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Recommended Location for Artists?

Posted by (Ohio) on

My husband and I are planning our summer 2023 family vacation to France, and we plan to bring my mother along who is an artist. I would love to find an ideal place to stay during one of our stops that would be a perfect location for her to set up her easel somewhere on the property and blissfully paint for a couple days. I think she would prefer a quiet countryside setting to urban or village, but not sure. Are there any BNB's or similar that cater to artists? We are looking at the following itinerary (could still change):

  • Paris (4-5 days)
  • Either Alsace OR Annecy (2 days)
  • Provence (2-3 days)
  • Nice (2 days)

Any recommendations would be appreciated! This will be our first trip to France and my mother's first time traveling outside the U.S. ☺️

Posted by
755 posts

I have found the French uniformly welcoming to artists of all kinds. For the hotel or BNB, it may depend on the medium. Oil paints and canvas will require a bit more clean-up. I’ve usually used water colors and pastels.

In the Provence area I’ve seen groups of amateur painters on day-long excursions, perhaps someone in the Forum has more information on this. If you are planning on the Aix-en-Provence area, I believe their Tourism Office had details on this type of excursion.

Posted by
386 posts

When I visited Auvers-sur-Oise a few years ago to visit Van Gogh’s room, grave, and sites he’d painted, I saw several artists with their easels throughout the town, painting well-known sites. The village is only about an hour from Paris, so your mom could either stay there, or visit as day trip while you stay in Paris.
Guessing she could do something similar in/around Arles while you’re in Provence.
I’ll look it up, but I think there’s a place in Uzes that offers cooking and painting classes. Will post again with details.

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