School French Culture 3-Day Trip to the Opal Coast

A French school trip to the Opal Coast offers a fantastic introduction to all things French!

You’ll be able to visit a local bakery to learn all about bread – a hugely important element of any French person’s day! You can also visit a chocolatier, with both visits offering your students the opportunity to quiz these artisans on their work – in French, of course.

This is a great opportunity for Key Stage 3 and GCSE students to develop their vocabulary around the theme of food, drink and eating out, among others.

And GCSE students will also enjoy this opportunity to develop their understanding of French culture and identity.

A-level students will also really enjoy this opportunity to use their French to speak with native speakers and learn more about various aspects of French-speaking society.

Other options include the famous Bagatelle theme park or Nausicaa Sea Life Centre.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Depart school early morning

Channel crossing

Visit to a traditional French bakery

Afternoon

Arrive in Boulogne

Afternoon spent exploring local area/walk along the beach

Check in to accommodation

Evening

Evening meal at accommodation

Day 2

Morning

Visit to a traditional French market

Group to explore the Old Town of Boulogne

Afternoon

Visit to Nausicaa Sea Life Centre

Evening

Evening meal at accommodation

Day 3

Morning

Visit a supermarket in Boulogne before heading to Calais

Afternoon

Channel crossing

Evening

Arrive back at school early evening

Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Motorway tolls and taxes
Return coach travel
Return ferry crossings
VAT
2 nights' half board accommodation
Itinerary planning service
Vamoos - our easy-to-use travel app

Curriculum

A Level

Festivals and traditions
Aspects of French-speaking society
Individual research project opportunities

GCSE

Food, drink and eating out
Travel and tourism
Holiday destinations
Customs, celebrations and festivals
Home, town and neighbourhoods
Daily life and free time activities
Understanding French culture and identity

Key Stage 3

Exploring the town
Hobbies and pastimes
Food and drink
Eating out
Introducing yourself
Describing others
Likes and dislikes
Plants and animals
Cultural traditions

Accommodation

Artes Cap d'Opale

Artes Cap d'Opale is located in Ambleteuse, a peaceful seaside resort full of history north of Boulogne. The Village Vacances is comprised of a central multi-storey building and three sperate blocks of chalet style accommodation. Chalets usually have two bedrooms and a bathroom with a usual maximum capacity of 5 beds per room, and 9 beds maximum per chalet.Most rooms on the ground floor are accessible, but there are also three specially adapted rooms for handicapped guests.The centre offers full- and half-board accommodation. Facilities include a reception, bar and restaurant. There is a classroom which can be hired out for a fee, and plenty of outdoor space for students to exercise or relax in. There is also an indoor pool which groups can use.

Hippotel

The Hippotel is set within tranquil woodlands, just half a mile from the centre of Le Touquet. The accommodation has rooms of 2 to 6, each with bath or shower and separate WC. All guestrooms have a TV with some English channels and single rooms are available at a supplement. In terms of communal areas, there is a bar with a terrace and games area, and two conference rooms seating up to 30 people are also available, if required.As well as a games room and a sauna, the hotel has its own restaurant, offering fantastic panoramic views over both the park and the regional equestrian centre.

Stella Maris

This popular youth centre is located in the middle of the dunes in Stella- Plage which is a beautiful quaint little seaside town.This youth centre offers 85 rooms. Each room can sleep between 2-4 students and each with its own private WC/shower.There is a restaurant on-site that can offer breakfast and evening meals and packed luches can also be arranged. The reception desk is open from 08.30 until 19.00, 7 days a week and sells a selection of phonecards and postcards - there is even a daily collection from the postbox.There is a Classroom/Meeting room, Bar & café, Giant screen TV, Video/DVD player and Karaoke machine. Groups can watch films free of charge and can have a karaoke/disco night for 5€ per person.This fantastic accommodation centre also has a leisure room with table football, table tennis and video games. Outdoors, students can also make use of the Sports playground (football, basketball, volleyball and badminton)

Educational Activities

Boulangerie Le Fournil

The charismatic baker will tell your students about his work – in French, of course! He will demonstrate some of

Chocolats de Beussent

Enjoy a tour of this fantastic local chocolate factory.

Nausicaa

The Nausicaa Sea-world museum seeks to educate children about the marine environment, man's impact upon it and why it is

Opalaventure High Ropes Course

If you have a group of thrill seekers, make sure you include a visit to the Opalaventure High Ropes Course, where you'll enjoy a treetop adventure your students will never forget!

Rando Rail

Fancy doing something a little different on your school trip to the Opal Coast? Why not hop on a pedal-powered rail bike and enjoy a 9km round trip to explore either the enchanting woods of Nielles-les-Bléquin, or the rolling countryside of the Artois!

Biscuit Factory Le Touquet

Visit a traditional French biscuit factory to discover how these delicious artisanal biscuits are made! Students will love this foodie activity that also gives them the opportunity to practise their French listening skills. If they're brave, they could even try asking questions!

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.