Vienna Getaway

from 10 to 14 May 2023

Lecturer: Patrice Mauriès

Day 1 - Vienna’s Old Town.
St Stephen’s Cathedral, an undisputed masterpiece of Austrian Gothic architecture, and Vienna’s finest monuments and squares, including the Graben.
Day 2 - Imperial Vienna and the treasures of Jugendstil.
The Hofburg, tour of the imperial apartments and the Treasury.
Discover Viennese Art Nouveau and St Charles Borromeo’s Church, after a break in a Viennese café.
Day 3 - Tour of the Upper Belvedere collections, featuring masterpieces by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka.
Explore the Secession Building, the Beethoven Frieze and Otto Wagner’s Jugendstil buildings.
Day 4 - The Museumsquartier and the Hundertwasserhaus.
Tour of the Habsburg collections at the Museum of Art History.
Explore the Savings Bank building, a masterpiece by Otto Wagner, and the astonishing Hundertwasserhaus. In Heiligenstadt, visit the Beethoven Museum and have dinner in a tavern in this wine-growing village.
Day 6 - Visit to Schönbrunn Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its splendid gardens.

The highlights of Tuscany

14–19 May 2022

Lecturer: Patrice Mauriès

Day 1 - PISA and the Campo dei Miracoli. The Piazza del Duomo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2 - PISTOIA, with its astonishing concentration of palaces and churches, and the Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 3 - LUCCA, with its Roman and medieval centre surrounded by ramparts. Villa Torrigiani, one of the sumptuous country estates in the Lucca countryside.
Day 4 - SIENA, a city with an intact medieval heritage. Its historic centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 5 - SIENA, the Libreria Piccolomini, an artistic and architectural gem, andthe Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, now a museum.
Day 6 - SAN GIMIGNANO, with its tower houses and historic centre listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Chianti region, for a tasting lunch at a vineyard.

Normandy’s Treasures

8–13 October 2022

Tour guide Vassiliki Cyrille-Lytras

Day 1 - Departure from Compiègne and check-in at Merville-Franceville Plage, near Cabourg.
Day 2 - CAEN. Tour of the town followed by a visit to the Caen Memorial.
Day 3 - BAYEUX and OMAHA BEACH. Visit to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum and the town. Arromanches D-Day Museum, Omaha Beach and the American cemetery at Colleville-Saint-Laurent.
Day 4 - CABOURG and CÔTE FLEURIE. In the footsteps of Marcel Proust, ‘Villa du temps Retrouvé’ in Cabourg and the Côte Fleurie, from Deauville and Trouville to Honfleur.
Day 5 - THE PAYS D'AUGE. The manor house of Saint-Germain-de-Livet, the manor house of Coupesarte. Beuvron-en-Auge, one of the most beautiful villages in France. Return via Dives-sur-Mer.
Day 6 - Departure for the Château de Vendeuvre, then return to Compiègne.

Day 1 - First exploration of Montpellier: walking tour from Saint-Roch station to the Place Royale du Peyrou. Montpellier Botanical Garden, the oldest botanical garden in France (1593). Saint-Charles Hospital (1937), an example of the major architectural principles of the 1930s.
Day 2 - A journey through art, from the 16th century to the present day: a walking tour of the historic centre, squares and courtyards of private mansions. The Cathedral. The former medical school and its anatomy theatre. Mo-Co, a former private mansion now a centre for contemporary art.
Day 3 - Nîmes and its ancient heritage: visit to the Musée de la Romanité. Explore the Nîmes Arena, the Maison Carrée and the Jardins de la Fontaine.
Day 4 - Montpellier, contemporary architecture and urban planning: the Antigone district (architect Ricardo Bofill), the Port Marianne district, an extension of Antigone towards the Mediterranean.
Day 5 - Visit to the Fabre Museum with its extensive collections ranging from the Renaissance to the present day.

Berlin through history

16–20 April or 6–10 May 2019

Lecturer: Patrice Mauriès

Day 1 - Panoramic tour of the city. Explore Nikolaiviertel, Berlin’s oldest district.
Day 2 - Visit to the Neues Museum and its famous Egyptian collections.
Explore the Bundestag, Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate.
Day 3 - Alexanderplatz, rebuilt in the socialist urbanist style.
Altes Museum: collections of Etruscan, Greek and Roman art. Pergamon Museum (Altar of Pergamon, Ishtar Gate, etc.)
Berlin’s New Synagogue, Bernauer Strasse, where a section of the Berlin Wall has been preserved.
Day 4 - Kulturforum, West Berlin’s cultural centre designed in the late 1950s. Walk past the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Philharmonie, followed by a visit to the Gemäldegalerie, dedicated to European art from the 13th to the 18th century.
Cruise on the Spree.
Day 5 - Berlin Jewish Museum, whose architecture reflects the complexity of relations between the Jewish and German communities over the centuries.
Visit to Sanssouci Palace, built for Frederick II.

Marseille and Aix-en-Provence

21–26 September 2019

Tour guide Claire Joncheray

Day 1 - Marseille: panoramic tour of the city and its Corniche, Notre-Dame de la Garde, visit to the Marseille History Museum
City of Marseille.
Day 2 - Marseille: Day trip to the Frioul Islands. Walking tour of the Panier district, the Vieille Charité, the cathedral, MUCEM, Fort Saint-Jean…
Day 3 - Marseille: Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse.
Cassis and the rugged beauty of the Calanques.
Day 4 - Visit to the Albertas Gardens in Bouc-Bel-Air.
Aix-en-Provence: walking tour of the historic districts, from the Sextius district to the Rotonde, from the Cours Mirabeau to the cathedral.
Day 5 - In the footsteps of Paul Cézanne (Lauves studio, Cézanne Road, Sainte-Victoire). Granet Museum in Aix.
Day 6 - Aix-en-Provence: Mazarin district, tour of a 17th/18th-century mansion and the Hôtel de Caumont (Tannhauser collection, Guggenheim masterpieces).

Discover Sicily

5–12 April 2018

Lecturer: Patrice Mauriès

Day 1 - Paris - Palermo – Monreale: visit to the cathedral and its cloister.
Day 2 - Segesta: Doric temple and theatre carved into the rock of Mount Barbaro.
Agrigento: explore the Valley of the Temples and visit the regional archaeological museum.
Day 3 - Piazza Armerina: tour of the Roman Villa del Casale and its splendid mosaics.
Ragusa, an old medieval and Baroque town.
Day 4 - Syracuse: Neapolis Archaeological Park, Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum. Walk on the island of Ortigia, cathedral.
Day 5 - Taormina: visit to the Greek theatre and the town.
Cefalù: visit to the Romanesque cathedral in the Norman style and the Mandralisca Museum.
Day 6 - Palermo: Palace of the Normans, the Palatine Chapel. Church of Saint John of the Hermits. Church ofMartorana. Cathedral. Salinas Archaeological Museum (Phoenician and Greek art). Oratory of the Rosary of Saint Dominic and Oratory of the Rosary of Saint Cita (stucco work by Serpotta).
Day 7 - Palermo: visit to the Regional Gallery of Sicily (Annunciation by Antonello da Messina). Visit to the Gangi Palace (see Visconti’s film The Leopard).
Day 8 - Palermo - Paris.

Troyes in Champagne

19–24 September 2018

With the support of Eric Blanchegorge, Director of the Troyes Museum Centre.

Day 1 - ‘The splendour of the 16th century in Champagne’: a guided tour by Eric Blanchegorge in Old Troyes, visiting churches and the Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte Museum (ArkéAube, the Prince of Lavau’s treasure).
Day 2 - Château de la Motte Tilly and its garden
Nogent-sur-Seine, Camille Claudel Museum
Villemaur-sur-Vanne Church, famous for its 16th-century wooden rood screen.
Day 3 - Clairvaux Abbey, La Boisserie in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, Château de Cirey-sur-Blaise (Voltaire and the Marquise du Châtelet).
Day 4 - Chaource: Saint John the Baptist Church (exceptional Deposition). Essoye, a tour following in the footsteps of Auguste Renoir and the ‘beautiful Gabrielle’.
Fontette: tour of the Charles Collin champagne cellars
Day 5 - Brienne-le-Château, visit to the Napoleon Museum.
The half-timbered churches of the Der region (Ceffonds, Lentilles and Chavanges)
Day 6 - Troyes, continuation of guided tours led by E. Blanchegorge. Churches, the Vauluisant Museum (Troyes and Hosiery History Museum) and the Saint-Loup Museum (Fine Arts and Archaeology).
Day 7 - Free morning followed by return to Compiègne.

Andalusia

28 March to 4 April 2017

French-speaking local guide

Day 1 - Paris / Malaga: Welcome and transfer to Ronda.
Day 2 - Ronda: tour of the town, bullring, cathedral.
Arcos de la Frontera, one of Andalusia’s most beautiful villages.
Day 3 - Jerez: visit tothe riding school, horse show; Cadiz: panoramic tour, visit to the cathedral and the provincial museum.
Day 4 - Seville: panoramic tour and visits to the cathedral, the Giralda, the Patio de los Naranjos, then the Casa de Pilatos and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Day 5 - Medina Azahara
Córdoba: the Great Mosque, the Judería, the old town centre.
Day 6 - Córdoba: visit tothe Torre de la Calahorra, Museum of the Three Cultures (Muslim, Jewish and Christian).
Granada: visit to the cathedral and the Royal Chapel (tombs of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella the Catholic, and a collection of 16th- and 17th-century paintings).
Day 7 - Granada: visit to the Alhambra, fortress, palace and gardens, followed by the Albayzin district.
For some, tapas dinner and flamenco in a cave in Sacromonte.
Day 8 - Málaga / Paris

Discovering Finistère

24 to 30 September 2017

Day 1 - Visit to the Maritime Museum in Douarnenez.
Day 2 - Locronan.
Exploring the Crozon Peninsula, including Pointe de Pen-Hir, Pointe des Espagnols, the Lagatyar menhirs and the port of Camaret.
Day 3 - Explore the town of Morlaix.
Landerneau: visit to the exhibition organised by the Hélène and Edouard Leclerc Cultural Fund.
Day 4 - Quimper: visit to the Henriot Pottery and the Locmaria district. The Breton Departmental Museum. Saint-Corentin Cathedral and the old quarters.
Day 5 - Concarneau – its walled town and Vauban fortifications offer a real journey back in time. Pont-Aven: exploring the town of painters, visit to its museum.
Day 6 - Brest: explore the city’s history and visit its naval dockyard.
Parish enclosures of Saint-Thégonnec and Lampaul-Guimillau.
Day 7 - Visit to the Sainte-Marie du Menez Hom chapel.

Bologna and the surrounding area

11 to 17 April 2016

Tour guide Claire Joncheray

Day 1 - Paris / Bologna: Piazza della Ravegnana, Church of San Stefano, a complex of several churches and religious buildings. Walk through the Jewish quarter. Piazza del Nettuno, with its magnificent Fountain of Neptune. Visit to the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio (16th century), home to the University for several centuries.
Day 2 - Modena: tour of the city, Piazza Grande, the cathedral with its Wiligelmo reliefs and the Ghirlandina Tower, a jewel of Romanesque architecture.
Visit to the Town Hall and the Cathedral Museum.
Marzabotto: Visit to the Etruscan archaeological site.
Day 3 - Bologna: Palazzo d’Accursio, or Palazzo del Comune, a blend of different styles and eras. Cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter. Visit to the Archaeological Museum. Church and Piazza San Domenico. The Oratory of Saint Cecilia (frescoes). Visit to the Basilica of San Petronio, the city’s largest church.
Day 4 - Mantua: Palazzo del Te, a unique example of Mannerist architecture and decoration. Boat trip on the lake. Ducal Palace, a veritable ‘city within a city’.
Day 5 - Parma: Visit to the Palazzo della Pilotta, the former ducal palace, and the Cathedral, a Romanesque building redecorated in the 16th century.
Fontanellato: visit to Sanvitale Castle.
Day 6 - Ravenna: Visit to the Basilica of San Vitale, an architectural masterpiece (extraordinary mosaics, including those of Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora).
Day 7 - Ferrara: Visit to the Archaeological Museum.
The Schifanoia Palace and the Estens Castle, the city’s most iconic monument.
Bologna / Paris

Anjou and the Saumur region

25 to 30 September 2016

Day 1 - Angers - Guided tour of the Doutre district and Saint-Jean Hospital (tapestries by Jean Lurçat).

Day 2 - Visit to Plessis-Bourré Castle.
Visit to Serrant Castle.
Guided walk along the Loire.

Day 3 - Visit to Angers Castle and theApocalypse Tapestry. Visit toSaint-Aubin Abbey. Visit to the Galerie David in Angers.

Day 4 - Visit toFontevraud Abbey.
Exploring Candes-Saint-Martin.
Visit to Chinon Castle and the old quarters of Chinon.

Day 5 - Saumur – National Riding School for a demonstration by the Cadre Noir.
Guided tour of Saumur. Visit to the ‘Sunken Cathedral’ in the heart of the Bouvet-Ladubay cellars.
Guided tour of the old quarters of Montreuil-Bellay.

Day 6 - Guided tour of the Priory of Cunault.
Guided tour of the Sculpture Cellar in Dénezé-Sous-Doué.
Semi-guided tour of the troglodyte village of Rochemenier.

The Best of Greece

1–7 April 2015

Tour organised by Océanides, accompanied by a local French-speaking guide

Day 1 - Panoramic tour of Athens.
Day 2 - Athens: the Acropolis (the Propylaea, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon), the Theatre of Dionysus and the Odeon, the New Acropolis Museum.
Visit to the National Archaeological Museum.
Day 3 - Athens: visit to the Agora and the Kerameikos cemetery.
On the way to Delphi, visit to the Byzantine monastery of Ossios Loukas.
Day 4 - Delphi: visit to the sanctuary, the Tholos, the Castalian Spring, and the Archaeological Museum. Departure for Olympia.
Day 5 - Olympia: visit to the sacred site, the remains of the stadium, the Temple of Hera and the Temple of Zeus, as well as the Archaeological Museum. Departure for the Argolid. Stop in Nafplio (a Venetian port that was the first capital of Greece).
Day 6 - Epidaurus: visit to the sanctuary of Asclepius and the theatre, the most beautiful in Greece.
Mycenae: tour of the ancient city of the King of Kings: the Lioness Gate, the royal tombs, the palace and its megaron, the dome-shaped tombs...
Return to Athens, stop at the Corinth Canal.
Day 7 - Transfer to the airport and return flight.

The Languedoc

13 to 19 September 2015

Day 1 - visit to theEnserune oppidum and the Malpas Tunnel.
Day 2 - Thau Lagoon, visit to a shellfish farm.
Visit to the Saint-Adrien Gardens, ranked among the most beautiful gardens in France, followed by a guided tour of Pézenas, the town of Molière.
Day 3 - guided tour of La Couvertoirade, a Templar town on the Causse du Larzac, with its walls still intact.
Guided tour of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, listed as a ‘Grand Site de France’: the abbey church and the village.
Day 4 - Guided tour of Sète: the harbour, the canals, Mont Saint-Clair and its panoramic views...
Visit to theValmagne Abbey, a former Cistercian abbey and wine estate, and the Gallo-Roman villa at Loupian.
Day 5 - Agde, guided tour of the Musée de l’Ephèbe and the site of Grande Conque.
Barge trip on the Canal du Midi passing through the Fonsérane Locks, guided tour of Béziers.
Day 6 - Guided tour of the City of Carcassonne
Guided tour of Fontfroide Abbey.
Day 7 - Guided tour of the town of Agde.