A Christmas Markets school trip to Lille is a fantastic, festive treat for your French students that will leave them feeling inspired!
School trips to Lille are great for groups studying French, including primary school groups, and are also ideal if you’re looking to arrange a festive treat for your students!
Lille is within easy reach of the UK, making it one of the best destinations for a short school trip to France, and a great option for a day trip. On the border with Belgium, Lille offers the exciting opportunity to experience French culture with a strong Flemish influence.
Whatever your reason for visiting, we’ll tailor-make your school trip to Lille to ensure that it suits your curriculum and specific learning objectives.
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Why visit Lille?
Experience a traditional Christmas
Most of our groups choose to visit Lille at Christmas when the city is at its most vibrant and exciting, and the festive Christmas markets take over the city centre.
There are, of course, many enchanting Christmas markets that take place around France during December. But the charming city of Lille is the perfect place to experience the authentic and magical atmosphere of a traditional French Christmas market. And Lille’s Christmas market is certainly a favourite among our school groups.
Indeed, Lille’s Christmas market is one of the most famous in France with over 50 stalls selling traditional and regional crafts, cuisine and gifts, making it a popular option for Christmas markets school trips to France.
Your students will love the opportunity to practise speaking French with the local stallholders, as they buy presents for their family and tasty treats for themselves!
Experiences like this can give their confidence a real boost, while also encouraging an enthusiasm for foreign languages and different cultures.
Get your younger students talking!
Lille is also the perfect choice for a French primary school trip, not least because of the short journey times. It’s also easily navigable and less hectic than somewhere like Paris, which is ideal for younger groups and still offers a wonderful introduction to all things French.
On your school trip to Lille, your students will have the opportunity to hear French spoken all around them. You’ll have lots of opportunities to reinforce vocabulary with them and this exciting opportunity could be what inspires the linguists of the future!
The birthplace of Charles de Gaulle
When you’re not exploring the Christmas markets, there’s plenty of history to enjoy on a school trip to Lille!
This is the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle and the house he was born in is now a museum dedicated to the former president.
And there’s also a fantastic museum dedicated to the French Resistance – if any of your students are studying WW2 these are visits not to be missed.
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Why choose Halsbury?
We build your trip around you
Tell us your learning objectives, curriculum and budget and we’ll do the rest.
Contact usWe’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.
Read moreOur Education specialists
Laura Lucas
Tour Consultant
Paul Hudson
Tour Consultant
Laura Martin
Language Sales & Product Manager
Emma Gray da Silva
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.
Activities in Lille that your school group will love
Euralille
Lille may be Capital of Culture, but it's long been a capital of shopping! Indulge in some retail therapy at
Guided Tour of Lille
From Grand'Place to the Palais Rihour, discover the architectural heritage of Europe's Capital of Culture (2004) with guides from Lille
La Gaufre du Pays Flamand
An old fashioned waffle-maker where each visitor leaves with a packet of brown sugar or violet waffles. The visit also
Lille Christmas Market
Lille is the perfect place to experience the authentic and magical atmosphere of a traditional Christmas market. The city hosts
Shopping in Lille
From its rich merchant past Lille has retained a real commercial tradition. Here, shopping is a reflection of the northern
Lille Zoo
The Citadelle Park, Lille's largest and most visited, park brings a breath of fresh air to the city. Encircled by
Euralille
Lille may be Capital of Culture, but it's long been a capital of shopping! Indulge in some retail therapy at
Guided Tour of Lille
From Grand'Place to the Palais Rihour, discover the architectural heritage of Europe's Capital of Culture (2004) with guides from Lille
La Gaufre du Pays Flamand
An old fashioned waffle-maker where each visitor leaves with a packet of brown sugar or violet waffles. The visit also
Lille Christmas Market
Lille is the perfect place to experience the authentic and magical atmosphere of a traditional Christmas market. The city hosts
Shopping in Lille
From its rich merchant past Lille has retained a real commercial tradition. Here, shopping is a reflection of the northern
Lille Zoo
The Citadelle Park, Lille's largest and most visited, park brings a breath of fresh air to the city. Encircled by
