Join the 2016 architectural tour to France, led by Julian Cooke. It will focus on Le Corbusier, but will give a good taste of the great Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance traditions, and of current work.
       
The tour price per person sharing is R35,500. Air fare is extra - about  R13,000 from Cape Town. Maximum of 25 people. Book now to make sure you can join and to avoid flight cost increases.

The first part of the trip is in the French countryside.  On arrival we are transported straight to Chartres where we visit the great cathedral and spend the night.  The following two days we will explore the valley of the Loire, its beautiful towns such as Tours, and famous chateaux including Chambord and Chenonceau.  Heading now towards Lyon in the south, we will stop at Bourges (magnificent Gothic cathedral), Autun where we will spend the night, and Tournus.  These last two towns have very fine examples of French Romanesque architecture.

Close to Lyon is Corb’s monastery: La Tourette.  We will spend the night in the monastery to experience it as fully as possible.

The two architectural highlights in Lyon will be: the four Corb buildings in Firminy, including a Unité d’Habitation and a church,  and the Cité Tony Garnier, an open air museum built around a social housing project designed by Garnier, one of the fathers of modern town planning and influential in Le Corbusier’s thinking.

The next stop is the incomparable chapel Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp.

Paris, of course is an architectural feast.  Our concentration will remain with Le Corbusier –his Atelier, Villas Savoye and La Roche, Cité de Refuge, the Swiss and Brazilian Pavilions.  We will also see two buildings by his boss as a young man, Auguste Perret.  Outside of these there are wonderful examples of buildings and urban spaces from medieval times until the present – from the Gothic wonder of la Sainte-Chapelle to the Renaissance Louvre, from Guimard’s brilliant Art Nouveau work to Tschumi’s Deconstructivist Parc Villette and of course the host of works by contemporary  international  architects.

Price includes:

• 12 nights accommodation at centrally located 3* hotels in Chartres, Blois, Autun, Lyon, Belfort and Paris
• Breakfast daily.  Two dinners. The remaining lunches and dinners are not included. A good dinner costs about R350.
• Airport Transfer in France for those passengers arriving with the main group at an agreed time 
• Private coaches on Days 2 - 12 
• Entrance fees for all named attractions 

For booking, itinerary, further information contact Julian - julian@claarchitects.co.za 

Flights will be organised by Sure2Travel. Director and contact person Wendy Watters wendy@sure2travel.co.za 

Terms and conditions apply.  Note that the price may vary slightly dependent on the time of paid-up booking, the rand/dollar exchange rate, and the size of the tour party.