Return travel from London in Eurostar Plus (first class seating)
Cultural Tours & Musical Holidays
tbc nights from £tbc per person
Palais Garnier
Christmas is an excellent time to visit Paris with the Champs-Élysées dressed in festive lights, atmospheric Christmas markets and all the cultural attractions open as usual, but with far fewer visitors. We will visit in the company of art historian and Paris-resident Patrick Bade, who will introduce some of the city’s finest smaller museums and the best local restaurants from Montmartre to the Marais, as well as the new exhibition, 'Sargent: The Paris Years'.
We stay at the 4* deluxe Westminster on the prestigious shopping street Rue de la Paix, close to the Place Vendôme, and enjoy Christmas lunch in the hotel’s excellent restaurant.
23 December: Swan Lake by Ballet Preljocaj
After Snow White and Romeo and Juliet, Angelin Preljocaj reconnects with narrative ballet and his love of storytelling. He tackles this magnum opus of the classical repertoire by blending Tchaikovsky’s musical masterpiece with more contemporary arrangements. While staying true to the spirit of the original, he transposes the story of the swan princess into contemporary society, and introduces issues relevant to our times. Rothbart wants to mine a fossil fuel deposit on the edge of a lake. A young woman named Odette looks as if she is going to thwart his plans and so he changes her into a swan. In a different location, at a party, Siegfried objects to his father’s plan to join forces with Rothbart and build a factory on the edge of the swan lake.
Boris: Mika Kares
Grigori, the Pretender: Tuomas Katajala
Pimen, the hermit: Timo Riihonen
Ksenia: Olga Heikkilä
First category ticket for £100
24 December: Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
To sacrifice herself to the man she hates in order to save the man she loves: this is the terrible bargain that police chief Scarpia forces opera singer Floria Tosca, in love with painter Mario Cavaradossi, to make. The dilemma is set against the backdrop of Rome's political situation in 1800, with the Republicans' progressive aspirations running counter to monarchical rule.
Inspired by Victorien Sardou's play, La Tosca became one of Giacomo Puccini's most famous operas as of its premiere in 1900, to the point of becoming the very symbol of operatic art.
Floria Tosca: Elena Stikhina
Mario Cavaradossi: Adam Smith
Il Barone Scarpia: Alexey Markov
Cesare Angelotti: Amin Ahangaran
Spoletta: Carlo Bosi
This performance would be instead of the included dinner on Christmas Eve.
Return travel from London in Eurostar Plus (first class seating)
Five nights’ accommodation with breakfast
Three dinners and three lunches
A four-day Paris Museum Pass and all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities as described
The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, Patrick Bade
Contact our expert team for first-hand advice and a tailor-made quotation.
Reservations Consultant
Our expert reservations team regularly travel to a wide range of destinations to explore new cities, visit hotels and to research museums, galleries and restaurants so that we can offer the most up-to-date advice and recommendations.
Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates and travel inspiration.