Visit Claude Monet’s Garden at Giverny

6 Hours

Our visit to Giverny is a celebration of floriculture for garden lovers in all seasons. When Claude Monet moved to Giverny in 1883, he was a struggling painter. He transformed the surrounding landscape into a private garden that inspired his artistic practice over the next fifty years. We start our tour here where Monet planted annual flowers so he could develop his palette, contrasting yellow, red, purple and blue square flower beds.

We then move on to perhaps the most iconic picturesque landscape, the lily pond, where Monet probed how light fell on the waterlilies that dotted the water. Our tour concludes with a visit to his house and studio (including Madame Monet’s kitchen) where we see the authentic Japanese prints that influenced his work and his decision to place a ‘Japanese bridge’ in his garden.

We recommend pairing this visit with our tour to the Marmottan Museum or our tour at the Orangerie Museum.

3 Hours

The area of Montmartre was considered a bohemian zone until the early 20th century, notably because it was extraordinarily inexpensive to rent studios. From the Impressionist period to Picasso’s early cubist works, artists were inspired by daily life in Montmartre.

Our tour starts at the former artists residence the Maison de Bel Air which has been converted into a museum. The house features a reconstituted studio of Suzanne Valadon, a model turned painter, who lived here with her son and fellow artist, Maurice Utrillo. After visiting the museum, we discover the ‘Renoir Gardens,’ which offer breathtaking views of the vineyards of Montmartre. We then stroll the winding streets of this still picturesque neighborhood stopping at Sacre Coeur with its spectacular views over Paris.

We recommend pairing this visit with our tour of the Orsay Museum.

8 Hours

Gustave Caillebotte is not as well-known as his contemporaries Monet or Renoir but his career and patronage were essential to the Impressionist Movement.

Our excursion to the Caillebotte family home and estate in Yerres, southeast of Paris, starting with a tour of the exceptionally restored interiors. We then discover the three gardens cultivated by Caillebotte: an extensive kitchen garden, pleasure grounds, and flower parterres that became the subjects of his paintings. Caillebotte and Monet were avid gardeners, exchanging seeds and advice about their treasured blooms.

Caillebotte also depicted boating scenes on the Yerres River which runs through the property, recalling Monet’s passion for painting light reflected on water at Giverny. He was an important collector of his fellow Impressionists’ work, buying over 60 canvases and later donating them to the French State.

We recommend pairing this visit with our tour of the Orsay Museum.

6 Hours

Although Vincent Van Gogh did not create a garden at Auvers-sur-Oise, where he lived from May to July 1890, his last paintings often depicted this quaint town. The artist produced an impressive 74 paintings and 33 drawings during a stay lasting just two months. Every day he took his palate and paints into the gardens and fields of this tiny village, which has been forever marked by the troubled artist’s sojourn.

Our tour includes exploring some of the places he immortalized on canvas as well as a visit to the room where he lodged at the Auberge Ravoux and to his final resting place in the village cemetery.

We recommend pairing this visit with our tour of the Orsay Museum.