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School trips to the Opal Coast of France

Cross-curricular school trip to France's Opal Coast, staying at Le Moulin aux Draps

Super easy to reach from the UK, the Opal Coast is a great destination for short trips. The majority of groups stay in our own hotel Le Moulin aux Draps, which is well linked to a wide range of cross-curricular attractions and sites such as the Somme.

  • Voyager owned
  • Key stage 2 - 3
  • Year round
  • Evening entertainment
  • Carbon offset
Overview

We'll help you pack a lot into a short trip to France

The Opal Coast guarantees an abundance of culture, French language and fun! This rich region offers food workshops, city visits, WWI history sites, including the extremely immersive underground Wellington Quarry tour and La Coupole - a museum housed in a huge concrete dome amongst the hills.  For pure fun, why not visit Parc Bagatelle or the beautiful Le Touquet beach to let off some steam. Just a short coach ride from our hotel are excursions to Boulogne-Sur-Mer where students can explore the historic fishing port and the huge Nausicaá national sea centre, Europe’s largest aquarium, which is as educational as it is impressive and offers a particular focus on oceans and climate change. Whatever your curriculum focus, we'll work with you to create a tailor-made itinerary to suit your learning objectives.

Our own Moulin aux Draps residential centre near Boulogne, is the perfect destination for schools looking for an affordable/short school trip to France. The residential centre is exclusively for the use of school groups meaning there are few distractions for students.

New for 2023!

The Moulin aux Draps centre is under new management, with a team from our centre of excellence, Château de la Baudonnière, taking the helm to transform the programme. We’ve introduced new on-site activities including beach volleyball and pétanque, and a brand new accommodation block, all set against the centre’s 22 acres of wildlife.

We can tailor your itinerary to your unique learning requirements, please contact us for a bespoke quote.

Itinerary

This is our suggested 4-day Opal Coast itinerary. If you would like to change the duration of your trip or choose different excursions, just contact us for a bespoke quote.

Day 1

  • Board your coach for your trip to France
  • Once in France, students enjoy their first local visit - the snail farm  
  • Check into Moulin aux Draps and meet the staff 
  • Evening games

Day 2

  • History excursion to Vimy Memorial to learn about the Great War
  • Tour of the pretty town of Arras city visit, built in Flemish Renaissance style
  • Visit a local bakery for a fun demonstration and the chance to sample patisserie fresh from the oven
  • Evening games

Day 3

  • Visit the beautiful seaside town of Boulogne-Sur-Mer 
  • Learn about ocean conservation at the Nausicaá national sea centre or treetop adventure and high ropes
  • Evening games

Day 4

  • Visit a local goat's cheese farm - meet the goats, learn how cheese is made and tasting session  
  • Time for some souvenir shopping
  • Board the coach for your Channel crossing back to England
  • Arrive back at school
Location

A wealth of possibilities for students just a short hop from the UK

A school trip to northern France is often the first time school children will experience the excitement of being in another country without a parent or guardian. This small taste of independence is a brilliant confidence and character-building tool, as well as important for bridging friendships between classmates and respect for teachers. What makes the Opal Coast a popular choice is the opportunity to pack a lot into a school trip without heading too far and only travelling by coach and ferry.

Stay at Voyager's own Moulin aux Draps residential centre

Located less than an hour from Calais and within very easy reach of the stunning Opal Coastline, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Le Touquet, Arras and the WWI battlefields, our Moulin aux Draps centre is the perfect destination for schools looking for an affordable/short school trip to France. The residential centre is exclusively for the use of school groups during the academic year, meaning there are few distractions for students.

Our local French staff have considerable experience in looking after British school trips and catering for the needs of British teachers and pupils. The centre is contained within 22 acres of car-free French countryside, giving students plenty of space to run around and let off steam. Supervision is easy as the grounds are within view of the main building and teachers can relax in the evenings as the Voyager team will deliver a programme of evening entertainment for your students.

Click here for more information about this residential centre owned by Voyager School Travel.

Excursions
Le Touquet Beach
Le Touquet
Boulangerie
Bakery workshop
Chocolate making workshop in French
Chocolate workshop
Rando Rail France
Rando-Rail
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne town trail
Boulogne town trail
Nausicaa tunnel
Nausicaá National Sea Centre
Maison du Marais
Maison du Marais boat tour
Opal Coast Outdoor Laser Tag
Outdoor Laser Tag
Bagatelle Theme Park
Parc Bagatelle
Museum of Resistance Boundes
Musée de la Résistance
Mining History Centre
Mining History Centre
Azincourt Medieval Centre
Azincourt Medieval Centre
La Coupole
La Coupole
Wellington Quarry
Wellington Quarry
Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Thiepval Memorial to the missing
Thiepval Memorial
Pozieres Memorial
Pozières Memorial
Lochnagar Crater
Lochnagar Crater
Delville Wood
Delville Wood Cemetery
Musee Somme 1916
Somme 1916 Museum
Museum of the Great War
Museum of the Great War
Vimy Memorial
Vimy Ridge Memorial
Goats cheese farm
Goat's cheese farm
Bellewaerde
Bellewaerde
Blockhaus dEperlecques
Blockhaus d'Eperlecques
Desvres Museum of Ceramics
Museum of Ceramics tour & workshop
Etaples Cemetery
Étaples Military Cemetery
Opalaventure
Treetop Adventure Park
Desvres Arts Crafts Village
Desvres Arts & Crafts Village
Le Touquet Beach

© Alec Brown

Le Touquet

The seaside town of Le Touquet has miles of white sandy beaches for school groups to enjoy some down time on. In the centre of the town, you will find quaint cafés and confectionery shops.

Boulangerie

© Monica Arellano-Ongpin

Bakery workshop

At a local boulangerie, a baker will perform a baking demonstration for your group in French. Students will walk away with a croissant and a pain au chocolat each!

Chocolate making workshop in French

Chocolate workshop

We can arrange for this workshop tour, where your group will learn how a local French chocolaterie produces their chocolate, to be led in either English or French. Students will even get a chance to taste the chocolates too!

Rando Rail France

Rando-Rail

Immerse yourselves in the French countryside as you pedal your way along a 10 km-long disused railway track in a 4-person kart! This fun outdoor activity is sure to be a hit among your students, especially if you’re travelling in the summer.

Boulogne

© openroads.com

Boulogne-sur-Mer

Spend the afternoon in this historic port city wandering the charming streets, sampling the local seafood and spending some time on the sandy beach. Be sure to stop by the impressive cathedral.

Boulogne town trail

Boulogne town trail

Maximise your group's language learning with this fun animateur-led challenge—designed to give students opportunities to improve their French comprehension & speaking skills in situ.

Nausicaa tunnel

Nausicaá National Sea Centre

The largest marine life centre in Europe is home to 1,600 species and promotes sustainability and marine management. This is a fun and educational cross-curricular visit for groups.

Maison du Marais

Maison du Marais boat tour

Navigate through the Audomarois marsh, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Saint-Omer, on an awesome boat tour where you’ll uncover the abundance of flora & fauna native to the wetland.

Opal Coast Outdoor Laser Tag

Outdoor Laser Tag

Team up and prepare for battle! Based in a safe, sandy, forested area, this outdoor laser tag game is great fun for groups. There's also a volleyball pitch and picnic area for students to eat lunch.

Bagatelle Theme Park

Parc Bagatelle

Visit the oldest operating theme park in the whole of France! You'll find enough there to keep students of all ages entertained—not least the thrilling Triops rollercoaster.

Museum of Resistance Boundes

Musée de la Résistance

The Museum of Resistance in Bondues is housed in a 19th-century fort that was occupied by German troops in WWI & WWII. Students will learn about the lives of the fighters of the French resistance and how they worked with the British Intelligence Service.

Mining History Centre

Mining History Centre

This is a museum housed in a former colliery that explores the three centuries of coal mining in northern France. The buildings are complete with the massive antique machinery and the highlight of the visit is a guided tour underground!

Azincourt Medieval Centre

Azincourt Medieval Centre

This museum focuses on the Battle of Azincourt and the Hundred Years' War. An interactive exhibition includes a multimedia tour of the French and English camps and the battlefield of Azincourt. It is specifically designed for younger students learning medieval history.

La Coupole

© Damian Entwistle

La Coupole

This huge dome in the hills was built to house & launch rockets in WWII—now, it's a museum & planetarium. Learn the interesting story of how the mission pivoted from war to space exploration.

Wellington Quarry

© Tristram Biggs

Wellington Quarry

At The Carrière Wellington museum in Arras, students can walk the same network of WWI tunnels which were utilised by the British troops in a surprise attack on the Germans.

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

This WWI memorial is on the site where the British Army suffered their worst ever casualties in a single day. A bronze Caribou monument stands as the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

Thiepval Memorial to the missing

© David Nicholls

Thiepval Memorial

The largest British war memorial in the world is known as the "Memorial to the Missing". A moving tribute to the 72,000+ servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme in WWI.

Pozieres Memorial

Pozières Memorial

The village of Pozières was completely destroyed in the WWI Battle of the Somme. This memorial commemorates the more than 14,000 casualties of the battle and is a stark visual reminder of the scale of the loss of life for students.

Lochnagar Crater

Lochnagar Crater

The massive carter was created by the explosion of a mine during the WWI Battle of the Somme. The site has since been preserved to act as a war memorial dedicated to the fallen soldiers.

Delville Wood

© Clemens Vasters

Delville Wood Cemetery

Delville Wood was the scene of heavy combat during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and once more in 1918. The cemetery remembers the 5,500 South African servicemen buried there, of which over half are unidentified.

Musee Somme 1916

Somme 1916 Museum

Want your students to get a greater understanding of the lives of soldiers during WWI? This museum, where the exhibits are housed in tunnels 10 metres underground, is your best choice.

Museum of the Great War

© Corentin Fohlen

Museum of the Great War

The Museum of the Great War is the largest WWI museum in Europe. There are many exhibits that demonstrate the social impact of the war on regular civilians, making it a great resource for students to learn more about how war impacted day to day life.

Vimy Memorial

© Timothy Shawn Hack

Vimy Ridge Memorial

The striking Canadian National Vimy Memorial is dedicated to the memory of the Canadian servicemen who lost their lives in WWI—particularly in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Goats cheese farm

Goat's cheese farm

Visit a local goat's cheese farm to meet the goats, find out how cheese is made and try some for yourself!

Bellewaerde

Bellewaerde

Boasting among other things the highest water chute in Europe, Bellewaerde Park is just across the border in Belgium. Enjoy thrilling rides, marvel at exotic animals and explore the park.

Blockhaus dEperlecques

Blockhaus d'Eperlecques

Located near Saint-Omer, this WWII bunker was built as a V2 rocket launch site. Your group can see the result of the ally bombing of the bunker and explore various in & outdoor exhibits.

Desvres Museum of Ceramics

Museum of Ceramics tour & workshop

Desvres has a thriving ceramics industry thanks to the area's raw materials. Enjoy a guided tour & partake in a workshop where students will learn about the production and craft their own souvenir.

Etaples Cemetery

Étaples Military Cemetery

Étaples Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Étaples, near Boulogne on the north-west coast of France. The cemetery commemorates over 11,500 lives lost in WWI and WWII.

Opalaventure

Treetop Adventure Park

Want to add a bit of adventure to your trip and give students a chance to overcome their fears? Add a visit to an outdoor activity centre where groups can climb, swing and soar through the great outdoors.

Desvres Arts Crafts Village

Desvres Arts & Crafts Village

A great opportunity to interact with the local community, your group can partake in a workshop in a creative discipline of your choice delivered in French or English by a local artist/maker.

Included

Trips to our Moulin aux Draps centre include the following:

  • A fun programme of evening activities (led in French if required) by our own highly trained team of French-native animateurs
  • All off-site cultural excursions and activities 
  • Full board and lodging with three cooked meals and snacks
  • Free teacher to student ratio approx 1:8 (coach trips) / approx 1:10 (air groups)
  • Private teachers’ lounge areas
  • 24-hour emergency support
  • Teacher evening wind-down activities such as cheese and wine tasting evening
  • Your choice of return travel; coach travel, with ferry crossing, applicable tolls and taxes included, or return flights and overseas transfers
  • Coach to take your group off-site for visits
  • Comprehensive travel insurance
  • Subsidised centre inspection visit for you and a colleague
  • The opportunity to carbon offset your trip. Click here to find out more.

Extras to budget for

  • Meals on journeys
  • School to airport transfers (if required)
  • Visa charges, collective passports
  • Supplements for small parties, single rooms and additional adults
Resources

Ready-made resources to get your trip off the ground

These ready-made trip resources are designed to reduce your admin and help speed up the process of planning, promoting and getting approval for your trip:

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