PARIS Worlds of art in the 19th century
6 days | £2895 per person with Eurostar | 9 - 14 June 2026
Worlds of art in the 19th century
In the 19th-century, Paris was the centre of the European art world. This trip is a chance to explore the city, and recapture in imagination the vitality of an artistic community that accommodated such diverse talents as Ingres, Delacroix, Courbet, Meissonier, Gérôme and Degas. For these and many others Paris was a place to make and sell art as well as a spur to creativity. Caillebotte and Manet made the city their setting for scenes of modern life, while others helped turn Paris itself into a monument to art: major decorative projects included the Louvre, St Sulpice and the Pantheon.
The city's importance as an art centre grew out of the diversity of its art scene - that it was home to major state-financed institutions like the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Salon as well as a vibrant avant-garde. Explore some of the sites where artists created and displayed their work to reach a better understanding of the Paris art scene during a period of dynamic change. The trip will include visits to major museums (the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay), together with other, less familiar sites such as the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Gustave Moreau.
Day to day Itinerary
Day 1
Eurostar from London to Paris. Transfer by coach to our hotel to drop off our luggage. Strolling along St Germain, we will pause to take in one of Hector Guimard’s fabulous Metro station entrances. Continuing across the Pont Alexandre III, we glimpse the Jardin des Tuileries, before arriving at the Petit Palais. Now home to the collection of the City of Paris, we see important works by Courbet, Tissot, Monet, Carpeaux and Vuillard. Return to our hotel.
Day 2
A morning to embed ourselves in the formalised art scene of 19th-century Paris exploring treasures of the Louvre. In the Denon Wing we will spend time in the Salon Carré, the space that housed all of the Salons of the first half of the 19th century. Elsewhere we will study les grands formats, by the likes of David, Gros, Géricault and Ingres. Afterwards, walk through the Tuileries to the Musée de l’Orangerie. Some free time for lunch will be followed by a visit to the galleries here, where an encounter with Monet’s enormous Water Lilies is always moving. Walk back to our hotel.
Day 3
By coach to the picturesque village of Barbizon where, in the first half of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot led a quiet revolution in landscape painting that would influence the Impressionists. Here we walk in the footsteps of the Barbizon painters, with stout footwear recommended for the 6 km circuit of sites, such as the Auberge Ganne, home to the Musée des Peintres de Barbizon. There is also time to explore the studio museum of Jean-François Millet. Before returning to Paris for the evening, we detour via Marlotte, Grez-sur-Loing and Chailly.
Day 4
A day devoted to the bohemian and avant-garde of 19th-century Paris. Visit the Musée d’Orsay, where our focus is ‘the artist at work’. We shall seek out images of the artist’s studio, with works by the likes of Bazille, Degas, Renoir and Fantin-Latour. Transfer by coach to the Musée Montmartre and afterwards we take in the sites and studios of Impressionist Paris on a walking tour down from Montmartre to the former home and studio of Gustave Moreau, whose spectacular and often bizarre interpretations of classical and biblical subjects inspired later artists. This fascinating museum offers the chance to see Moreau’s paintings and studies within their original studio context. Return by coach to our hotel.
Day 5
By coach to the Musée Marmottan Monet, which houses a major collection of work by Monet and other Impressionists. The museum also holds a series of monumental paintings featuring the water lily pond in Monet’s garden at Giverny. Afterwards, we travel on by coach, leaving Paris behind to visit the artist’s immortal gardens at Giverny. Our tour here will take in the house, studio and art collection. There will also be time to visit the Giverny Museum of Impressionism before returning to Paris by coach.
Day 6
We set out on foot once more this morning. A short walking tour will take in some of the leading institutions of the stunning 19th Century art community, such as the École des Beaux-Arts and the Institut Francais. Continue to the Musée Delacroix, home of the painter from 1857 until his death in 1863. The collection includes portraits, drawings and watercolours by the artist alongside various mementoes of his life. Continue to the Church of St Sulpice, where Delacroix worked on the enormous murals of the Chapelle des Saintes-Anges. Cleaned and conserved in 2015, the murals are brilliantly vibrant, the paint as if freshly applied. Return to our hotel to collect luggage and transfer to Gare du Nord, where our Eurostar returns to London.
Hôtel le Grand Cayré
Located in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the historic Hotel Cayré has been restored to its former glory. With a roaring Twenties, -inspired design, fitting for our tour, individually designed rooms come with everything needed to relax and recharge.
With Eurostar: £2895
Join Direct: £2795
Single Supp: £380
Deposit: £450
Departure Dates:
9 - 14 June 2026
Duration:
5 nights / 6 days
Your Holiday Includes:
- Return travel with Eurostar from London to Paris
- Five nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel Le Grand Cayré
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Two evening meals and two lunches
- Guided visits to the sites and monuments listed in the programme
- Services of the Tour Lecturer and a Tour Manager
- Detailed programme and study notes
- All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and serving staff
Tour Lecturer
Dr Kathy McLauchlan
Dr Kathy McLauchlan is Course Director of three year courses at the V&A Museum. After graduating from Oxford Kathy obtained her PhD from the Courtauld Institute with a thesis on the work of students at the French Academy in Rome. Kathy lecturers widely to adult audiences.
Travel Information
The price does not include extras at the hotels or travel insurance.
Please note that Art Pursuits use hotels of character featuring a variety of rooms & styles.
Stamina
Please note that most of our tours involve a large amount of walking, across uneven ground and often without the opportunity to sit down for at least half an hour. We ask that clients inform us if they have difficulties before booking to avoid any issues whilst on tour.
