Built in the mid-11th century by Hugues de Clermont, Montataire Castle was altered over the centuries and extended to include a chapel, an armoury and stables.
Famous guests such as Odet de Coligny, Henry IV and the Marquise de Sévigné have stayed at this residence, which is now owned by François-Xavier Bernet and his daughter.
The château has been open to the public since 2012 for tours and receptions.
The visit ended with afternoon tea at the château.

Morning:
Victor Hugo’s House, Place des Vosges (Paris 4th arrondissement) – guided tour of the exhibition ‘Hugo in the Headlines’.
Victor Hugo’s fame and political commitment made the writer a favourite subject of the caricaturists of his time.
The exhibition is a journey through his work and is divided into three parts:
‘The Strong-Willed One’ (1830–1848),
‘The Fame of the Absent One’ (1852–1870),
“Hugophobia and Hugolatry” (1870–1885).

Afternoon:
Louvre Museum: guided tour of the exhibition “A Dream of Italy”: the Campana Collection.
The Marquis Campana, an Italian aristocrat, assembled the most important private collection of the 19th century, rich in antiquities, paintings, sculptures and Renaissance artefacts. Thanks to an exceptional collaboration between the Louvre Museum and the Hermitage Museum, the exhibition offers, for the first time in 160 years, a complete overview of this collection.

Morning:
A guided walking tour, led by a guide, which allowed us to discover the places painted by Vincent van Gogh, including the church in Auvers, a painting of which is a major work in the Musée d’Orsay.
We also visited the graves of the Van Gogh brothers.
The morning ended at the Ravoux inn, where Vincent had his room. Preserved intact, the inn offers a glimpse into the living conditions of artists of that era.
Afternoon:
Guided tour of Charles Daubigny’s house-studio: still inhabited by the artist’s descendants, this house features 200 square metres of interior walls decorated by Daubigny, his children, Corot and Daumier between 1862 and 1882.
We ended the day with a visit to Dr Gachet’s house, a place where the greatest talents of the era gathered and socialised.

Morning:
Guided tour of the collections at the CERNUSCHI Museum, Avenue Vélasquez (Paris 8th arrondissement).
Among other iconic pieces of Chinese and Far Eastern art, this museum houses the AMIDA BUDDHA of Meguro, an 18th-century Japanese bronze, which is its centrepiece.
This visit served as a prelude to the spring opening of the new gallery at the Antoine Vivenel Museum dedicated to Asian art.
Lunch at the training restaurant ‘ATELIER BARTHOLDI’ at the Jean DROUANT Hotel School, Rue Médéric, where we walked to via the PARC MONCEAU
Afternoon:
Guided tour of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, on Rue Daru, and its recently restored crypt.
After the visit, we continued our walk around Parc Monceau and its surroundings (exteriors: Pagoda on Rue de Courcelles, mansions, etc.).

Morning:
Louvre-Lens Museum, where you will have the pleasure of exploring the ever-changing collections of the Galerie du Temps, as well as the temporary exhibition in the Pavillon de Verre, ‘Italian Paintings from Hauts-de-France (16th–18th centuries): Dialogues and Correspondences’.
Departure for the Lewarde Mining History Centre and lunch at the restaurant “Le Briquet” in the former sawmill of the Delloye pit.
Departure for the Lewarde Mining History Centre and lunch at the restaurant “Le Briquet” in the former sawmill of the Delloye pit.
Afternoon:
Guided tour of the mine galleries followed by a talk and Q&A with a former miner on the theme ‘My first day in the mine’. Free access to the exhibitions.