Making an impression: Take a five-star cruise from Paris to the sea

150th anniversary of Impressionism

It is along the serpentine course of the River Seine from Paris to the sea that the cradle of Impressionism is to be found. 

“Are they the kind of blurred paintings?” a friend of mine asked me once.

Describing Impressionist paintings as blurred is as good a definition as any, I suppose; especially when you consider that the term “Impressionist” was coined more as an insult: as a pejorative description of what one art critic at the time regarded as little more than a bunch of people who couldn’t paint properly. 

In 1874, having been rejected by the Salon des Arts in Paris, they decided to put on an exhibition of their work.

150 years later, France is celebrating Impressionism. It was a kind of a ‘punk’ movement by people who wanted to broaden the definition of art and who wanted to prove that their work was good and valid. They didn’t care who or what institution thought otherwise.

Today, Impressionism is a byword for wonderful thought-provoking art that doesn’t capture a scene with photographic perfection but captures the emotions, warmth and colours of a particular scene. 

Impressionist art has more than stood the test of time, standing out as the beacon of a golden age of artistic endeavour that put France at the centre of the world of art.

Closeup photo of a section of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet's Waterlily paintings

While the Impressionists painted scenes from all over the country and from certain far-flung corners of the French world, it is along the serpentine course of the River Seine from Paris to the sea that the cradle of Impressionism is to be found. 

Taking that dramatic and beautiful journey brings to you to all the major places associated with the movement and often delivers an emotional journey back in time.

Starting in Paris, the unofficial cathedral of Impressionism is the Musée d’Orsay. Housed in a former railway station, this used to be one of Paris’ ‘hidden gems’ – a place to discover if you didn’t have time for the Louvre. Not anymore. 

The word has been out for some time and you need to book well in advance to get a ticket to see the collection of highly recognisable paintings on display here.

As well as the special exhibition (Paris 1874, Inventing Impressionism) that has gathered a brilliant collection of paintings from the era, there’s also an hour-long immersive 3-D experience (Tonight with the Impressionists) that takes you back in time to Paris in 1874 in convincing and entertaining style. It’s the kind of thing that the French do extremely well and easily worth the additional €16 charge.

After dinner and watching the Eiffel Tower do its hourly sparkle at 10pm, our great ship MS Jane Austen stole off through the Parisian night – a floating 5-star hotel with 130 wide-eyed guests on board. 

Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny, France 

We were blessed with the balmy evening and sailing through the great city and out through its suburbs gives you a unique perspective. It’s hard to keep your eyes off it, as you glide peacefully past city life going on in all its forms, a moving tableau of colourful lights reflecting in the dark water.

The next morning, the sun was out again, lighting up the sky with pinks and glinting off the surface of the river like a wonderful painting come to life. After our first port of call at the town of Les Andelys – overlooked dramatically by its 12th-century ruined castle – we arrived in Rouen.

This is the city where the great Impressionist Claude Monet painted the main cathedral at various times of the day to capture it in different light and weather conditions. 

At the Musée des Beaux Arts in the town, there’s a fantastic collection of Impressionist work amongst many others. In the large bright sculpture room, the theme of the Seine as the Impressionist river is writ large in beautiful fashion in the form of an enormous triptych by Raoul Dufy.

In addition, there are a couple of key exhibitions being staged here this year. The first is “Normandism” by British artist (and long-time Normandy resident) David Hockney – a man who carries the impressionist tradition into the 21st century with his paintings using an iPad. The second is “L’Effet Papillon” by American Impressionist James McNeill Whistler.

Upriver at Giverny, you can delight in the dreamlike thrill of walking through the middle of Claude Monet’s famous Lilies series, as well as getting a real feel for the man by ambling from room to room in his beautiful house, almost expecting him to bustle past you in the corridor or to find him sitting with a mug of tea in the studio. 

Les Andelys as seen from the Seine

The Giverny Impressionist Museum is just up the street from here and, in keeping with the 150 celebrations, they currently have a stunning show that concentrates on the Impressionists’ take on the sea.

The small town of Caudebec-en-Caux was as far as the ship would go, so we moored up for a couple of nights there with coach trips laid on to get to the mouth of the Seine estuary at the lovely town of Honfleur.

From the Impressionist point of view, this is Ground Zero. Here, at the Ferme Simeon (now a 5-star hotel) sitting high above the town, Eugène Boudin gathered his tribe of young painters to delve into the art of capturing the magic of the everyday; the ethereal beauty of the fragility of the passing moments of ordinary life – from the smoke streams of chimney stacks to the sunrise in the harbour of Le Havre.

It was in Le Havre, in fact, that Boudin disciple Claude Monet (again) painted Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise). Right next to the spot where he created the work that would give its name to a seismic artistic movement is the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux. 

It has, of course, a superb collection of Impressionist paintings in its permanent collection and, as part of the 150 celebrations, there’s a beautiful online exhibition of Impressionist scenes from the Seine Estuary. 

In Honfleur, meanwhile, the Musée Eugène Boudin gives you an emotional and informative familiarity with this guru of Impressionism, so little known to Irish people.

The journey through the River Seine itself is, arguably, the most Impressionist-like experience of them all. You’re right in the middle of this beautiful waterway that inspired so many paintings from those who strived so hard to capture emotion on canvas. 

Enjoy incredible views from morning to night

The early summer weather we experienced offered the perfect variety, with a lot of sunshine but also some rain and every kind of cloud shape imaginable – from dark thunderstorms to quasi-transparent light wisps, red sunsets and red sunrises; all reflected on the Seine’s glassy surface.

Here and there, you come across marked places where famous Impressionists knocked out their paintings from vantage points along the river where they had set up their easel – such as by the riverside in Vernon (close to Giverny) where Pierre Bonnard painted or Port-en-Bessin that was captured so well in a Georges Seurat painting, or Henri Lebasque’s painting of lady in a boat in Andelys.

The comfort on board our vessel helped to make the experience all the more enjoyable too. 

You could watch the river go by in private from the balcony of your 5-star bedroom or get more social and view the river from the huge open fly-deck on top (also offering a mini-golf course and swimming pool) or from the multi-windowed lounge, where the presence of a bar greatly enhances the experience. 

The food offer was nothing short of sensational and the dining room at the lower level meant that you had that exciting water-level view at mealtimes.

If you wished, you could take a bike at any time and take off for a cycle along safe cycle paths at a number of points to have a pause from cruise life and explore on your own. 

Monet's Bridge and Garden Giverny near Villeneuve Sur Lot, France

An early morning cycle from our mooring in Vernon, for example, to Giverny (5km away) was incredible for the riverside views and being able to explore the town before the large coach tours (including our own) started filling its timeless narrow streets.

The current year of 150th-anniversay celebrations brings a number of additional aspects to the Impressionism experience of the River Seine but you’ll always have Paris, and you’ll always have Normandy. And, immersing yourself into the scene on a river cruise was a truly rewarding way to do it.

Escape Notes

Conor Power was a guest of Riviera Travel (01 270 8513). 

A week’s cruise on the River Seine from the 10th May 2025, prices start from €2449 per person. Price includes a generous drinks package, flights ex Dublin, taxi transfers from the airport and all excursions.

For comprehensive information on Normandy, see normandie-tourisme.fr or the website normandie-impressionniste.fr for everything about the Impressionist Festival.