The Chemin des peintres, or artists’ trail, around Vétheuil

Nestling in a meander in the Seine, the village of Vétheuil has a walking trail with 13 stops, encouraging visitors to discover the place through the eyes of artists who lived here. Most famous among them was Claude Monet, who lived here for several years. Further artists, including Auguste Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte, plus, more recently, the abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell (also following in Monet’s footsteps), came to capture the special light so particular to the area of the Vexin français.

Count around 90 minutes to complete the trail. It allows you to admire the village itself and the Seine here, backed by white cliffs that greatly inspired a number of Impressionists. At each stop, an enamelled sign displays reproductions of works painted on the spot, enabling you to picture the village and its surroundings as they would have looked in the late 19^th century.

Well before settling in Giverny, Monet and his family spent a stint at Vétheuil, between 1879 and 1881. Monet wasn’t famous then, but he had already fallen in love with the area’s exceptional light. Down the street that now bears his name, the house he rented can still be seen, scarcely altered except for the front, repainted in ochre colour.

While in Vétheuil, Monet painted over 200 canvases, most of them depicting the village, its church and the Seine. These paintings can now be viewed across the world. Among them, Effet de neige à Vétheuil, is on display at the Musée d’Orsay in central Paris, while La Seine à Vétheuil is to be seen at MuMa in Le Havre. Several of Monet’s Impressionist friends also came to Vétheuil and depicted it, for instance Renoir, with his Paysage à Vétheuil.

To enjoy a more in-depth exploration on the village focusing on the great master of Impressionism, an expert tour guide proposes a walking tour sur les pas de Claude Monet, in Claude Monet’s footsteps, enabling you, among other things, to see the artist’s house and different spots where he painted. Just a few kilometers away, a further artistic and cultural trail to try out is the Chemin des peintres or artists’ trail in La Roche-Guyon.