“Modernity and the Belle Époque” an 8-day art and cultural experience in Paris, France, with Giulia Bernardini (March 28-April 5, 2025)

Let me curate an extraordinary experience for you and take care of the logistics. Learn, indulge, savor. Your dream vacation in Paris awaits! 

• Immerse yourself in the art and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque – the turbulent decades of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. Explore major and less-known works by artists at museums and sites including the Orsay, Marmottan Monet, Orangerie, Rodin, Louvre, Montmartre and Monet’s garden at Giverny. Indulge in mouth-watering meals and enjoy a private cooking lesson – complete with shopping in local stores – at Cook’n With Class. Read more about the treasures that await you in the itinerary.
• Stay in chic comfort at the adorable, award-winning boutique Hôtel Signature St.-Germain-des-Prés in the bustling, centrally-located seventh arrondissement.
• Savor free time in recommended bistros, cafés, pâtisseries, boutiques, and further art options all hand-picked for you by Giulia in her Inside Scoop guide.
• Explore literary selections culled by Giulia to expand your understanding of the art and architecture you will encounter.
• Share the experience with a small group of ten or eleven like-minded explorers.

Trip Price Per Person (exchange rate of 10/1/2024, subject to fluctuation):

• Elegante room double ocupancy (135 sq ft, queen or twins): $5357 $5157 if booked by November 17th
• Elegante room single occupancy (135 sq ft, queen or twins): $6692 $6492 if booked by November 17th
• Prestige room double occupancy (325 sq ft, king or twins): $5999 $5799 if booked by November 17th
• Prestige room single occupancy (325 sq ft, king or twins): $7977 $7777 if booked by November 17th
• Opting out of accommodation at Hôtel Signature: $3833 3633 if booked by November 17th

Trip price includes: 8 days of art history tuition, accommodations and breakfast (unless opting out of accommodation at Hôtel Signature), entry tickets to scheduled museums and galleries, five meals (including a cooking class), 15 Paris métro tickets, private minibus to Giverny, pick up at Paris airport, gratuities. Does not include: airfare, lunches and dinners not listed in itinerary, ground transportation to Paris airport. Itinerary subject to change at any time.

Cancellation Policy

• 100% of total trip cost refundable up to 90 days before trip start date of March 28th.
• 50% of total trip cost refundable if cancellation occurs between 89 and 31 days before trip start date.
• No refunds if cancellation occurs within 30 days of trip start date.
• Should trip be cancelled by Wonderfeast entire cost of trip paid by guest to date will be refunded.

Frequently Asked Questions 

• Is this trip suited to me as a solo traveler? Absolutely, yes. The small group size guarantees that we’ll get to know one another as we share our adventure. I am very proud of the camaraderie and, often, lovely friendships that are formed on her trips. In addition, during unscheduled time, Giulia or one of her carefully-vetted Parisian friends will take interested travelers to visit unscheduled sites, go shopping, or have an apéritif at one of Paris’ many cafés.
• I like time to myself. Will there be downtime or is every day fully booked? While we do have a couple of full days, most are planned so that you will have time to relax and digest all the wonders we’ll have seen. Also, keep in mind that this is your trip so you can elect to take a break from the planned activities whenever you like.
• I have dietary restrictions or allergies. Might this be a problem at meals? Not at all. Just let me know of any intolerance, allergies, or dietary restrictions so that we can accommodate you seamlessly throughout the trip.
• Will not knowing much about art and history make me feel lost or out of place? You needn’t worry! Giulia is passionate about ensuring that you’ll have a meaningful, enriching experience no matter how much exposure you’ve had to the history, art, and architecture of Paris.
• What if something comes up and I have to cancel? Can I get my money back? Per the Cancellation Policy, you have 90 days before the trip start date to receive a full refund of any payment made.

Wonderfeast Testimonials

“It was magic. You organized the trip with accuracy, efficiency… mixed with fun, freshness and openness. All your efforts to put it together proved very successful. I look forward to receiving an invitation for another Giulia adventure.” – Carolina Morales, Mexico City, Mexico

“I am NOT an organized tour sort of person. I’ve traveled a lot everywhere and always independently. So the Rome trip was a first for me. And then… I went on two more!! It’s so much more than an art lecture tour. It’s such an immersive experience; an incredibly rich experience.” – Alice Craig, Boulder, Colorado

“If you have considered going on a Wonderfeast trip with Giulia Bernardini–you should. She adds so much history, life and character to her cities through all your senses. Naples is now one of my favorite cities. Paris is my next choice.  Even though I have been to Paris at least 15 times, after hearing Giulia online cover various artists, their backgrounds and what was happening at the time socially and politically, I  realized that I had only barely scratched the surface.  Her choices of restaurants and a cooking class will be the icing on le gâteau!” – Patrice Koen, Taos, New Mexico

Modernity and the Belle Époque: 

Throughout the 1800s until the eve of the Great War, France experienced intense socio-political tension and transformation. Against a backdrop of imperial and republican struggles for power, Paris grew into a sprawling urban center of glittering cafés-concerts, elegant parks, and endless shop-lined boulevards populated by laboring and bourgeois classes with expendable income and leisure time, as well as often opposing ideas about modern society and politics.

Positing themselves as society’s cultural pioneers opposite the ‘academic tradition’ were the artists of the Parisian BelleÉpoque‘s avant-garde: the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Symbolist, Fauvist, Cubist, and Orphist, painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, and authors whose self-imposed task it was to translate this new state of modernity into their chosen media.

For one unforgettable week we will explore the works and stories of the artists and architects responsible for changing the face of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Paris and beyond. In museums and monuments, brasseries and caféswe’ll see the influence of the city on the art being made and learn how the artists, architects, photographers, musicians, and collectors of the Belle Époque built the foundations for twentieth century modernism.

How to Reserve 

To secure your spot on the trip, contact Giulia at giulia@wonderfeast.com or click ‘Contact Us’ below and specify which accommodation option you prefer at Hôtel Signature Saint-Germain-des-Prés. You will then receive an email with a registration form and service agreement to be completed and signed and an invoice for a 50% deposit to guarantee your spot on the trip. We will send you a second invoice for the balance of the trip, minus the early registration discount, in early January.

Join me for this unmissable experience. Send an email to giulia@wonderfeast.com for more information or book a phone call with me here if you’d like to discuss the trip in person.

I look forward to seeing you at the banquet…

Giulia