French Impressionism Along the Banks of the Seine

Included in tour package

<ul>
	<li>Barbizon</li>
	<li>Mus&eacute;e Marmottan in Paris</li>
	<li>The Claude Monet Foundation in Giverny</li>
	<li>Rouen - on the footsteps of the Impressionists</li>
	<li>The Norman Abbey Circuit</li>
	<li>Honfleur </li>
	<li>The C&ocirc;te d&#39;Alb&acirc;tre </li>
</ul>

We&rsquo;ll leave by coach for a guided tour of Barbizon, an idyllic village set on the edge of the forest surrounding Fontainebleau. The tranquil setting here attracted many 19th-century landscape painters. Their movement, the precursor of Impressionism, became known as the Barbizon School. The Auberge Ganne is where the artists gathered to inspire each other. It is now a museum celebrating this era in art history. The quaint village streets are lined with small homes, charming boutiques, interesting restaurants, and intriguing art galleries. After following the footsteps of famous artists such as Corot, Daubigny, and Millet on the &ldquo;Painter&rsquo;s Trail,&rdquo; we&rsquo;ll stop at the Auberge Ganne, a virtual time capsule that brings you back to the origins of the movement and the influence it had on the village and the art world.&nbsp;After our tour, enjoy some free time strolling through the village streets and browsing the boutiques,&nbsp;the workshops and galleries.PLEASE NOTE<ul><li>The order of the visits can change.</li><li>Times are approximate.</li></ul>

THE CHARMING VILLAGE OF BARBIZON

Leave Honfleur by coach for the excursion to the Alabaster Coast, classified as a Natura 2000 site since 2009. This trip will be your chance to discover the natural heritage of the Pays de Caux and the Seine estuary. We will pass by Le Havre. The high cliffs of white chalk and stone beaches were popularised by the paintings of Claude Monet. The suspended valleys of the little coastal rivers, the Normandy bridge and Etretat, sights not to be missed bordering a coast that you will see in a fresh light after this trip. Marvel at the beauty of the Alabaster Coast and the diversity of its plant and animal life. Stop at Etretat. Once a fishing village, Etretat transformed itself into a seaside resort in the 19th century and became a place of inspiration for artists (Gustave Courbet, Eug&egrave;ne Boudin and Claude Monet), writers (Gustave Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant, Maurice Leblanc) and famous people (J. Michelet, F. Faure, the Queens of Spain, J. Bonaparte...). Etretat was the holiday spot of numerous famous opera composers and singers of the 19th century who had villas there or stayed there regularly in a comic-opera decor. The town has several remarkable chateaus, manor houses and villas, such as the Manoir de la Salamandre (a house admired by tourists and located in the main street near the hall), The Clos Lupin and the Ch&acirc;teau des Aygues which were the seaside residences of the Spanish queens Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies and Isabel II. Return by coach to Honfleur.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended. There is a 20min-walk between the parking lot and the cliffs (to and from).</li>
	<li>The stop in Etretat depends on suitable weather conditions.</li>
</ul>

The Alabaster coast

You will leave the boat by coach to travel to the home of Claude Monet. He lived in his Giverny home between 1830 and 1926. His passion for gardening and colors led him to conceive his flowers garden as a true art piece. He even said: &quot;It took a while for me to understand my waterlilies... I grew them without thinking of painting them... A landscape doesn&#39;t sink in in one day... And all of a sudden the enchantments of my pond struck me. I took my palette. Since then, I&#39;ve never had any other model.&quot; You can still feel the atmosphere that once reigned in the master of Impressionnism&#39;s house when visiting it. You will discover the pink facade while penetrating the garden. Inside, the artist&#39;s particular taste for warm tones will strike you, from the intensity of the blue he chose for his kitchen as well as his small living room, to the the yellow walls and furniture in the dining room, where you will also be able to see his private collection of Japanese prints. We&#39;ll be back on board in Vernon late afternoon.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>According to the weather, you may visit the American Museum of Giverny which exhibits Monet&#39;s paintings (extra charge of 4&euro;).</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
</ul>

Visit the Claude Monet Foundation in Giverny

We&#39;ll meet up with our guide and set off on our walking tour. Honfleur, the cradle of Impressionism, is located at the mouth of the Seine as it flows into the English Channel. Untouched by the passage of time, this small port has kept the landmarks of its rich past, making it today one of the most visited towns in France. We&#39;ll begin our tour at the Vieux Bassin, one of the most charming sites in the city. The narrow houses squeezed against each other are quite a unique sight. Next, we&#39;ll see Saint Catherine&#39;s Church, the largest wooden church in France. It was listed as a historical monument in 1879 and has been the subject of scrupulous research by many archaeologists and historians. We&#39;ll then head for the original 17th-century Salt Halls (Greniers &agrave; Sel), now used for exhibitions, conferences and concerts. Our tour will finish with a visit to Saint L&eacute;onard Church. Destroyed during the Hundred Years War, it was rebuilt at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries-only to be partially burned down again during the Wars of Religion. We&#39;ll return to our ship on foot.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>For some cruises, this excursion can occur at night after dinner depending on the schedules of the Honfleur port.</li>
	<li>In case the boat cannot moor in Honfleur because of navigation technical reasons, this excursion will be done by coach. Extra fee to pay on board : 10&euro;.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided walking tour of Honfleur

This museum houses the largest collection of paintings by Claude Monet and provides an overview of how his work developed, from the first paintings of his youth to the water lilies, his mature works. (Museum closed on Mondays, in this case, visit of the Parc de l&#39;Orangerie).

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Mus&eacute;e Marmottan in Paris

Discover the different sites where artists have created prestigious paintings such as Monet&#39;s Rouen Cathedral series, Pissarro&#39;s Pont Boieldieu in Rouen, Rainy Weather, and many, many others. You&#39;ll visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen, which has the largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, and many famous works by Monet and Sisley. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and holidays, though, and will be replaced by a visit to the Mus&eacute;e Eug&egrave;ne Boudin in Honfleur (stopover on Day 6).

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>This visit will take place in the morning or in the afternoon depending on the opening hours of the Honfleur port.</li>
	<li>During the months of June, July, August and September, you can watch the show &quot;The Nights of the Impressionists.&quot; This is a 15-min show that is continuously broadcast starting at 10 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. This is a projection of paintings and pictures of different artists on the facades of the Cathedral and the Museum of Fine Arts.</li>
</ul>

Rouen - on the footsteps of the Impressionists

The excursion begins with a visit of the Jumi&egrave;ges Abbey. Built in 654 when Christianity arrived in the region, and subsequently destroyed by the Vikings, the abbey was restored in the 11th century by their descendants. With the arrival of the Romantic period, the abbey became extremely well-known thanks to Victor Hugo who described it as the &quot;most beautiful ruins in all of France&rdquo;. During our visit we&#39;ll also discover the cloisters and the ruins of the Church of Saint Peter before visiting the Abbey of Saint Wandrille or Wandregisel (exterior only), a highly spiritual monument founded in the same century. The wonderful classical architecture of this abbey blends with the magnificence of its mediaeval heritage in perfect harmony. Unlike Jumi&egrave;ges, a congregation of Benedictine monks settled in this abbey in 1931 and has remained to this day, bringing the community to a substantial number. We&#39;ll return to the boat by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
</ul>

The Norman Abbeys Trail

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Included in tour package Barbizon Musée Marmottan in Paris The Claude Monet Foundation in Giverny Rouen - on the footsteps of the Impressionists The Norman Abbey Circuit Honfleur The Côte d'Albâtre

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Cruises

French Impressionism Along the Banks of the Seine

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