Claude Monet believed his greatest artistic achievement was the enchanting garden that he created between 1883 and 1926 at his familial home in Giverny in upper Normandy—a work of art that inspired many of his masterpieces, including the magnificent Waterlilies series. French Links Tours always makes it possible to visit the garden just when it opens, so you have a chance to capture the most perfect photographs as you learn about the garden's fascinating history.

Following lunch at a nearby country inn, you will then drive along the spectacular Valley of the Seine to Versailles where you will visit the restored Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel and the Marie-Antoinette Domain, featured in Sophia Coppola's movie.

Note: Doing this tour on spring and summer weekends allows you to see the Versailles garden fountains in all their glory, hardly different from the time of Louis XIVth.

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Following a morning visit to Monet's House and Garden at Giverny, and lunch at a charming country inn, you will be able to discover the stunning art collection at the Château du Chesney (inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon estate) overlooking the Seine. In the garden and in the galleries you will discover famous contemporary artists from all over the world. After the visit, you will enjoy tea with the château's owner and hostess, a former ambassador to India, Egypt and Unesco.

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In 1527, Francis the First began building the most splendid chateau of his entire reign at Fontainebleau, bringing together for the first time, the leading French and Italian artists of his time, including the Florentine painter Rosso and the sculptor Primaticcio. Our private tour permits you to discover the artistic splendors of the School of Fontainebleau, the apartments of Marie-Antoinette and Napoleon, as well as the castle's exceptional Chinese museum with precious objects taken from the Forbidden City following the Boxer Rebellion. Following lunch at a charming restaurant, you will then visit Versailles, including the magnificent State Apartments, The Hall of Mirrors, the Trianons, and the Domain of Marie-Antoinette, now splendidly restored. This tour is ideal for people who want to understand the architectural transition from the French Renaissance to the Ancien Régime and Napoleon's Empire.

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Here is your chance to have a tour with exclusive access to the private rooms of Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour, apartments not normally open to the general public. You will also be able to visit the Royal Chapel and the Royal Opera House, as well as Marie-Antoinette's private theatre and dairy. You will also visit the Potager du Roi, created for Louis XIV, and still growing the same fruits and vegetables that once graced the king's table. You can even purchase jams and jellies made from the garden's produce!

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For those who are keen to know more about this heroine of French history, we can arrange a day out to the splendid Château de Chantilly, which inspired her design of the Hamlet at Versailles; then stop at the magnificent Château de Versailles itself to tour the State Apartments of her glory days, the Grand and Petit Trianons, the Temple of Love and her private Hamlet. For those who want to learn more about her final days, we can also tour the Conciergerie where she lived prior to her beheading. You will also visit the Chapelle Expiatoire where she was first buried with her family before a proper burial at the Cathédrale Saint Denis, the final resting place for French kings. This is a very enriching tour which can be spread over several days for your full enjoyment and appreciation. (Note: This tour is ideal for educational associations including alumni groups).

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During the summer, French Links Tours organizes evening visits to Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte, where there are special performances featuring fountains, music, opera and fireworks. One of our new and acclaimed driver-guide tours consists of visiting Versailles, including the Domain of Marie-Antoinette in the afternoon, dining at Barbizon in the early evening, and finishing off the night with a candlelight tour of Vaux-le-Vicomte.

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For those of you who wish to experience Vaux-le-Vicomte as the private guest of the owners, then this program is for you. The stunning château, which inspired the building of Versailles, can now be visited privately with the owner—the Comte de Voguë--during the day or the evening, with the chance to have champagne cocktails and even a gourmet lunch or dinner in one of the château's private apartments. And for those of you who wish to forego the usual drive out, we can arrange a helicopter transfer and landing on the estate, where you will then be able to tour the gardens in a horse-drawn carriage.

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Boasting one of the rarest art collections in France and set inside a magnificent moat and garden designed by André Lenôtre, Chantilly remains one of the most exceptional estates in all of France. The present-day edifice includes a small chateau built in the Renaissance by Pierre Chambige (who worked on the original Hotel de Ville in Paris), and a larger chateau rebuilt by the Duc d'Aumale, the fifth son of the monarch Louis-Philippe d'Orleans. His 40,000-volume library of rare books and manuscripts is a must—as well as his stunning furnished rooms. French Links Tours can arrange private library visits to see the collection's rare books and manuscripts, as well as lunch on the estate in the castle's former Medieval kitchens. If you spend the day in Chantilly, we can arrange for you to see the horse races or attend an equestrian spectacle at The Living Horse Museum.

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Built in 1815 for the daughter of Marie-Antoinette's children's governess—Madame de Charost—the estate was acquired in 1938 by the multimillionaire Charles de Bestegui and totally transformed. It was the ultimate masterpiece of Bestegui, with a 240-seat private theatre, a gallery decorated with tapestries after the Goya cartoons in the Prado Museum, a two-story library that Cecil Beaton was inspired to recreate for the musical comedy "My Fair Lady", and 30-acres of gardens filled with charming follies, grottos and bridges. This visit is ideal for groups of up to 15 guests and can be arranged through French Links Tours.

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With French Links Tours, you will discover the secret gardens of Paris, whether it's the the elegant rose garden of Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne with its prize-winning roses, or the stunningly restored green houses at the Jardin des Plantes or the Porte d'Auteuil. For contemporary garden design, we can arrange a visit to the Parc André Citroën and to Bercy. More importantly, we will put you in contact with local garden designers and landscape architects who can show you private terraces and gardens they have designed, as well as where to find the most outstanding garden furniture, planters, and garden equipment.

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