Experience 2 of the most essential day trips from Paris with a visit to both Versailles and Giverny. From the gilded halls of Louis XIV's ornate palace to the flower-filled gardens of Claude Monet, this expert-led outing is a lovely immersion into France's royal and artistic heritage.

Meet your guide in Paris and settle into a seat in a comfortable, luxury minibus for the drive into the countryside. Arrive in the idyllic village of Giverny, which drew 19th-century French impressionists in droves with its picture-perfect stone buildings and pastoral setting. Visit the pink country home where Claude Monet lived and worked from 1883 to 1926, admire the colourful decor of the light-filled home, and then step out into the spectacularly restored gardens. It's easy to imagine the artist himself painting his beloved waterlilies amid the bridges, ponds, and weeping willows.

Soak in the dreamy atmosphere of this quaint village over a 3-course lunch at the Moulin de Fourges restaurant, a 200-year-old mill with a spacious terrace set right on the banks of the Epte. After lunch, journey back in time to the Golden Age of France as you make your way to the sumptuous Palace of Versailles. Explore this grand Renaissance estate with an informative guide, taking in the splendour of the gilded Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel, and the art-filled State Apartments. Before heading back to Paris, spend some free time roaming the 2,000-acre (809-ha) gardens, an elegant sprawl of lawns, groves, statues, and fountains designed by royal landscape architect André le Notre.