Paris & Ile de France
Our 2012 programmes of coach tours, including visits to Monet's Garden at Giverny.
Monet's Garden, Rouen & Paris, 4 days from £169.95
Highlights of this hugely popular coach tour with Newmarket Holidays include the wonderful artist's house and gardens in the Normandy village of Giverny, the 'Joan of Arc' city of Rouen and the incomparable French capital Paris.
Giverny was home and inspiration to Monet for over 40 years, and today the Impressionist artist's house and gardens, subject of many of his most famous works including of course the Water Lilies, have been restored to their original beauty.
In 2011 the job of head gardener in this 'Alice in Wonderland' Monet world was landed by an Englishman and graduate of the RHS gardens at Kew, James Priest. Mr Priest had been at Giverny for 17 years before succeeding Gilbert Vahe, who was largely responsible for restoring the garden in the late 1970's from an overgrown wilderness to it's former glory.
Monet started to create his flower filled garden when he moved to Giverny in 1883, refining it over 43 years until his death in 1926. He originally planted flowers so that he could pick bunches to have something to paint indoors on rainy days. Some of his most famous paintings were his huge canvases of the waterlilies on the small lake he had made, with it's green, Japanese-style footbridge draped with wisteria in the spring.
Rouen has also undergone extensive restoration, and is now a picture-postcard medieval gem, with its exquisite Cathedral of Notre Dame, its famous mechanical clock and the monument and church commemorating the 'Maid of Orleans' amongst the highlights.
You'll spend two evenings and a full day in glorious Paris, where you may enjoy your own free time, or join one of the optional excursions (additional charges apply) -'Latin Quarter and Seine cruise', 'Fontainebleau and Barbizon', or 'Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur'.
The price includes return ferry/Eurotunnel crossing Dover-Calais, visits to Giverny and Rouen and entrance to Monet's house and garden, three nights accommodation with breakfast in a three star hotel, coach travel throughout and services of a tour manager.
Single rooms carry a supplement of £76. Hotel will be either the Best Western St.Quentin Maurepas or a similar standard hotel. Rooms will have private facilities, and public facilities will include a bar and restaurant.
Departure dates are from May to September, with at least two or three dates departing from each region of the U.K (excluding Scotland and Cumbria due to the distance of travel for a short break).
Interesting websites to visit for information on what to expect in and around Giverny are www.fondation-monet.com and www.giverny.org/gardens
Please contact us to book, or for details of which departure dates apply to your local area.