… but everything to feel” has remained untouched since 1890. The room is empty. You cannot find the slightest relic to touch. You just stand there and feel…the presence of history.

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We take a short walk through the country road fields, where Van Gogh painted "Le Champ De Blé Aux Corbeaux", to visit the tomb of the Van Gogh brothers, Vincent & Theo.

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