• Opportunity to explore museums & collections including the Hôtel de la Marine, Carnavalet & Musée Cognacq-Jay

• Special private visit to the Musée Jacquemart-Andre

• Visits to newly restored Notre Dame & Sainte-Chapelle

• Focus on French painting in the quieter galleries at The Louvre

• Final evening in a private club close to the Élysée Palace

• Comfortable accommodation at 4* Hotel Westminster located close to the Opera Garnier & Place Vendôme

Paris has always espoused the giddy possibilities of advancement as a political and cultural powerhouse not only for France and its people but for Europe as a whole. A place of fervent intellectual speculation, ideas and cultural vitality, its law courts and cafes were and are no less vital than the glittering royal courts of the past.

All cities transition over time and in recent years the French Republic - with the added impetus of hosting the 2024 Olympics – has rethought, renovated and redisplayed a significant number of established cultural institutions and lesser-known museums across the capital. Perhaps it might be time to revisit a reinvigorated ‘old friend’? If so, you are cordially invited to join us in Paris next December.

Our week is themed predominantly on Paris’ collections and its art world from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, some of which we shall view in truly connoisseur settings. Others are lesser-visited reflecting the changes from royal/diplomatic formality to the more intimate spaces associated with the rise of the bourgeoisie such as at the Musée Cognaqc-Jay, the charming Marmottan mansion and the Musée Jacquemart Andre. Other visits include the impressive transformations of the Carnavalet, Hôtel de la Marine and, above all, the remarkable resurgence of Notre-Dame.

The sheer size and wealth of the Louvre’s collections simply overwhelm; the art displayed reflecting every facet of European culture. Though the Louvre’s earliest ensemble of masterpieces was mostly Italian in origin, it was under Louis XIII and Louis XIV that the royal collections were enriched in spectacular fashion by the greatest French painters of their time. French art later experienced a period of intense artistic variety in the nineteenth century so perhaps there is no greater example of Paris’ capacity to change than the transformation of the Orsay Railway Station into a museum showcasing the greatest artists of the century.    

Our visit will be led by James McKenzie - Hall. James lectures on art history in Paris, where he is an official guide-conférencier. He has given tutorials at academic institutions in Paris and translated major exhibition catalogues from French into English. His current academic interest is the history of the book and has written many articles on his specialist subject for scholarly journals. He is currently Reviews Editor of the Journal of the Printing Historical Society.

We shall stay at the 4* Hôtel Westminster perfectly situated close to the Opera Garnier. Its facilities include an atmospheric bar and Le West Restaurant. The Louvre, Orsay, Place Vendôme and many sites of interest, shops and restaurants are within easy and reasonable walking distance. For our journeys beyond reasonable walking distance, we shall be transported by a small fleet of Mercedes people-carriers.

Day 1: Monday 1 December – We travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord arriving mid-afternoon. On arrival, we take our minibuses to check-in at the 4*Hotel Westminster for our five-night stay. After check-in and time to rest, our first group dinner will be taken privately nearby at the historic Café de la Paix – wine, water and coffee are included with all group dinners and lunches.

Day 2: Tuesday 2 December – Our first morning is spent on the Île de la Cité to visit two beautifully restored medieval non-secular buildings. Always an icon of Paris’ skyline and the history of the city, Notre-Dame de Paris is once again redolent of resurgence following its long restoration after the fire of 2019. Indeed, the cathedral’s revolutionary Gothic architecture which evolved over two centuries from 1163 will be an exciting proposition to behold during our visit. After a coffee break, we walk the short distance to the Sainte-Chapelle. Dedicated in 1248 by King Louis IX to house his acquired holy relics, the palatine chapel is one of the finest medieval spaces in France! Recent restoration of the exceptional stained glass envelops this hallowed space in a dazzling spectacle of light and colour. We pause for a group lunch nearby. In the afternoon, we walk into the Marais district to visit the Musée Carnavalet. This is the oldest municipal museum in Paris which is dedicated to the history of the city and has recently enjoyed a metamorphosis with a complete renovation and refurbishment. Its displays are varied in breadth and genre as a chronological witness to the development of the city from ancient times to the last century. We return to our hotel where the evening will be free. 

Day 3: Wednesday 3 December – Our full morning in the Louvre can only be forensic, so our formal visit will be spent in the ‘quieter’ second floor galleries. Our primary focus will be French painting. Moving through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and into the eighteenth, we shall view exquisite works by Clouet, Poussin, Claude, Le Brun, Watteau, Boucher and the vedute of France and Italy by Hubert Robert. The nineteenth century Barbizon School, Delacroix and the Realist works of Corot are also well-represented. We conclude with the collections of Northern European art highlighted by two Vermeers. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the day will be free - an ideal opportunity to remain within the Louvre and view, no doubt, the busier galleries of paintings, sculpture and antiquities.       

Day 4: Thursday 4 December – We have an early start this morning for a private visit at the remarkable Musée Jacquemart Andre prior to its opening to the public. Little has changed since Édouard Andre’ and his wife furnished their mansion displaying a lifetime of collecting of predominately Italian Renaissance and French eighteenth century art. In its day it was the foremost collection of Italian art in France reflected in works by Donatello, Botticelli, Perugino, Mantegna and Bellini. We pause in the museum’s tea house after which we drive westwards to the Musée Marmottan Monet. Dominated by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, this former hunting lodge is a veritable delight! Our group lunch is equally delightful and will be enjoyed by the lake in the nearby Bois de Boulogne. We return into central Paris and our final visit of the day at Musée Cognacq-Jay. Displayed in the intimate Hôtel de Donon, this delightful evocation of an eighteenth-century interior is filled with objects and paintings of the period bequeathed to the city by Ernest Cognacq in 1928. We return to our hotel where the evening will be free. 

Day.5: Friday 5 December – This morning is dedicated to the Musée d’Orsay. The collections of French paintings, sculpture and decorative arts date from the nineteenth century and are gloriously displayed in this former railway station. Our visit allows us to consider amongst many things the transition from Academic painting to Realism and ultimately to Impressionism through iconic and lesser-known masterpieces by the greatest painters of the period. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the afternoon will be free for private explorations. In the evening, by special arrangement, we have our final dinner in the distinguished Cercle de l’Union Interalliée where we shall dine privately.

Day 6: Saturday December 6 – On our final morning, we plan to visit by very special appointment, the reception rooms of the ambassador’s residence of the British Embassy. The Hôtel de Charost was built in 1720 and later owned by both Pauline Borghese and the Duke of Wellington. Should any official diplomatic event take precedence, we shall visit the Institut de France as an alternative. This iconic building with its library and fine dome standing at the end of the Pont des Arts was erected by order of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. After a coffee break, we continue to Place de la Concorde to visit the Hôtel de la Marine. Built between 1757 to 1774, it originally housed the Royal Garde-Meuble.  For two hundred years it was the home of the French Admiralty until its restoration as a cultural space just a decade ago. Its new displays are divided between the state rooms, the restored apartments and the Al Thani Collection, a remarkable display brought to Paris by the first cousin of the Emir of Qatar bringing together a diverse range of objects and decorative arts from ancient times to the present day. After lunch (not included) and a little free time, we travel by minibus from the Westminster Hotel to Gare du Nord for the Eurostar departure to London St Pancras.

Price £3250 Without Eurostar £3015 Deposit £400 per person Single Supplement £534 (Double for Sole Use)

Hotel 4* Hôtel Westminster 5 nights including breakfast

DSU Superior Rooms, couples/two sharing Deluxe Rooms

Eurostar Standard

Outward:  ES9022        Depart London St Pancras 1131 Arrive Paris Gare du Nord 1458

Return:   ES9047          Depart Paris, Gare du Nord 1702 Arrive London St Pancras 1830

Upgrade to Eurostar Plus £100 per person includes a light meal and drinks served to your seat

Upgrade to Eurostar Premier £245 per person includes a 3-course meal & lounge access (availability on request)

Price includes 2 dinners & 2 lunches with water, wine & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees, the Paris Museum Pass & gratuities, services of James McKenzie-Hall & James Hill

Not included 3 dinners and 3 lunches. Travel to and from London St Pancras Station