2023 is a big year in France, with so many anniversaries, events, and exhibitions! From 1,000 years of the Mont Saint-Michel to the Orsay Museum’s showcase of Manet and Degas, there is something for everyone. La Compagnie des Guides is ready to welcome you and share the emotion of France and its diverse offerings with you. If you are interested in our group or private tours, you can contact us directly via this link or by popup messenger on this page.
1. 1623- 2023: 400 Years of the Palace of Versailles
In 2023, the Palace of Versailles celebrates its 400th anniversary. For four centuries, the Palace has held a unique place in history and in our collective imagination. To celebrate this anniversary, the palace offers a diverse array of programs, including the re-opening of the Gallery of the History, scheduled for September.
We offer half-day or full-day tours of the Palace of Versailles and its incredible gardens and fountains.
2. January 2023- The Cité du Vitrail (Stained-Glass Museum) in Troyes Reopening
The Cité du Vitrail in Troyes has just reopened after a radical 4-year transformation. Installed in the 18th century Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte, the permanent exhibition presents numerous masterpieces, both ancient and contemporary. Spread over 4 levels, the permanent exhibition will be punctuated by authentic stained-glass windows placed at eye level for a chrono-thematic visit. The highlight of the visit will be the Hôtel-Dieu chapel, which will host alternating monumental stained-glass windows in natural light.
La Compagnie des Guides offers a Champagne and Gastronomy private tour in the charming city of Troyes. Contact us for details.
3. Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light
From 7 March to 27 August 2023
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, the Musée National Picasso-Paris is providing a new exhibition of masterpieces from the museum and his personal collection.
The exhibition event conceived by the British designer Paul Smith invites the public to revisit the most emblematic subjects of Picasso’s work. Other events are planned in France, particularly on the Côte d’Azur.
4. Art Nouveau: Éternel Mucha at the Grand Palais Immersif
Between March 22 and November 5, 2023, the Mucha Foundation and Grand Palais Immersif are showcasing the enduring influence of Alphonse Mucha, the Art Nouveau master, through an immersive, interactive, and multisensory experience called Eternal Mucha. Divided into three parts, the exhibition traces Mucha’s history and showcases his greatest works, including the magnificent Slavic Epic. Using cutting-edge projection technology, an original musical score, aromatic environments, and interactive exhibits, Eternal Mucha delivers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for visitors to fully immerse themselves in the avant-garde artistry of this renowned figure of sophistication, elegance, and innovation.
5. Musée d’Orsay: Manet & Degas
Between March 28 through July 23, 2023, the Musée d’Orsay is host to an exhibition entitled “Manet and Degas, Crossed Views.” This showcase focuses on the works of two iconic figures from the late 19th-century art movement, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas, offering a fresh perspective on Impressionism. The exhibit aims to highlight the unique contrasts between their respective artistic styles and also shed light on the significance of Degas’ collection, which increasingly featured works by Manet following the latter’s passing.
We offer private tours with a licensed guide of the exquisite Orsay Museum.
6. “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” at the Grande Halle de la Villette
This momentous exhibition from April 7 to September 6, 2023 brings together objects symbolic of ancient Egyptian culture, some of which are exhibited for the first time outside Egypt. It is one of the most impressive collections ever presented in France, illustrating the greatness of Ramses 2, with installations that make use of unprecedented technical means: cinematographic projections of panoramic views, virtual reality, and images filmed by drones.
Come take a private guided tour of this exceptional collection with us.
7. 120th Anniversary of the Maison de Victor Hugo
On June 30, 2023, the apartment, turned museum, of Victor Hugo (author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), celebrates its 120th anniversary.
Every year, the public curious to discover the great man and to become familiar with his work, rushes to visit this unique place, the first literary museum but also a place of intimacy of this figure of French literature.
The apartment which Victor Hugo rented from 1832 to 1848 at 6 Place Royale (now Place des Vosges) is currently laid out in such a way as to take you through his life, evoking his writing through furniture, objects, and works of art that belonged to him or that he created himself. The apartment has been arranged as a chronological journey through Hugo’s life.
Contact us to customize a visit to Hugo’s apartment with a tour of the charming Maris district.
8. Rugby World Cup
From September 8 to October 28, 2023, France will host the Rugby World Cup 2023, with the opening match and the final being played at the Stade de France, just outside of Paris.
The Rugby World Cup has been held every four years since 1987 and is considered the Holy Grail of international rugby. This year, France will host the 10th in history: in front of more than 80 000 spectators and under the eyes of the whole world, they will be 600 players from the 5 major continents and divided into 20 teams, dreaming of the William Webb Ellis trophy given to the winning country. The Rugby World Cup 2023 will have 10 host cities in France: Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne, and Toulouse.
9. Opening of Serge Gainsbourg’s Residence
From September 20, the public will be able to discover this mythical residence where iconic French singer Serge Gainsbourg lived for 22 years. A museum dedicated to the singer and his work, a bookstore-boutique, as well as a café and piano-bar, naturally named the Gainsbarre will also open to keep the memory of the artist and his work alive. The latter will be located at 14 rue de Verneuil, in the immediate vicinity of the house located at 5 bis of the same street.
10. 1,000 years of the Mont Saint-Michel
Celebration of the monastic millennium of Mont Saint-Michel
The construction of the abbey church began in 1023. This celebration will be the pretext for an exceptional exhibition of the “treasure” of Mont Saint-Michel with liturgical objects presented for the first time. Today still occupied by a monastic order, the famous monument will welcome on September 29, Cardinal Martin, Archbishop of Rouen, to concelebrate the Millennium Mass.
La Compagnie des Guides offers guided tours in Normandy– to find out more information on visiting the Mont Saint Michel or the D-Day beaches, contact us.