School trips to France

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School trips to France are the perfect choice for many subjects, from French and history to art, geography and business studies, among others, thanks to the incredible diversity of activities and visits available.

We can arrange school trips all over France, from buzzing big cities like Paris and Lyon to the spectacular landscapes of the Opal Coast, Loire Valley and the Massif Central!

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Why visit France?

Our most popular school trip destination

France is by far our most popular school trip destination. This is for two very important reasons. Firstly, it offers exciting opportunities to bring almost any subject to life.

And secondly, the short journey times from the UK mean that educational tours to France can work for all budgets and timeframes because you can choose to travel by coach. This means that school trips to France are generally very affordable and work well for any duration, from a day trip to a whole week!

A rich, vibrant culture

France is famous for its rich culture and many groups choose to visit France on a school trip simply for the opportunity to experience this. Others want to learn more about the country's art or fashion.

And, of course, for French-language school trips, the opportunity to explore French culture through the French language is an unforgettable experience that will not only spark a passion for France in your students, it will also give them a huge boost of confidence in their language skills.

Incredible history

On a school trip to France, your students could learn about the experience of the soldiers in the trenches of WW1. Or they could discover how D-Day was the beginning of the end of WW2. You could travel even further back in time, to explore the Paris of the French Revolution!

Fascinating geography

The Massif Central in central France is the perfect destination for a geography school trip designed to help students learn more about volcanoes and rivers, and how powerful they are in terms of shaping the surrounding landscape.

And the best bit is, you can get there by coach, reducing the environmental impact of your trip.

Gourmet goals

One thing you can be certain of with a school trip to France is that your students won’t go hungry. Of course, France is famous for its cuisine and this makes it incredibly popular for food technology school trips.

But many of our other groups also choose to include some food-based activities in their itineraries too! One of the highlights for many French groups, for example, is the opportunity to visit a local bakery and learn about the cultural significance of bread and how it’s made by a real French baker.

Activities in France that your school group will love

Disneyland® Paris

A school trip to Disneyland® Paris is sure to be an unforgettable experience for your students. A magical setting for

Bateaux Mouches

One of the best and most relaxing ways to see the sights of Paris is to take a Seine river

Louvre Museum

Housed in France's former royal palace, the Louvre is now one of the finest and most complete art galleries in

Mont Saint-Michel Abbey

The long history of Mont Saint-Michel is thought to date back to 708AD when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches had a

Arromanches 360 Cinema

'The Price of Freedom' shown in this innovative 360-degree cinema, blends original documentary film of the invasion with pictures of

Musee d'Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay charts the development of European art between 1848 and 1914, an era when Paris was unquestionably the

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

France’s leading science museum hosts static and interactive exhibitions on a range of environmental and technological themes, including climate change

Futuroscope

Located on the outskirts of Poitiers, Futuroscope is a unique theme park which combines enternmainment and education in a fun

Where to visit in France

Learn more about France school trips

Read some of our latest blogs covering school trips to France.

Why Halsbury Education trips?

We build your trip around you

Tell us your learning objectives, curriculum and budget and we’ll do the rest.

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We’re trusted for a reason

We’re members of ABTA, ABTOT and the School Travel Forum. We also hold an ATOL and the LOtC Quality Badge.

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Our Education specialists

Laura Lucas

Tour Consultant

Tom Moorhouse

Tour Consultant

Gaynor Mayor

Education Sales & Product Manager

Laura Martin

Language Sales & Product Manager

Emma Gray da Silva

Tour Consultant

Lou Della Rocca

Tour Consultant

Gail Biggins

Tour Consultant

Judit Eleod

Tour Consultant

Paul Hudson

Tour Consultant

Michelle Hallam

Tour Consultant

Caroline Hill

Tour Consultant

Gayle Flude

Tour Consultant

Jodi Swift

Tour Consultant

Will Jehu

Tour Consultant

Vanessa Barbosa

Tour Consultant

Meet our education specialists and get to know more about the people committed to making your school trip the best it can be. 

Meet the education team

FAQs

I know where I want to go in France, but I can't see it on this page. Can you still help me?

Of course. The destinations listed on this page are our most popular destinations in France but if you want to go somewhere a bit different we'll certainly do our best to help.

We've got great relationships with suppliers all over France (as well as several French speakers on our team) so we should be able to arrange something for you to suit your budget and trip objectives in your preferred destination.

Just get in touch with us and we'll let you know what we can do. 

Do you offer travel insurance?

We do. Travel insurance is an optional extra and you can find out more about it in our travel insurance resource (which includes the policy documents and FAQs). 

If you decide against arranging this insurance through us (which is absolutely fine, by the way), please just remember you must have suitable travel and medical insurance to cover your group. 

Is it better to fly or travel by coach on a school trip to France?

Of course, you could either fly or travel by coach to France. Honestly, we'd always recommend going by coach, as it will be much cheaper in almost all cases. The only time when it might be less expensive to fly is if you have a very small group (i.e. not enough to fill a coach). 

Travelling by coach is much better for the environment and it also means you'll have use of the coach while on your trip (if you fly, you'd have to either add a French coach or rely on public transport). 

You'll also be collected and dropped off at school - which makes it super easy to coordinate. If you're flying, you'll need to ask parents and guardians to drop their kids at the airport (which might be quite a trek for them) or arrange a coach transfer from school (another added expense to consider). 

If you're concerned about long journey times, then the Opal Coast, Normandy and Paris are all great options. 

One thing to remember is that all coach tours are closed-door tours - which means that all passengers that board the coach on departure from school will need to still be on board on return from school (so, parents cannot collect students en-route to go on a family holiday, for example). 

If you're not sure what the best option is for your group, just get in touch - we'll be really pleased to talk you through the options. 

When is the best time to visit France?

France really is a year-round destination for school groups and we do have groups going out most weeks during the school year.

Destinations in the south, such as Nice and Montpellier are ideal in the spring and autumn as they'll be warmer and sunnier than the UK. They're also great summer destinations too, just make sure you prepare for hot weather and have strategies in place to keep your group cool on your trip

And, of course, Christmas is always very popular in destinations such as Lille, Amiens and Strasbourg thanks to their famous Christmas markets. These trips are very popular with language groups as they offer the opportunity to practise speaking French with the stallholders. 

Can the trip itinerary be adapted to my curriculum and requirements?

Every single trip we arrange is tailor made, so absolutely yes. 

Our Tour Advisers and Itinerary Coordinators are all experienced school travel specialists. They'll work closely with you to make sure your itinerary supports your learning objectives. They'll be able to offer suggestions and advice to make sure you make the most of your time. 

So, when you're browsing through our school trips, just remember that the itineraries and activities you see are there for inspiration only - your own itinerary can look as similar or as different as you want. 

Equally, we've suggested trip durations based on what groups usually request - if you want to go for a shorter or longer duration, just let us know. 

How far ahead should I start planning my trip?

As a general rule, we recommend that you start planning your trip 12-18 months before you want to travel. This gives you plenty of time to get it approved and launched to students and parents.

Planning early will mean you have a greater choice of accommodation and travel options - and it will make paying for the trip easier for families, as they'll be able to break it down into smaller, more manageable payments.

You can check out our trip-planning timeline for a better idea of the process and when you should expect to be doing things. 

If you are looking to travel sooner than this, it is possible. But it will depend on availability and you may find prices are a bit higher - but get in touch and let's see what's possible. 

What accommodation options are available in France?

We're able to offer a wide variety of accommodation in France and it really depends on which destination you're going to as to what exactly is available. 

In places like Normandy and the Massif Central, we have purpose-built youth-hostel style accommodation that's really great for younger groups. In some of the bigger cities, we have a range of hotel accommodation, from basic but comfortable to more luxurious options. And for French groups, we can even offer carefully-selected host family accommodation in some destinations (which makes for a total immersion experience). 

On each of the trip pages, you'll see some accommodation options - these are usually the most popular for those destinations, but we often have plenty of other options available. You'll discuss accommodation options with your Tour Adviser when they're putting your quote together, so don't be afraid to let them know if you want something different. 

We only work with accommodation options that are suitable for schools. As a member of the School Travel Forum (STF), you can be certain that all accommodation contracted by us complies with local legislation with respect to fire and general safety, is contracted by trained Halsbury Travel staff or reputable agents, receives a standard audit and risk assessment prior to use by Halsbury Travel and receives a supplementary audit if it is used on five or more occasions in a year. 

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