I'm signed up for the Sept. 30th start date of this tour, and considering add a day or more at the end because I have a particular interest in Cézanne.
I'm interested in hearing from people who have taken this tour to see if anybody has done a Cézanne focused tour after the RS tour, or if they felt the RS tour included enough info to suit them. I've found one possibility to consider:
https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/rest-of-france/tours/cezannes-aix-en-provence
Liz, I haven't taken BOEF or an art-focused tour and don't have your special interest in Cezanne, but I do like art, and last year I enjoyed the small art museums that seem to exist in practically every town of note in southern France. You could add a lot more than one day and put the time to productive, art-related use. I have just one caution: Peak season in that area is July-August (though it is often uncomfortably hot then). By October a lot of museums will probably be open only five days a week (or possibly just four). Be sure of what you're going to get in terms of museum visits.
You can learn about Cézanne and his studio, etc on the tour you’ve highlighted. You could see the same sights on your own but I like the value that a good guide brings. Even though Aix played a major part in his life you won’t see great works by him there.
My husband and I took this tour last year. I noticed one Cezanne exhibit in Aix. I didn't go there to check it out. There are almost no museums on this tour. I think if you were a big art fan you might want to arrive in Paris a few days early and find some of his work at one of the museums there.
It is a delightful tour and I loved that it was on a slower pace. We started off with 3 days in London and then visited D-Day sites before taking the RS Best of Paris in 7 days. We were tired before we even started the Eastern France tour. We especially loved Colmar and Chamonix. If you have any additional questions, I'd be glad to help you.
Thanks for the replys, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this tour, Janet.
I understand that there won't be many Cézanne paintings to view in this part of France, and that's okay--I've been to Paris and other museums a number of times.
If there is anybody who has done a separate day tour of Cézanne sites, I'd appreciate hearing about them.
I'm bringing this to the top again in case others see this and have info.
Liz, we did this tour late September, 2017. It is our favorite out of our 6 RS tours. Chris Coleman was just a superb tour leader in every way. Special treats each day, many hosted happy hours and intuitive, individualized attention to all tour members. The variety and diversity of the locations is a highlight for sure. Janet is right that this tour is not about museums. Probably why it is our favorite. 😏. The one museum we did on our own in Reims was the Museum of Surrender. Very meaningful as my dad and uncles fought in that war.
I know less than nothing about Cézanne. Our tour hotel in Aix was the http://hotel-negre-coste.com/.
If your tour is at that same hotel I would highly recommend staying there for your extra nights post-tour. It was very modern with lots of closet storage and a large modern bathroom. The location is perfect on a major street with lots of restaurants and shops close by.
