Image by Claude Monet, shared by Cliff
The essence of impressionism, as a movement, was about the reflection of light and how it evoked sensory perception. It was about life caught and framed in short, sharp bursts. Lastly, and perhaps most centrally, it was about capturing modernity – an abstract concept that existed only in the moment and had no eternal qualities.
In this case life has not imitated art; impressionist artworks created by masters such as Monet, Cezanne and Renoir from the 1870s onwards, persist and can still be enjoyed to this day. There is no better place in the world to visit than Paris and Northern France – where so many of the inspiring landscapes and masterpieces remain – for experiencing the best of what the movement had to offer. Especially for the time-starved traveller, here is some advice on how to experience the plethora of joys found in impressionist Paris and beyond, within seven action-packed days.
Paris
During the heyday of impressionism, Paris was the art centre of the world and, as such, many of the movement’s key artists were either based there or lived in the city for much of their lives. For this reason the city and its suburbs provided visual stimulation for countless examples of the movement’s best works, many of which still reside in museums and exhibitions within the French capital.
Paris therefore presents the most obvious starting point for a tour of the best that impressionist France has to offer. The Charles de Gaulle International Airport and the Eurotunnel ensure that Paris is highly accessible and easy to reach for visiting tourists. Once there, Paris has one of the best and oldest Metros in the world, with over 300 stations and 300km of track, making it incredibly easy for tourists to get around. Tickets are relatively cheap, too, and can be bought in multiples of ten or by the number of days required, up to five.
The birthplace of Claude Monet
One of the founding fathers and arguably the name that is most synonymous with impressionism, Claude Monet’s painting ‘Impression, Sunrise’ gave the movement its name. Therefore any tour that harbours hopes of being complete needs to include a visit to the place where it all started.
Monet was born on the gorgeous Parisian street the Rue Laffitte in 1840, on the fifth floor of the building numbered 45. A view of the amazing Sacred Heart Basilica can also be seen from the street and dominates the nearby cityscape.
Image by nikoretro
Musée de l’Orangerie
Located in the west corner of the Tuileries Gardens near one of Paris’ most prominent and recognisable public squares, the Musée de l’Orangerie is one of the best impressionist art galleries in the city. The museum was selected by Claude Monet himself to house perhaps his most famous work, the ‘Nymphéas’ – a series of eight masterpieces depicting the water lilies in his famous home’s garden. The museum’s forte and the main part of its enduring appeal is the sense of space that it gives to each of the pieces it exhibits there, allowing each work to breathe and be appreciated with the sense of scale they deserve.
Image by LWY
Boulevard des Italiens and Boulevard des Capucines
These two boulevards are two of Paris’ four grand boulevards, which stretch from the Madeleine church in the city’s 9th district to Bastille in its 11th.
The Boulevard des Italiens was a home to a variety of cafés which acted as cultural hubs for congregating impressionist artists, as well as inspiring Camille Pisarro’s masterpiece, ‘Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight’.
Image by Camille Pissarro, shared by Cliff
Boulevard des Capucines, on the other hand, was the location where impressionists including Monet, Renoir and Manet held the movement’s first exhibition in 1874. To this day, many of the views, angles and aesthetics that characterised important impressionist artworks can still be found in both boulevards.
Seeing impressionist France outside of Paris
Outside of Paris, there so still so much left of expressionist France left to experience, with the majority of it taking place across a less concentrated area, spread across Normandy and Northern France. To see all that the area has to offer will require a fair amount of travel, for the best experience it is suggested that you make plans to travel between the different attractions by car.
If you have made your way to France by Eurostar, you can of course take your own car. However, if you have travelled to Paris by the convenience of plane, cars can be hired throughout the city and through all the recognised names within the industry. A rental car is a fantastic option for providing you with the flexibility to create your own itinerary and take in the reaming attractions of impressionist France at your own leisure.
Taking to the road with peace of mind
Although driving is a solution that offers increased freedom and flexibility, you must be aware and prepare for the distinct difference that driving in France presents.
For starters, there is a list of equipment that you are legally obliged to carry with you at all times when driving in France, which is not required in the UK. However, you are still the one obliged to check that everything that is supposed to be on the list is. And if anything is missing, you are well within your rights to demand that the rental company supplies it. To help clarify exactly what equipment you will need, you can refer to this excellent guide.
If you are taking to the road in a hire car, insurance is simply something that you cannot afford to drive off without. Although all hire companies are legally required to provide insurance cover as part of the rental fee, you could end up paying an excess in the region or above £850, unless you have top-up excess insurance. With most rental companies this is a service that is offered, however it is expensive (usually an extra £100) so it pays to shop around with companies that specialise individually in providing such insurance.
Normandy and Northern France
The medieval city of Rouen is the undisputed capital of region of Normandy and a central location for many of the best impressionist attractions outside of Paris. It’s approximately 82 miles (131 km in French metrics) from Paris and includes travelling on motorways that incur a toll. Due to its proximity to other attractions, Rouen represents a fantastic place to stay between daily excursions. Below is a list of places to visit within a reasonable driving distance and the city itself.
Rouen Cathedral
Rouen is dubbed ‘the city of a thousand spires’ because it is home to so many churches, and above them all stands Rouen Cathedral. A gothic masterpiece of construction, the cathedral was once the world’s tallest building for a short period between 1876 and 1870.
But more important than both those things was the fact that it was a source of inspiration for Claude Monet, who used the amazingly asymmetrical façade on the East side of the building as stimulus for a series of twenty brilliant paintings.
Image by notphilatall
The town of Rouen is also home to the Rouen Fine Arts Museum, which exhibits the largest collection of impressionist works in any museum outside of Paris, including paintings by the English artist Alfred Sisley.
Giverny (Distance from Rouen: 45 miles)
Often dubbed the ‘heart of impressionism’, this quaint little town on the banks of the river Seine became a hotbed of creativity, inspiring the greatest names of the impressionist movement to produce some of their best work. Many of these are still kept in the Musée des Impressionnismes found in Giverny, a museum that is solely dedicated to exhibiting impressionist art.
Top of the bill for Giverny attractions, however, and arguably the crown jewel of impressionist France is Claude Monet’s house. The house and his garden – which inspired his famous water Lilies paintings – attracts over half a million visitors a year and offers an amazing insight to the life and works of the great man.
Image by nikoretro
Côte Fleurie (Distance from Rouen: 58.5 miles)
Translating to the Flowered Coast in English, this area encompasses an area of Normandy’s coastline that stretches from Trouveille to Cabourg. Both Deauville and Trouville, two fashionable seaside resorts immortalised by a series of impressionist artists in the 19th century, can also be found between these points.
Seaside resorts were a key symbol of impressionist France, as the artists were keen to capture the bourgeois trend for bathing at the time – a desire in keeping with the movement’s modernist sensibilities. ‘The Beach’ by Eugène Boudin (1893) is perhaps the most famous painting borne from the impressionist movement to capture this societal trend.
Le Havre (Distance from Rouen: 56 miles)
The coastal city, in 19th century France was an upmarket retreat for rich Parisians. The impressionists, however, were attracted by the way the light reflected off the estuary of the river Seine that the city stands upon. Le Havre’s Malraux Museum is a must if you choose to visit, exhibiting pieces by Renoir, Courbet, and Sisley among others.
Côte d’Albâtre (Distance from Rouen: 56 miles)
The Côte d’Albâtre, or the Alabaster Coast in English, stretches from Le Havre to Fécamp and inspired many artists, including Boudin, Morisot, Pissaro and of course Monet. The chalk cliff formation – that includes the famous needle which inspired many artists – resides on this stretch of the coast and provides a spectacular scene that delivers an unmissable part of any impressionist tour.
Price Calculations of the Visit*
Flights – £96 with EasyJet from Luton Airport to Charles de Gaulle in Paris per adult (based on a 7 day return).
What to Drive – Small and economical, a Peugeot 208 from Avis for around £ 80.00; or in the lap of luxury, an Audi A1, from Avis for around £ 300.00 (both prices based on four days rental and picking up/ dropping off the car at the Champs-Élysées depot).
Fuel Budget and Toll Budget (estimate) – £ 19.55 (€22.34) based on a return journey from Rouen to Giverny that includes a seven euro toll fee (€3.50 each way).
Cost of excess insurance – £11.96 (4 days) available with iCarhireinsurance.
Where to Stay – Paris: Hotel Aida Printania (3 star), £61 per night; InterContinental Paris Le Grand (4 star), £201 per night.
Rouen: L’Hôtel de L’Europe (3 star), £83 per night; Hotel de Bourgtheroulde Autograph Collection (5 star), £142 per night.
*All prices based on estimates made through research conducted in January 2014
If you have experienced impressionist France for yourself and have any other tips or places to visit that you would like to share, please do so in the comments section below.
