School trips to Lyon

Why visit Lyon?

Discover the world capital of gastronomy

Lyon has one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per capita in France, including the uniquely Lyonnais bouchons. In these cosy, traditional local restaurants, you can enjoy typical Lyonnais dishes at very modest prices, as well as a friendly welcome from the owner. This is one of the best ways to experience Lyon and the local culture!

Explore an historic city

France’s third-largest city, Lyon was founded by the Romans and was once home to a thriving silk industry. There’s a huge amount of history and culture to discover here, making it an inspired choice for a French school trip.

Lyon is dominated by two hills – Croix-Rousse and Fourvière. Croix-Rousse is known as the ‘hill that works’ (‘la colline qui travail’), as it was once home to many of the city’s silk workers, known as canuts.

In Croix-Rousse and neighbouring Vieux Lyon, you’ll find one of the city’s most famous attractions, the traboules. Traboules are covered passageways that were once used by silk workers and merchants to transport goods without them being damaged by the rain. These were later used by the French Resistance to escape Gestapo raids during the Second World War.

Fourvière is known as the ‘hill that prays’ (‘la colline qui prie’) because of the spectacular basilica at its summit. There are also a number of convents, monasteries and chapels here, confirming its status as the religious heart of Lyon. For the most spectacular views across the city, it’s well worth taking the funicular to the top of Fourvière.

Get your students talking

Most groups who visit Lyon choose to do so on a French language study school trip. This combines French lessons at our partner language school in the city with sightseeing opportunities and cultural activities and is particularly popular among GCSE and A-level groups preparing for their exams.

Lessons are taught by fully-qualified native French speakers. Lessons are in closed groups and so can be tailored to suit your curriculum and specific learning objectives.

To complete the total immersion experience, we can arrange carefully selected host family accommodation, although other accommodation options are also available.

Discover spectacular landscapes

Not far from Lyon is the beautiful Auvergne region, which is famous for its volcanic landscape. Here, you’ll be able to explore how powerful volcanoes and rivers have been in shaping the landscape.

Plus, you’ll travel by coach, reducing the carbon footprint of your trip and helping to protect this precious environment.