Impressionist Landscapes
Our themed stays in France
Let’s plan your trip to France on the theme of Impressionist Landscapes:
With or without
French lessons
Flexible duration 1-4 weeks
Several destinations
and schedules available
Optional: vocational course
Why choose a trip on the theme of Impressionist Landscapes?
This is an immersive, sensory, cultural and artistic adventure into the world of the Impressionists, from the artists who started the movement to those that keep their legacy alive today. How did they harness the light to revolutionise art? How do you master painting outside from nature?
What are we here for?
We bring you itineraries visiting the parts of France that inspired, sculpted and made the movement famous.
These 2 trips devoted to Impressionist Landscapes are ideal for art enthusiasts, art history students, landscaping students and budding artists! It’s the perfect opportunity to soak up the art movement and perfect your French as you analyse paintings, learn technical vocabulary and unleash your inner artist in the great outdoors.
2 destinations:
From Paris to Normandy
Provence
The Impressionnists, from Paris to Normandy
Highlights of the stay in Paris and Île de France
Paris
Musée d’Orsay: one of the biggest Impressionist museums with masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro and Cézanne
Walk in bohemian Montmartre and its cobbled streets
Visit Gare Saint-Lazare, the station immortalised by Monet and where the Impressionists travelled from to visit the countryside
Lunch/afternoon tea at Brasserie Mollard
Barbizon:
tour of the idyllic village and favourite among the Impressionist pioneers
Outdoor painting class: Introduction to painting outdoors, “sur le motif” or “from nature”
Walk in the Forest of Fontainebleau, a place that inspired artists in the Barbizon School
Highlights of the stay in Normandy
Auvers-sur-Oise
Follow in the footsteps of Van Gogh
Trip to Auberge Ravoux, his last home
Giverny
Monet’s world
Tour of the house, gardens, lily pads and Japanese bridge
Musée des Impressionnismes tour
Outdoor waterside painting workshop
Le Havre
MuMa museum and its collection of Impressionist and Fauve pieces
Étretat
Trip to the Normandy cliffs that inspired Monet and Boudin
Honfleur
Vieux Bassin and Musée Eugène Boudin (Boudin was one of the first painters to paint outdoors and was Monet’s mentor)
The Impressionists, from Paris to Normandy itinerary is a golden opportunity to travel back to where it all began in Barbizon, a country village and meeting point for the Impressionist pioneers near the Forest of Fontainebleau.
The itinerary takes visitors on a deep dive into the Norman landscapes that so inspired the Impressionists. It’s a golden opportunity to experience the idyllic and aquatic world of Claude Monet, the figurehead of the movement, and try your hand at painting outdoors from nature.
Full stay available from April 1st to November 1st (when the Giverny gardens are open)
The Impressionnists, from the Côte d’Azur to Provence
Highlights of the stay in Nice and the Côte d'Azur
Nice
Musée Matisse guided tour
Musée Chagall guided tour
Walk on the Promenade des Anglais and Baie des Anges exploring the landscapes that influenced Southern French artists
Saint-Tropez
Musée de l’Annonciade: collection of Impressionist and Fauve pieces by Signac and Derain
Highlights of the stay in Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Cézanne’s Studio
Musée Granet
Montagne Sainte-Victoire
Walk on the footpaths that inspired over 80 pieces by Cézanne
Arles
Van Gogh visitor trail: visit the places the artist captured in his work, including Café de la Nuit and Hôpital d’Arles
Fondation Van Gogh
Musée Jacques Réattu
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence et les Alpilles
Monastère Saint-Paul-de-Mausole (La Nuit Etoilée by Van Gogh)
Walk in landscapes painted by Van Gogh
Colour and outdoor painting workshop
Les Baux-de-Provence
Immersive experience projecting Impressionist pieces onto an underground quarry
An Impressionists in Provence trip is your ticket to the bright lights, sun-drenched scenery and Mediterranean atmosphere that inspired the Impressionist artists for yourself.
It also gives you the chance to see how the art movement evolved as we explore the history and psychology behind some of the big names who influenced the movement and region, just like Van Gogh.
Highlights of the Impressionist Landscapes stays
- Access to a wide variety of Impressionist art with guided tours at leading museums in Paris, Normandy and Provence
- A deep dive into the landscapes that inspired the artists
- Outdoor painting workshops from nature, just like the Impressionists
- Exciting scavenger hunts, quizzes in places where the artists lived, museums and iconic sites to have fun learn about their journey and mindset
- Experiences with art history teachers and art experts
Are you looking for something to help you get on the career ladder?
We can give our Impressionist Landscapes trips a vocational slant to help students:
- Revise for exams and get ready for university (art history, art etc.)
- Get into the French job market
- Imagine a career as an artist, curator, teacher etc.
- Hone career objectives
Our schedules include itineraries, unique activities and local experiences so you can meet professionals in their working environment: visit an artist’s studio, meet curators, fine arts students, art history professors… the sky’s the limit!
Our French lessons and workshops (optional) focus on this objective. We provide work experiences, interview preparation, CV and cover letter workshops.
Do you want to add French lessons to your trip?
Vacances Actives Linguistiques organises trips to encourage (young) French students to travel, build the French-speaking world and promote French culture overseas.
Our Impressionist Landscapes stays do exactly that and can tie into French lessons and workshops.
Depending on your objectives (language, culture, vocational), students can join French comprehension and communication classes, themed workshops, role plays and more with qualified teachers.
We can organise the following for a vocational stay:
- French CV and cover letter workshops
- Interview role play
- Technical vocabulary lessons for professional experiences
- Exam preparation
- Student group in a French classroom
