Review: Paris to Van Gogh’s Auvers-sur-Oise Day Tour
If you are even a little interested in art, then a trip from Paris to Auvers-sur-Oise to sort of follow Vincent van Gogh’s footsteps might be something that’s right up your street. After all, he lived and, very sadly, died there. This tour gives you, like your very own time machine, the chance to get a closer look at the sites that fired up his imagination in the final months of his life. I mean, how awesome is that? It’s a really amazing and moving thing, really stepping onto locations that look nearly just like how he painted them. What’s the tour really like, though? That’s what we’re here to have a chat about so you get a decent idea of what’s in store and whether you, too, should make the visit.
What to Expect from the Tour
First thing to keep in your mind, alright, this isn’t just some peek at some paintings. So, I mean, while there are works displayed from Van Gogh himself, it is that bit extra. The whole point, like, really, is seeing the place where he was inspired to make them, if that makes sense. In Auvers-sur-Oise, that means you get to gaze upon sights that he actually painted such as the church, the fields, and, actually rather movingly, the graveyard where he and his brother Theo are laid to rest side-by-side. A lot of these tours provide useful background about his life, his frame of mind and the important characters who featured at that time. They’ll show the important buildings such as the inn Van Gogh stayed at while painting these iconic works, and usually, like, point out scenes from some of his paintings.
Some of the tours give a guided element, very often provided by true experts. This can sometimes come as a prerecorded version so that you can go through at your own speed with nobody breathing down your neck, that too it’s alright, right? So it really brings the period to life for those with even a slight interest. Many visitors tend to go around parts of Auvers, for example, going to see the famous Auberge Ravoux. So the tours do typically deal with providing transport from and back to Paris too it’s almost all nicely wrapped together for your benefit. Be sure to carefully double check just what the tour that you’re considering involves when it’s offered. In any case, though, you, very nearly, won’t be stuck on that awful train if you are doing this particular tour. Some of the operators offer, kind of, flexible options too if you wish to explore things further all by yourself.
The Highlights of Auvers-sur-Oise
The Church: The Church at Auvers, Van Gogh made it super famous when he put it on a canvas and painted it all skewed and stuff. I mean the way it bends kind of makes it feel like the church, basically, is struggling against the landscape and there, like, it is! Even if you aren’t too bothered about architecture and whatnot, seeing that church has an awesome, rather impactful feel to it.
Auberge Ravoux: I mean, Auberge Ravoux is, like, really something, because it’s the actual gaff where Van Gogh bunked in for his last few months, alright. You can nip into his room—and I am warning you it is somewhat basic and rather humble, and just ponder about things. The restaurant is still knocking out grub as well, actually, so you can get yourself some proper grub there should you so want.
The Graveyard: If you saunter up a bit of a slight slope, you’re going to get to the burial ground, a graveyard to see where Vincent and his faithful brother, Theo, are laid to rest cheek-by-jowl. To see the simplistic headstones that are covered in ivy, that were sent, apparently, all the way from Theo’s homeland makes things feel real deep. In some respects it can hit hard seeing this spot and how Vincent’s journey came to its close.
Wheatfields: When you amble down them, there is that sense of really living a painting – they seem exactly how Vincent must have, very nearly, seen them way back when. Very, very occasionally you might get to see the crows flitting above if you’re particularly observant. If the weather behaves and it’s a bright old day, all of this is almost like walking straight onto one of those well-known artworks – pretty ace indeed.
What Sets Certain Tours Apart?
Okay so what are we actually talking about when comparing them. Well there’s things such as the travel covered and whether or not there are particular expert guides. Sometimes the experience is what they are aiming for and what’s covered when it comes to background detail and Van Gogh stories, that too it’s alright, right? Okay, I get it so that doesn’t clear it up much, alright? But that is the deal. The things I said.
Like some packages might be throwing in more time spent at specific location(s) for people very focused on painting at that period. So some could hook you up with true art historians dishing the lowdown on the man, that so that you can learn a bit about him if you’re that way inclined. Some others can hook you up with painting lessons in, kind of, the way Van Gogh might have, while taking in some of the very same surroundings he must have been familiar with while he was capturing what he saw around. Then there’s some that may throw lunch in, if, that too, it’s alright by you.
Making the Most of Your Visit
If you intend to get the absolute most out of it, you, arguably, might need a little preparation before going to Auvers-sur-Oise to have your Van Gogh experience, right? Get to grips a little, very little, with Van Gogh before the trip to the place, actually looking into his background, and what really mattered to him. That means you will, most of the time, get more from what you observe there. Actually think through the stuff in terms of light and shades and angles to truly have the measure of his craft, in some respects that is what should really get you enthralled. Read some books or actually go to the museums to prepare and it will pay off.
Comfortable footwear really is somewhat critical – as, mostly, you’ll amble about and that means taking into account possibly a little uneven ground and the occasional bit of incline here and there, right? So also factor in the seasons – it may sound patently obvious but for many shots you will want an okay-ish sky, alright? Get some protection sorted if it is a sunshiny day or some protection should there be any rain involved – in reality you, kind of, ought to expect there might be at least something happening up above! Think through taking your camera or just making use of your phone to save particular viewpoints in this, Vincent’s very unique location to look back at. Also find out whether photography happens to be allowed where you are thinking of going; in graveyards, very occasionally they can get iffy with cameras.
Is the ‘Paris to Van Gogh’ Tour Worth It?
So to be brief – is the jaunt out to Auvers worth your hard earned readies? Very often, actually, it certainly is, particularly if you’re interested at all in paintings or, perhaps, the man himself and his rather intriguing life-story. The trip is definitely an involving experience especially when viewing locations as they happen to be in actual real-life compared to that, too, what you get from art publications. Being able to appreciate this setting personally does bring to life Van Gogh’s artistic flair, so also if you get someone very hot on this as your personal guide, so you are in for a truly unique and, basically, pretty amazing event.
- See the settings that stirred Van Gogh’s creativity.
- Walk in the great man’s very footsteps by checking out all these places he himself spent the time.
- Perfect if you have a hankering to gain even greater knowledge when it comes to this guy, Vincent van Gogh, as a person as well as through that awesome craft of his.
I believe it goes without any sort of saying that if you cannot stand art at all then there actually might just be something, maybe anything at all, better for you. But for anybody interested in a man and that period and what he gave to the world and those who find wonderment when observing art – it is most certainly something I would wholeheartedly recommend checking out, or very nearly, as soon as is physically possible!