art tour to france

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An Art Lover's Tour of France

From contemporary art in Paris to modern masters along the southern coast, France is a country infused with art. Aficionados can experience an unforgettable trip taking in Paris (2 days), Aix-en-Provence (1 day), and then the Riviera between St-Tropez and Nice (4 days). Museum visits can be interspersed with wonderful meals, sunbathing, and stops at the area’s architectural and artistic highlights.

Days 1 & 2: Paris  

Start Day 1 of your art tour of Paris with a quick check of what’s currently on in the city: The Grand Palais and the Musée du Luxembourg all host excellent temporary exhibitions.

You can attend a show at any of these venues or begin your day at the newly renovated Musée de Montmartre,  formerly home to both Renoir and Utrillo. Then hop onto the Métro and head south to the Jardin du Luxembourg.  After a leisurely stroll in the gardens, head over to tiny Musée Zadkine  dedicated to sculptor Ossip Zadkine and located in the artist’s former house and atelier. Take a minute to rest in the pretty little garden. Enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the neighborhood’s many bistros. Round out the afternoon by taking in a cutting-edge contemporary exhibition at the wacky Palais de Tokyo,  overlooking the Seine and Eiffel Tower. 

On Day 2, spend the morning admiring the modern art on display at the Centre Pompidou.  After lunching at one of the many nearby restaurants, amble over to the Marais,  and either cruise the art galleries, or visit the Musée Picasso Paris,  set in the sumptuous 17th-century mansion, L’Hôtel Salé. 

Mid-afternoon, jump aboard one of the many TGV trains heading south to Aix-en-Provence. The journey takes around 3 hr., leaving you plenty of time to enjoy a typical Provençal dinner upon arrival.

Day 3: Aix-en-Provence  

Paul Cézanne is Aix’s most celebrated son. Begin your day at his Atelier,  almost perfectly preserved as it was when the great artist worked here more than a century ago. There are regularly scheduled English-language tours of the site. Afterward, a visit to the city’s famed Musée Granet —one of the region’s most superb modern-art museums—is a must.

Aix’s plane-tree-shaded cours Mirabeau is almost a work of art in itself. Be sure to drop into Brasserie Les Deux Garçons,  where Cézanne used to drink and debate with the famous French writer Emile Zola.

After lunch, rent a car and drive to St-Tropez.  Warm evenings are best enjoyed strolling the port’s pretty quays or taking in the million-dollar panoramas from the hilltop Citadelle.

Day 4: St-Tropez  

Since the 1890s, when painters Signac and Bonnard discovered St-Tropez, artists and their patrons have been drawn to the French Riviera. Spend the morning appreciating the Musée de l’Annonciade’s  Impressionist paintings, many of them depicting St-Tropez and the surrounding coast.

After lunch in one of the town’s sidewalk cafes, drive around 100km (62 miles) east along the coast until you reach Nice , where you’ll base yourself for the next three nights. Return your rental car—traffic-heavy roads, combined with excellent public transportation, render your own vehicle unnecessary here.

Day 5: Antibes & Vallauris  

Today you’ll spend the day following in the footsteps of one of the 20th-century’s modern masters: Pablo Picasso. Take one of the frequent trains from Nice to Antibes (20 min.). On the edge of the picturesque, pedestrian-friendly Old Town sits the 14th-century Grimaldi Château, now home to the Musée Picasso.  The Spanish artist lived and worked in this castle in 1946.

Stroll through Antibes’ covered market, then—appetite piqued—stop into a small bistro, such as Le Rustic,  for a light lunch. Next, make your way to Antibes’ bus station, where frequent buses depart for Vallauris (35 min.). Picasso moved to this hilltop village during the 1950s, reviving the local ceramic-making industry and personally producing thousands of pieces of pottery. Visit Picasso’s mammoth paintings in the Musée National Picasso La Guerre et La Paix,  the artist’s tribute to pacifism.

Make your way back to Nice (it’s quickest to simply reverse your route). Spend the evening strolling the promenade des Anglais or wandering the city’s atmospheric Old Town.

Days 6 & 7: Nice

Outside of Paris, Nice is home to more museums than any other city in France. Begin your Day 6 citywide explorations in the neighborhood of Cimiez, where both the famed Musée Matisse  and the Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall  are located. It’s possible to walk between the two (around 15 min.) but be sure to hit the Matisse Museum first—then it’s downhill all the way to see Chagall’s ethereal artworks.

If it’s summertime, spend a couple of hours picnicking on the beach or relaxing with a glass of wine in one of the city’s many sidewalk cafes. Mid-afternoon, make your way over the Musée Masséna,  where a combination of local art and history gives visitors a peek at the ritzy French Riviera of the past.

Use your final day to make a day trip to the hilltop village of St-Paul-de-Vence ,  20km (12 miles) to the north. Wander the St-Paul-de-Vence’s ramparts for 30 min., before descending to the world-class modern art on display at the Fondation Maeght.  En route back to Nice, stop into the Musée Renoir   in Cagnes-sur-Mer, which comprises the artist’s former home and gardens. Note that you can either rent a car for the day or access both St-Paul-de-Vence and Cagnes-sur-Mer via frequent buses from Nice.

Spend your final night in Nice savoring a hearty Niçois dinner, paired with plenty of local wine.

Note : This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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Luxury Art & Design Tours

Decorative Arts & Gardens of England (9 Days) London, Cotswolds

Art Tour of France (10 Days) Paris & Versailles, Provence, Cote d’Azur

Art & Design Tour of Berlin (5 Days) Berlin & Potsdam

Art & Temples of India (18 Days) Delhi, Varanasi, Khajuraho & Panna National Park, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ajanta & Ellora Caves, Mumbai

Culture, Crafts & Cuisine of Ireland (13 days) Dublin, Ballyfin, Ballymaloe, Killarney, Adare, Ashford Castle

Italy for Art Lovers (13 Days) Rome, Florence & Assisi, Bologna & Ravenna, Venice & Padua, Milan

Contemporary Art & Architecture of Japan (14 Days) Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto & Miho Museum, Naoshima, Tokyo

Art, Crafts & Design of Mexico (9 Days) Mexico City, Oaxaca

Arts & Crafts of Morocco (13 Days) Casablanca, Fez, Rabat, Atlas Mountains, Essaouira, Marrakesh

Arts & Crafts of Myanmar (9 Days) Yangon & Twante, Bagan & Mount Popa, Mandalay

Design, Architecture & Nature of Norway (9 Days) Oslo, Alesund & Atlantic Road, Norangsfjord, Geirangerfjord, Storfjord

Art & Design of Portugal (8 Days) Lisbon & Sintra, Porto

Contemporary Art & Design in Seoul & Jeju Island (8 Days) Seoul, Jeju Island

Swedish Design Tour (5 Days) Stockholm & environs

Art Tour of Switzerland (6 Days) Geneva, Basel & Weil am Rhein, Zurich with St. Gallen & Winterthur

Design & Gardens Tour of Sicily (8 Days) Palermo & Monreale, Taormina with Noto, Syracuse & Villa Romana del Casale

Decorative Arts & Gardens Tour of Paris (8 Days) Paris & environs

Traditional Crafts of Japan (15 Days) Tokyo, Kurashiki, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa

Exclusive Japan: Amans, Art & Onsen (15 Days) Tokyo, Naoshima, Kyoto, Ise-Shima region

MULTI-COUNTRY TOURS

Food, Design & Culture of Copenhagen & Sweden (12 Days) Stockholm, Kingdom of Crystal, Wanas, Malmo, Copenhagen

Dutch & Flemish Art Tour (10 days) Bruges & Ghent, Brussels & Antwerp, Amsterdam with The Hague, Delft & Kroller-Muller Museum

Art Tour of France

(10 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis ) Paris & Versailles, Provence, Cote d’Azur

France is a wonderful destination for culture lovers, and this private art tour of France is the best way to experience some of the most memorable masterpieces of French art and architecture. It combines the sophistication of Paris with the inspiring light, landscapes and lifestyle of the South of France.

Begin in Paris , one of the great art cities of the world. During flexible private touring with your expert art guide, visit the most interesting museums and cultural sites according to your interests. Suggested options include the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, L'Orangerie, Rodin Museum, Musee Marmottan Monet, Centre Pompidou, Guimet Museum, Institut du Monde Arabe, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, the former artist colony of Montmartre, and the Luxembourg and Tuileries gardens. Other private touring options include visiting specialty chocolate shops, cheese shops and bakeries; walking through the exclusive residential streets on Ile St-Louis, the old Jewish quarter in the Marais, or the medieval streets of the Latin Quarter; visiting hidden gardens and parks; and shopping for antiques in flea markets or haute couture in fashionable boutiques.

One day, enjoy a private excursion to Versailles . Tour Louis XIV’s opulent palace, extensive gardens, the town's historic covered market and other highlights such as Le Petit Trianon, and Hameau de la Reine, the mock hamlet created for Marie-Antoinette.

Continue to Chateau La Coste , a beautiful vineyard and winery in the Provence countryside with outstanding contemporary architecture by Jean Nouvel, Tadao Ando and Frank Gehry, and a renowned collection of art by Louise Bourgeois, Andy Goldsworthy and other artists. Stay at Villa La Coste, a luxury hotel and spa among the vineyards. Also enjoy regional touring to see art and architecture highlights in Arles or Aix-en-Provence .

Conclude on the beautiful Cote d’Azur with a stay at a luxurious resort overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. During private touring, visit the art highlights of the region, such as the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Matisse Chapel), Fondation Maeght (including a dining reservation at legendary La Colombe d'Or), the Prince’s Palace, and villas in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat such as Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.  Also explore interesting towns along the waterfront and in the hills of the French Riviera and Monaco, such as Nice, Cannes, Eze, Saint-Paul de Vence, Antibes and Monte-Carlo. Also stroll along waterside promenades, sample local culinary specialties, and browse markets such as the flower and antiques markets in Nice. Another option is a full-day excursion to Fondation Carmignac, a private art collection on a bucolic island in the Mediterranean. We can also arrange special interest activities such as learning to make your own perfume at a workshop in Grasse, chartered boat excursions, wine tasting, biking and more. During leisure time, enjoy your luxury resort and its beach club.

Booking Information >

All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.

Please Contact Us for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.

The Artisans of Leisure Style of Travel:

Testimonials

Our guide in Japan arranged one-on-one conversations with some amazing artisans… lots of credit to Artisans for arranging things so well, understanding our interests and making sure they were communicated to Japan. ~ J.R., Raleigh, NC

The art scene in Mexico City was even better than we could have imagined. Thank you for organizing such a great guide. We never would have been able to experience the city in the same way without him. We really appreciated all of the Artisans of Leisure touches and special connections. ~ L.S., New York, NY

Our recent Vietnam trip was excellent…Thank you for arranging for us to visit the home and studio of the renowned art dealer in Hanoi. ~ A.R., Easton, MD

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