Monet’s Garden with Paula McWaters
19th Jul 2026
Key Highlights
- The incomparable gardens of Giverny, carefully maintained as Monet would have wished
- Musée Marmottan Monet home to the leading collecting of Monet’s work
- The Orangerie Museum and Les Nymphéas – impressionism at its most impressive
- The sumptuously decorated Grands Appartements and the Galeries de Peintures of the Château de Chantilly
- Comfortable rail travel with Eurostar
- Q&A with garden expert Paula McWaters
Summary
Just as the gardens at Giverny inspired Monet, who spent half his life nurturing and enjoying them, so they continue to enthrall countless visitors 90 years after his death. The lovingly restored gardens give a vivid impression of Monet's favorite subjects. The gardens are filled with poppies, lupins, delphiniums and peonies, and throughout the year the atmosphere is of abundant colour and luxuriant growth. Arched bridges, painted an acid apple green, are festooned with wisteria and the draped fronds of weeping willow frame the water lilies - Monet's paintings brought unnervingly to life. Besides Giverny, we visit Musée Marmottan Monet home to the leading collecting of Monet’s work, the Château de Chantilly, with its extensive collection of fine art and its gardens designed by Le Nôtre, and also the pleasant market town of Senlis.
We will also be joined on this unique trip by gardening expert Paula McWaters, who will share her passion for plants and gardens as you explore.
What's included
- Three nights’ dinner with wine, bed and breakfast at the Château de Montvillargenne. All rooms are in the original château building and have private bathroom
- Return standard class rail travel from London St Pancras International to Paris. (First Class upgrades and regional connections also available on request)
- Comfortable coaching in France
- Visits to the Orangerie Museum, Monet’s Garden (including guided tour), the Château de Chantilly, Senlis and the Parc Bagatelle
- Services of a Brightwater Holidays Tour Manager
- Special appearance, talk and Q&A session with Paula McWaters
Meet your tour manager
David MacLennan
Since retiring from full time employment David has worked as a tour manager and guide throughout Europe and the UK. David is one of our most experienced and popular tour managers and we are sure you will enjoy his company, enthusiasm and expertise throughout the trip. If you're lucky he may even wear his kilt!
Day by Day Itinerary
UK – Travel, Musée de l'Orangerie
We take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, from where we will transfer to the Musée de l’Orangerie des Tuileries to see the museum’s impressive collection. The highlight is undoubtedly the series of two-metre high murals entitled Les Nymphéas, which were given to the French state in 1918 as a symbol of peace and installed in 1927, a few months after Monet’s death. In addition to the Nymphéas, the Orangerie offers a fabulous collection of masterpieces from the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection, featuring Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso, Rousseau, Matisse, Derain, Modigliani, Soutine, Utrillo and Laurencin. Later you’ll travel out to the charming town of Chantilly, situated in the heart of the Chantilly Forest, and check-in to your hotel, the Jeanne & The Forest Chateau de Montvillargenne. In the evening once you have settled into your room join our party for a welcome glass of Kir in the bar before dinner.
Meals Included: Dinner
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