The Artist’s Guide to Day Tripping Across France

A vacation can be mind expanding or just a blur of unfamiliar sights soon to be lost to the foggy catacombs of ones mind. At TravelWizard.com, we want your next vacation to be a trip you will never forget. We have pulled together a collection of fabulous day trips for artists and art lovers. Artists visiting France will definitely enjoy these five fabulous private tours. Call 1-800-330-8820 to speak to one of our Virtuoso France Vacation Specialists about your next vacation to France!

The Origins of Humanity - Dordogne Caves
A day-trip to Perigord is a must for those interested in history and art. The drive is worth it because Lascaux provides the earliest evidence of art in the world. These paintings are what art was when art first began. It is because of their incredible condition that it is possible to attempt to understand the past through this art. Drive towards Sarlat, the geographical center of Périgord-Quercy. This medieval city of Sarlat is synonymous with 1,000 years of architecture. The city has the most medieval and Renaissance buildings in the Périgord. Sarlat will delight you with its architecture and charming cobbled stone streets. You can not leave the town without tasting foie gras! Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. We suggest La Couleuvrine, settled in one of the towers of the old rampart of Sarlat, where you will taste the products of the country judiciously re-imagined in a refined room near a warm fireplace, or the Petit Manoir, a 15th century private mansion. Food is excellent and the chef offers a delicious traditional Perigourdine dishes with spices and other fresh herbs. Continue towards Montignac to visit the most emblematic French cave: Lascaux II.  Hundreds of meters of walls and roofs are covered with friezes of animals vibrating with life and color. Bulls, stags, horses, etc. have been portrayed in movement with a remarkable sense of composition and coherence. Specialists unanimously consider this site to be one of the marvels of the prehistoric world.  Although the original Lascaux is no longer opened to the public, the replica of Lascaux I is magnificent and very close to reality. The walls of this fascinating cave are covered with drawings representing animals and hunting scenes. An unforgettable visit!

The Louvre  -  Paris

Enjoy a panoramic tour including a stop at the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre district and Notre Dame and wonder through the main treasures of the museum from the birth of the great antique civilizations right up to the first half of the 19th century. While in  Paris enjoy a panoramic tour of the city. Tell your driver you would like to view the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre district and Notre Dame. From the Eiffel Tower, the Arrondissements (districts) of Paris radiate before you like spokes on a wheel. Notre Dame's delicate buttresses almost take flight beside the River Seine. The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees, Montmartre and the Left Bank. And of course there are the food, cafés, bistros, and Michelin-starred restaurants. You will want to stop at Trocadero, from where you can admire the spectacular Eiffel Tower. Continue to the charming Montmartre, perched at top a hill in the north of Paris, Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit. Most of the scenes of the movie Amélie of Montmartre were set up in this hill! You will want to take some photos here as well. Finish the morning at Notre Dame de Paris, a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris. Notre Dame is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. We suggest a lunch cruise on a panoramic boat down the Seine River. In the afternoon, visit the Louvre Museum. Divided into 7 departments, the Louvre collections incorporate works dating from the birth of the great antique civilizations right up to the first half of the XIXth century, thereby confirming its encyclopedic vocation. Among the thousands of priceless paintings is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, probably the most famous painting in the world, housed in the Salle des Etats in a climate-controlled environment behind protective glass. Works of artists like Fragonard, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Poussin, and David can also be seen. Among the well-known sculptures in the collection are the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. Time permitting; do not miss Le Louvre des Antiquaries, the largest place for Antique dealers in Paris.

The Jewels of Provence - Aix-en-Provence & Avignon

This day-trip will give you the opportunity to visit two of the main cities of Provence: Aix-en-Provence, Cezanne’s birthplace & Avignon with its Popes’ Palace. Enjoy visiting Aix en Provence and do not miss out on one of the most famous “Cours” in France, the Cours Mirabeau, once a street for horse-drawn coaches and the link between the Mazarin quarter and the old commercial town. Cours Mirabeau is located in the center of the city, and the heart of Aix. The Cours Mirabeau is a beautiful tree-lined avenue, with one side lined with wonderful terrace cafés and bookshops. Aix-en-Provence is full of fountains. Aix-en-Provence is also known as the city of art, and a city of light and activity. Aix is also a home of art schools and several universities, including some American, attracting a youthful population that sparks the atmosphere.  The center of Aix en Provence is the old town, surrounded by a circular boulevard and squares. It's a small enough area to explore on foot. Medieval Aix was protected by a wall with 39 towers, today only the 14th century Tourreluquo tower remains, at the northwest corner of the town.  Be delighted by Aix’s bustling daily open-air market on the Place Richelme. The market offers provençal products such as fruit, vegetables, olives and oysters as well as wicker baskets, brightly patterned tablecloths made from Provençal cloth, olive wood bowls and platters and rolling pins. Enjoy a visit to a Calissons boutique and taste the local specialty! The main Market takes place on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This market located by the Palais de Justice is a big affair of fresh produce and food, bric-à-brac and a flea-market. On market days, a colorful flower market is held at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville (Town Hall).  You may wish to visit the Pavillon Vendôme, a fine example of an elegant "bastide" built in the 17th century. Preceded by a beautiful French garden, the Pavillon Vendôme was built in 1665 and commissioned by Louis de Mercour , Duke of Vendôme. It is said that it was built to house his love, Lucretia de Forbin Solliès, better known as Beauty of Le Canet. Today it is a small museum housing a collection of furniture, paintings and 18th century fabrics. Admire the mansions in the Mazarin district with the Hotel de Caumont, the 4 dolphins square with the graceful 4 dolphins fountain and Saint Jean de Malta church, a fortified gothic church built at the end of the 12th century. Visit the old town with the Palais des Justice built on the former Palace of the sovereign counts, Madeleine church, 17th century building, and St Sauveur cathedral. Enjoy lunch at leisure in Aix en Provence at a typical provençal restaurant. We suggest Les Bacchanales, a restaurant frequented by lovers of Southern cuisine. Continue your trip on to Avignon. Located at the confluence of the Rhône and Durance rivers, Avignon is well known for its ramparts, its famous Pont Saint-Bénezet and the Pope’s Palace. Avignon is ancient and full of history, life, youth, art, music and activity. The fortified city of Avignon will not leave you indifferent. The ancient streets, the private mansions and their courtyards, the renovated façades will charm you. The famous theatre festival has made Avignon an extremely attractive city in modern times. Avignon’s architecture is marked by papal history. Home to the Sovereign Pontiffs in the 14th century, the Palace of the Popes is the biggest Gothic palace in the world. You can visit 25 of the Palace’s rooms, including the ceremonial rooms, chapels, cloister and private papal apartments with priceless frescoes. Enjoy a walk around Avignon. On this walk you will encounter the main landmarks of the city, the historic core of Avignon, which has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list by the Convention of Berlin, (1995). One of France's Monuments Historiques chief architects has called it the "Acropolis of Avignon". It is considered as one of the most beautiful sites in the world.

Versailles Castle & Monet’s Home - Versailles and Giverny
Begin your day at Versailles Castle for a private visit of some area closed to most of the public. Discovering the magnificent Chateau of Versailles is a very enjoyable way to spend a morning, amidst the luxury of the home of Louis XIV. Take the prestigious tour of the palace. The visit should lasts 2 hours, and is conducted by a guide of the castle. After the visit, stop for lunch in a typical French Brasserie in the Garden of Versailles. The restaurant la Flotille benefits from the privilege to be located in the center of the gorgeous Versailles Castle park for the last 100 years. Be it spring, autumn or summer, it is well lit, with the sun reflecting in the windows and the Canal nearby. Head off to Giverny for a visit of the Monet Houses and Gardens. Monet’s House was bequeathed to France's Academy des Beaux-Arts by the artist's son Michel in 1966. Claude Monet's property at Giverny has since undergone major restoration. With its pink render on the outside, the house where the leader of the Impressionist school lived from 1883 until 1926 has regained the colorful interior and intimate charm of those bygone days. Several of its rooms are now devoted to the artist's precious collection of Japanese prints, hung in accordance with the instructions of the Master of Giverny. You will see where Monet painted his famous waterlily scenes and then stroll through those same gardens that he so artfully transcribed onto canvas.

Riviera Scents - Nice & Grasse
This day-trip will enchant all your senses: Everything is accentuated in Nice, the sunlight is so bright that the colors are flashing. The pines are green and are happily rubbing shoulders with the blue shades of the Mediterranean Sea and the sky, the sun is highlighting the yellow tones of the flowers, the ochre sides of the houses, in a natural setting of rocks and hills. It’s easy to see why so many are fascinated by the Côte d'Azur ... the artists, painters, writers, sculptors, musicians, who all contributed to the fame of this city and to whom many of Nice’s museums are dedicated. View the Belle Epoque luxurious residences including the fabulous palace built on the sea-front, the Négresco which shows off its dome on the Promenade des Anglais, the finest example of Belle Epoque architecture. Visit the Russian Church (not available on Sunday mornings). Enjoy a walking tour of the old town and marvel at its lovely flower market (not available on Mondays). Along the narrow alleys of the Old City the names of the streets are evocative of the ancient guilds, like goldsmith or bankers. The old buildings reflect the soul of Nice and all its history. It is still a very busy part of the town, living and breathing in an explosion of colors, fragrances and flavors, as embodied by the market. The Cours Saleya has a daily flower market and a food market in the mornings. You cannot stay in Nice and not taste the socca! Socca is a Nice specialty and is made with peas flour. Enjoy lunch “Le Safari”, it is in in the Cours Saleya which features Nicois specialties, pastas, pizzas, seafood and meat. After lunch continue to Grasse where you will want to explore the old city and the museums. Discover the old city’s shaded streets, architectural treasures, charming old squares, the outdoor markets, the fountains and the winding streets. In Grasse we can not forget that Grasse is the foremost city in the world for perfumes. It produces over two-thirds of France's natural aromas (for perfume and for food flavorings). Grasse's particular microclimate encouraged the flower farming industry. Here you will find perfume museums and even perfume factories to visit, such as Molinard. For a long time, Molinard worked with Baccarat and René Lalique who widely contributed to the House's reputation which wished to have sober and elegant scent bottle for its first "soliflores" perfumes (jasmine, rose, violet). You can visit the soap room which is very representative of the handmade aspect of Molinard, the distillery (Molinard is indeed the only perfumer to have preserved the original state of its factory, and to make the visit as authentic as during that period). It is surprising to think that such a famous house exporting its products worldwide, still makes its products in a craft and manual way. Molinard knew how to conquer the international markets by preserving the manufacturing tradition. You can also admire this ancient oil mill which in 1900 was transformed in order to crush hard raw materials such as rosewood, sandalwood or certain flower roots. Finally let yourself be impressed by the showroom which tells you about the history of Provence. It is a pleasure for both the eye, thanks to a splendid furniture collection (XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries) and for the nose thanks to the soft mixture of delicate fragrances.