Nestling at the heart of the peaceful Oise Valley, the village of Auvers-sur-Oise welcomed many famous artists in the 19th century. Cézanne, Corot, Daubigny and Daumier all found inspiration in this pastoral and picturesque setting, but it was undoubtedly Van Gogh who left the most lasting impression.
All over the village, signs recall the works of the Impressionists who made their mark on the place. There are three main itineraries for visitors, whether they are connoisseurs or novices: the Van Gogh trail, the Daubigny trail and the Impressionists trail.
On the Van Gogh trail, you can go into the room at the Ravoux Inn, now known as the House of Van Gogh, where he spent the last two months of his life. After he died, it was never let out again and has been preserved as it was then. You can also pay a visit to his grave in the cemetery above the village, where he is buried alongside his brother Theo, or admire his statue, sculpted by Ossip Zadkine in 1961, in the park that bears his name. The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is also immortalised by his famous painting "The Church at Auvers".
On the Daubigny trail, you can discover the landscape painter's home and studio (Maison-Atelier), with its walls covered in paintings. The house has earned the "Maison des Illustres" heritage quality mark and also has Historic Monument status, along with its pretty garden.
The Impressionists trail will lead you to places immortalised by Van Gogh, as well as Pissarro, Cézanne or Le Douanier Rousseau. You can also go inside the House of Doctor Gachet, who was a friend of some of these renowned artists, as well as being a painter himself. Van Gogh painted two of his major works at this delightfully romantic place: "Man with a Pipe" and "Portrait of Doctor Gachet".
On your walks, you'll also come across the Château of Auvers-sur-Oise, built in the 17th century, which invites you to wander through the paths of its formal garden and wooded park, and lose yourself in its maze of hornbeam hedges. The inside of the château is devoted to painting and the history of Impressionism. Also be sure not to miss the Hanged Man's House, painted by Paul Cézanne in 1873, one of the three paintings he exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874.
If you want to spend more time exploring this enchanting place, there are several walking routes for a bucolic stroll through the fields and woods, or along the banks of the Oise.
