Our French Culture and History tour is the perfect cross-faculty tour, specifically designed around CLIL principles. This 14-day tour features 4 nights in Paris at quality student accommodation in the city centre, private coach travel to the French and Belgian Battlefields of the Western Front and 6 nights hotel accommodation in Ypres, Amiens, Caen and St Malo.
Guided tours of the Battlefields at the Western Front are also included in the tour.
Fly from Australia to Paris.
Spend the next 2 days exploring the amazing sights of Paris starting with a half day guided city tour of Paris by private coach. A Paris Visite card is included which gives you unlimited access to the metro, bus, tram and RER trains in Paris to continue your own sightseeing from here on. There are so many things to do in Paris, so speak to your tour consultant about the activities that you’d like to fit into your stay. A 3 day Paris Visite card zones 1-3 gives you access to the metro, bus, tram and RER trains in Paris. Dinner at your accommodation has been included.
Spend the next 2 days exploring the amazing sights of Paris. A Paris Visite card is included which gives you unlimited access to the metro, bus, tram and RER trains in Paris. There are so many things to do in Paris, so speak to your tour consultant about the activities that you’d like to fit into your stay. Breakfast and dinner are included at your accommodation.
Continue your sightseeing of Paris at teacher’s discretion. Please find below some examples of entrances/guided tours we can arrange for you (additional cost). Breakfast and dinner are included at your accommodation.
After breakfast at your accommodation, travel by coach to the Belgian battlefields. Spend the day visiting the battlefield sites in and around Ypres before checking into your hotel in Ypres. You will be provided with an early dinner at the hotel so that you have time to fit in a walk after dinner to the Menin Gate to hear the daily playing of the Last Post.
After breakfast, meet your guide outside the ‘In Flanders Field Museum’, situated in the rebuilt Cloth Tower in Ypres City square and make use of the interactive digital displays throughout your guided tour. Wander around Ypres and try the local Belgium specialties – Frites and Waffles ! After lunch (own arrangements) travel by private coach to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and your guide will escort you through the displays and memorials, including the re-created trench system and underground tunnels Return to Ypres later that afternoon in time for dinner.
After breakfast at your hotel, travel by coach to the Somme Battlefields. Travel via the historically important village of Fromelles where Australian soldiers were involved in what has been described as “the worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire history”. After visiting Fromelles, meet your local guide for a guided tour of the Somme Battlefields including the Australian memorial and the Franco-Australian museum in Villers-Bretonneux (entrance included). Other sites that could be visited (time permitting) include Le Hamel and the Great War Museum in Peronne (entrance not included). Following your guided tour you will continue by coach to your hotel accommodation in the Amiens area. Dinner is included at the hotel.
After breakfast at your hotel, depart by coach to Normandy. You will travel via the beautiful city of Rouen and the stunning seaside towns of Honfleur, Trouville and Deauville, before arriving in Caen. Upon arrival you will check into your hotel accommodation where you will spend the next 2 nights. Dinner will be included at your hotel.
After breakfast at your hotel, it’s time to visit the Caen Memorial Museum (entrance included). Spend the remainder of the day exploring this historical area of Normandy, including the WWII landing beaches of Utah, Omaha and Juno. Return to Caen for dinner at your hotel.
After breakfast at your hotel, depart by coach and travel to Bayeux. Visit the museum housing the famous Bayeux tapestry, which depicts the battle of Hastings (entrance included). Continue by coach to the breathtaking abbey of Mont St. Michel (entrance included). After your afternoon visit to Mont St. Michel, continue by coach to St Malo where you will check into your hotel accommodation. Dinner is included.
After breakfast at your hotel, depart by coach for Paris. You will travel through the beautiful countryside of Brittany before arriving in Paris. On arrival check into your accommodation. Dinner is included.
After breakfast at your accommodation, transfer to the airport for your return flight to Australia.
Arrive Australia (subject to airline schedules).
Paris Activity options
3-hour guided walking tours of the city can be arranged with your choice of an art and museum tour, history and architecture tour, or an off the beaten track tour. Another option is to design your own walking tour in conjunction with our guides. Entrance fees to various sights on the tour are at an additional cost.
No trip to Paris is complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower! Group tickets to the second floor or top floor can be arranged by G.E.T ahead of time to avoid the long queues on the day.
Tickets for a 1-hour cruise along the Seine River can be arranged by G.E.T The boats depart from the Pont de l’Alma near the Eiffel Tower and are a really fun way for students to discover many of the key landmarks of the city. The cruises are commentated in several languages, including French and English and students will learn interesting and historically significant facts about Paris along the way.
For those wanting to add another element of fun to their itinerary, a trip to Disneyland Paris can be arranged. This will include return transport and entrance to the park. The easiest way to access Disneyland is by RER train from the city centre directly to the park entrance.
Entrance to the Louvre Museum is free for students if the group can provide a school letter. Please ask your G.E.T tour consultant for a sample of this letter in French, which can be easily adapted for your school. To avoid waiting in line on the day, G.E.T can arrange for a group reservation and tickets for any adults in the group. Guided tours of the Louvre can also be arranged at an additional cost.
Entrance to Versailles Palace is free for students if the group can provide a school letter. Please ask your G.E.T tour consultant for a sample of this letter in French, which can be easily adapted for your school. To avoid waiting in line on the day, G.E.T can arrange for a group reservation and tickets for any adults in the group. Guided tours of Versailles can also be arranged at an additional cost.
Paris Story is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about the history of Paris in an exciting and memorable way. This 50-minute show is presented on a 12-metre-wide panoramic screen and takes students on a journey through 2000 years of Paris history with photos, film, music and special effects. Located in the heart of Paris, right near the Opera house, it is a great addition to any itinerary.
G.E.T can arrange a half-day or full-day coach tour to Giverny with tickets to Monet’s house and gardens. This is a wonderful excursion which gives students the opportunity to see first-hand the beautiful water lily garden which inspired much of Claude Monet’s work - a real must-see for any aspiring artists out there!
10-hour day trip from Paris by private coach to experience the places where Australian and Allied soldiers participated in the great battles of WWI on the Western Front in the Somme region including the Australian Memorial, Le Hamel and the Franco–Australian Museum in Villers-Bretonneux.
** Tickets to climb the Eiffel Tower as well as reservations and guided tours of the Louvre and Versailles Palace become available to purchase 3 months in advance. These reservations and tickets sell out incredibly quickly and are therefore subject to availability. If you would like any of these arrangements to be made, it is essential that you have chosen your preferred date and time to visit these monuments at least 3 months in advance and that you have communicated this to your tour consultant.
Due to the extensive coach travel, this tour is recommended for groups of 20 or more students.
