Barbizon, Moret-sur-Loing and Yerres with Millet, Sisley and Caillebotte

They ventured out of their studios to paint in the fresh air in the Forest of Fontainebleau, and frequented an inn called the Auberge Ganne.

Today, that inn is a museum, the Musée des peintres de Barbizon, which recounts the everyday lives of these artists in the warm atmosphere of a former hostelry that that has preserved its period décor.

Through a self-guided walk through the village, ending in the Forest of Fontainebleau, you can follow in the footsteps of the precursors of the Impressionist movement.

Don’t miss a visit to the Musée Jean-François Millet.

The artist lived and worked in Barbizon from 1849 until his death in 1875. It was in this former residence and studio that he painted the scenes of rural life depicted in The Angelus and The Gleaners, two paintings that have travelled the world and that can now be admired at the Musée d’Orsay.

The museum houses many of his personal effects, and particularly his correspondence, drawings and engravings.

Follow Sisley and Caillebotte, from Moret-sur-Loing to Yerres

Later, two great Impressionist painters took up residence nearby. Alfred Sisley lived in Moret-sur-Loing for the last 20 years of his life and a trail devoted to him winds its way through the charming medieval town, identifying the viewpoints that inspired him.

Don’t miss a visit to the Musée Jean-François Millet.

The artist lived and worked in Barbizon from 1849 until his death in 1875. It was in this former residence and studio that he painted the scenes of rural life depicted in The Angelus and The Gleaners, two paintings that have travelled the world and that can now be admired at the Musée d’Orsay.

The museum houses many of his personal effects, and particularly his correspondence, drawings and engravings.

Follow Sisley and Caillebotte, from Moret-sur-Loing to Yerres

Later, two great Impressionist painters took up residence nearby. Alfred Sisley lived in Moret-sur-Loing for the last 20 years of his life and a trail devoted to him winds its way through the charming medieval town, identifying the viewpoints that inspired him.

Caillebotte regularly stayed in Yerres, in the family residence he depicts in some of his best-known paintings.

Recently renovated and refurbished to restore it to its former glory, the Propriété Caillebotte is open to the public.

And hire a tablet for an augmented-reality tour of the pleasant, beautifully preserved 11-hectare park.