Monet’s Garden, Versailles and Other Great French Gardens – 2027

Today we travel by luxury coach via ferry to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn at Massy, a suburb of Paris. We arrive in time for you to discover the local area and perhaps find a restaurant for dinner, although there is always the option to dine at the hotel.

Our first visit is to Giverny, the village where the world-famous Impressionist painter Claude Monet once lived. Its lush gardens, water-lily pond and iconic Japanese bridge inspired many of his most famous works. Visitors can wander through the house, studio and gardens that preserve the atmosphere Monet cultivated for decades.

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a magnificent 17th-century Baroque château near Paris. Designed by architect Louis Le Vau, landscape designer André Le Nôtre and painter Charles Le Brun, its elegant architecture and spectacular gardens later inspired the Palace of Versailles.

We then visit the Palace of Fontainebleau, one of France’s largest and most magnificent royal châteaux. A residence for French monarchs across eight centuries, it blends medieval, Renaissance and neoclassical styles. Its vast formal gardens and royal interiors offer a remarkable glimpse into French history.

After breakfast we venture to Château de Villandry, a magnificent Renaissance château in the Loire Valley. It is particularly famous for its extraordinary formal gardens, including ornamental flower gardens, water gardens, vegetable gardens and a maze.

Purchased in 1906 by Dr Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman, the estate was restored to its Renaissance splendour. Today, Villandry forms part of the UNESCO-listed Loire Valley and attracts visitors from around the world for its beauty, history and horticultural excellence.

Today we visit the Palace of Versailles, one of the most famous royal residences in the world and a symbol of the power and grandeur of the French monarchy. Louis XIV transformed an earlier hunting lodge into an immense palace and moved the royal court and government there in 1682.

Renowned for its magnificent architecture, lavish state apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles also features extensive formal gardens designed by André Le Nôtre, ornamental fountains, canals and the Grand and Petit Trianon palaces.

The palace remained the principal residence of the French kings until the French Revolution. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of France’s most visited attractions.

After checking out, we head towards Calais via Château du Champ de Bataille, one of Normandy’s most impressive Baroque estates. Built between 1653 and 1665, it was purchased in 1992 by renowned French interior designer Jacques Garcia, who undertook an extensive restoration.

The château is particularly famous for its spectacular gardens, recreated using classical French design principles. Formal parterres, fountains, canals, sculptures and long landscaped vistas make them among the finest gardens in France.

After enjoying this final treat, we continue to Calais for our crossing and return home.