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| Monet, Train to Jeufosse |
If you’re an art lover, this itinerary is for you. It was the development of train travel in the late 1800s in France that enabled artists to easily reach the Parisian outskirts to paint landscapes, giving rise to the en plein air ("in the open air") painting style. These treks into the countryside led artists to consider moving to the picturesque suburbs. Today, follow in their footsteps by hopping on a train. All of these lovely places are within an hour of Paris either by RER (light rail), SNCF (train) or TGV (fast train).
Fondation Claude Monet
84 Rue Claude Monet, Giverny
fondation-monet.com; (Open: April-Nov. Fee.)
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| Monet, The Artist's Garden at Giverny |
Getting There: From Paris' Gare St. Lazare station, take a SNCF train to Vernon-Giverny. At Vernon, the train is met by a shuttle bus to the Claude Monet Foundation. Taxis and bikes are also available.
AU REVOIR VAN GOGH
Auvers-sur-Oise
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| Van Gogh, Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption |
Auvers-sur-Oise is a really charming town where Vincent van Gogh sadly spent the last months of his life. He moved here in May 1890 and did some eighty paintings. Markers throughout the town indicate Van Gogh-related points of interest and the sites he painted such as the church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption and the City Hall. At the Château d'Auvers (the kitschiest museum you’ll ever visit), experience French life at the time of the Impressionists. Pay homage to Van Gogh at the room he occupied in the Auberge Ravoux. At the cemetery, weep over his grave and the sad irony of the penniless painter, now considered the most popular artist in the world.
Getting There: From Paris' Gare du Nord station, take the RER or SNCF train in the direction of Pontoise or Valmondois, with a transfer to Auvers-sur-Oise. (On Saturdays & Sundays, April to November, there’s a direct train, H line.)
RODIN’S COUNTRY HIDEAWAY
Musée Rodin - Meudon
Villa des Brillants
19 Avenue Auguste Rodin, Meudon (Open: Spring-Fall, Free)
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| Rodin, The Thinker |
The sculptor Auguste Rodin moved to Meudon Val Fleury in 1893. While he continued to go to his Parisian studio, he did a lot of creative work here. The museum is actually the villa where he lived and the studio where he worked, set in a beautiful park. Today, only a few rooms in the villa are open to the public, but the atelier is filled with spectacular casts of important pieces such as The Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell. Out front, The Thinker fittingly presides over Rodin’s tomb. This lovely spot, perched on a hill overlooking the Parc de St. Cloud and the Seine, is the perfect setting for a picnic on a nice day.
Getting There: From Paris, take RER (C) in the direction of Versailles Rive Gauche to Meudon Val Fleury. Then, from the station, take bus #169 (Paul Bert stop). It’s a walk uphill from there.
RODIN'S MUSE FINALLY GETS HER DUE
Musée Camille Claudel
10 rue Gustave Flaubert, Nogent-sur-Seine
www.museecamilleclaudel.fr (Open: All year. Fee.)
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| Claudel, Femme Accroupie |
Flaubert Fans: Flaubert's father's family was from Nogent-sur-Seine. His novel L'Éducation Sentimentale (Sentimental Education) is set here. At the tourist office (5 rue Saint Epoing), pick up a brochure with a map of highlights, "Sur Les Pas de Flaubert."
Getting There: From Paris' Gare de l’Est station, take a SNCF train to Nogent-sur-Seine (about an hour). The museum is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Château du Clos Lucé
2 Rue du Clos Lucé, Amboise, Val de Loire www.vinci-closluce.com (Open: All year. Fee.)
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| Da Vinci model at Clos Lucé |
Long before any artist hopped on a train, the master of them all--Leonardo da Vinci--loaded his painting supplies and a few canvases onto a mule for the journey from Italy to France. Da Vinci came to the château at Amboise in the Loire Valley on the invitation of King François 1, a major fan. The king told Da Vinci he was "free to think, dream, and work." (It's the reason the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre.) You can visit the rooms where Da Vinci worked the last years of his life and view maquettes of his ingenious machines. The château is surrounded by a magnificent park with life-size models of many of Da Vinci's futuristic inventions that only became realities some 400 years later.
Getting There: From Paris' Gare Montparnasse station, take the TGV train to St Pierre des Corps. (An hour, plus a 20-minute taxi ride or local train connection to Amboise.) Or, take a 2-hour train, direct to Amboise from Paris' Gare Austerlitz.
Paris has six train stations, each serving specific regions. (There’s a rhyme and reason to it, but it often seems completely arbitrary!) However, you can do itinerary and timetable searches for all these trips before leaving the comfort of your home on Transilien or Rail Europe. Most of these lovely places, and 5 other artsy spots, are best visited in the spring and summer (some are only open from March to November), so book your flights to Paris now!
[Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared on Frommers.com]
Getting There: From Paris' Gare Montparnasse station, take the TGV train to St Pierre des Corps. (An hour, plus a 20-minute taxi ride or local train connection to Amboise.) Or, take a 2-hour train, direct to Amboise from Paris' Gare Austerlitz.
