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Last few 2024 space Chateau de Chantereine

French language school trip to Château de Chantereine, Upper Normandy

Your French learners are immersed in French language and culture at our new school centre, Château de Chantereine, on upper Normandy’s Alabaster Coast. The whole programme – from breakfast to evening games and everything in between - is led in French by our experienced native-speaking animateurs to give maximum exposure to the language throughout your trip.

  • Operated by Voyager
  • Key stage 2 – 16+
  • Native French animateurs
  • Mar - Oct
  • Evening entertainment
  • Workbooks
Overview

Our new French language centre in upper Normandy

Take your students to our newest residential centre, the 17th century Château de Chantereine, conveniently located less than two hours from Calais in the pretty Normandy fishing village of Criel-sur-Mer.

Watch as our native French animateurs educate, elevate & entertain your learners as they're led through a fun-filled programme of activities and excursions—entirely in French! You're sure to see improvements in your students' listening skills, vocabulary and pronunciation.

Explore the cultural highlights of the region, such as Rouen—steeped in history from William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc—Albert and the surrounding WWI battlefields of the Somme, plus the Bay of Somme, with its protected flora & fauna and marine wildlife.

Last few spaces remaining for 2024

We've got a few sought-after spaces remaining at our centre throughout March–June 2024. Enquire today and nab them before they go!

✔ This trip links to the MFL curriculum. Find out how →
Itinerary

Sample 5-day itinerary

Our Normandy specialists will tailor your itinerary to your unique learning objectives and interests

Day 1

Board your coach at school for your channel crossing to Calais

Stop en route in Boulogne for lunch (subject to timings)

Arrive at the centre in the afternoon, meet your group's animateur and unpack

Evening treasure hunt to fully explore the grounds of Le Château de Chantereine

Day 2 - Market Mission & Outdoor Adventure

Students will use their French skills on the local Dieppe stallholders during our popular market mission exercise

An afternoon of onsite language activities with your animateur (e.g. learning how to make French bread, circus skills or orienteering).

Back to the Château for evening meal followed by games on the local beach

Day 3 - Bay of Somme

Board the coach for the Baie of Somme to learn about the unique natural ecology of this protected area. 

Explore the dunes, forests and marshes of the Somme Bay nature reserve. Guided nature walk and seal discovery.

Picnic on the beach

An afternoon spent visiting a chocolaterie, Amiens zoo or the floating garden museum.

Dinner and French quiz back at the Château

Day 4 - Historic Rouen

A morning exploring historic Rouen, affectionately known as ‘little Paris’ and famous for its delicious macarons.

Don't miss picturesque Place de Vieux Marche, where Joan of Arc met her end, the ossary at Aitre Saint-Maclou and St Quen's Abbey

Visit a local goat cheese farm to see how cheese is made - all in French of course!

Farewell party

Day 5

Wave goodbye to your animateur before boarding your coach home 

Arrive back at school in the afternoon

Location

Ideally located for cultural and historic attractions

Less than a 2-hour coach drive from Calais, and just a short walk to the beach at Criel-sur-Mer, the 17th-century Château de Chantereine is a fantastic place for students to immerse themselves in French language, culture and way of life. 

The Château is set in four acres of grounds meaning there is plenty of green space for children to explore. Bad weather is never a problem because there is a fabulous multi-purpose sports complex on the Château grounds offering basketball, football, table tennis, climbing wall and dance studio as well as plenty of classrooms and common rooms for evening activities and film night.

Each group will stay on their own designated floor with restricted key-code access for added security. Students are accommodated in the main house, staying in clean and spacious bedrooms sleeping 2-6 children, each with a teacher's room nearby. There is also a private lounge, with TV, wifi tea and coffee making facilities where group leaders can relax in the evening.

With a gated entrance, perimeter fencing and night manager, Le Château de Chantereine provides a safe and car-free environment which is ideally suited for school groups. 

Excursions

Select the appropriate excursions to build a bespoke trip tailored to your students' interests and learning objectives.

Cow farm
Dairy Farm
Escargot snail farm
Snail Farm
Boulangerie
Bakery workshop
Nausicaa tunnel
Nausicaá National Sea Centre
French language immersion school trip to the Opal Coast of France
Market mission
voile22
Sand Yachting
Opalaventure
Treetop Adventure Park
Seals
Bay of Somme Guided Walk
Musee Somme 1916
Somme 1916 Museum
Thiepval Memorial to the missing
Thiepval Memorial
le treport
Le Tréport
Petit Train Le Treport
Tourist train
hortillionages museum v2
Les Hortillonnages
rouen cathedral
Rouen Cathedral
historial jeanne darc rouen
Historial Jeanne d'Arc, Rouen
Ossuary Saint Maclou
Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen
Cow farm

Dairy Farm

Located in the heart of the Pays de Bray, the friendly farmer will make sure your students have a fun-filled time meeting the resident cows and calves. Your group will get to taste some of the produce from biscuits to caramel—and even milk the cows!

Escargot snail farm

Snail Farm

Escargot may not actually be a staple of the French diet but that's no reason not to indulge in a bit of fun on this popular visit. Your students are sure to love (or wince at) the accompanying snail tasting.

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!

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.

French language immersion school trip to the Opal Coast of France

Market mission

Visit a local market with your animateur where teams of students will be given money to buy food for lunch. Students will be tasked with ordering in French, creating a great opportunity to interact with the friendly stall owners in their native language. Students will also have free time to pick up some souvenirs.

voile22

Sand Yachting

Sand yachting offers a gentle and accessible approach to all, accompanied by state-qualified instructors, set off to discover the natural gems of the Baie de Somme.

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.

Seals

Bay of Somme Guided Walk

Pack a pair of wellies or old shoes you don't mind getting ruined for this excursion! Explore this historic bay with the largest wild colony of seals in the North of France. On a guided nature hike your students will learn about the rare flora and fauna of this protected nature reserve, observe migratory birds, and discover seals in their natural environment. Alternatively, choose a self-guided visit to the Bay.

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.

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.

le treport

Le Tréport

Among the many coastal towns along the Alabaster Coast, Le Tréport lives to the rhythm of the sea. Ride the funicular railway from the top of the cliff, through the chalk tunnel and come out above the rooftops to take in the beautiful views.

Petit Train Le Treport

Tourist train

Choose from 3 different routes on this Petit Train where your group can discover the towns of Le Tréport, Eu and Mers-les-Bains. Stay on and explore all 3 or hop off when you fancy, it's up to you. The journey time to each town is 35, 45 and 75 minutes respectively.

hortillionages museum v2

Les Hortillonnages

This outstanding open-air museum is dedicated to the creation of beautiful marsh gardens, which you can even float your way through on a pleasant boat trip! Browse collection amassed by a couple of 'hortillons' (marsh gardeners) to illustrate their lives' work.

rouen cathedral

Rouen Cathedral

Over 800 years old, this Roman catholic cathedral is famous for its three towers, each in a different style, and the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet.

historial jeanne darc rouen

Historial Jeanne d'Arc, Rouen

Be transported to the 15th century and immersed in one of France's most famous judicial investigations in history, the pardon Joan of Arc, burned at the stake 25 years prior. Also stop by Église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc the see a statue of the martyr.

Ossuary Saint Maclou

Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen

Be sure to visit this creepy historic ossuary when you're in Rouen, expanded in the 14th century to accommodate the overwhelming number of fatalities from war, famine and the Black Plague. Check out the beauty of its facades and its macabre sculpted wood decor.

Activities

The Upper Normandy area offers a great range of interesting natural, historical and cultural excursions. But if you'd like to spend some time at Château de Chantereine, we can arrange a morning or afternoon of onsite French language activities with your animateur. Click on the activities below to see what is available at Château de Chantereine. 

Teenagers making bread
Bread making
Circus skills
Circus skills
Petanque
Pétanque
activities Orienteering
Orienteering
activities Photography
Photo developing
Exercices dinitiative
Team-building games
Family adventure holiday at the chateau kids playing aeroball
Sports tournament
Teenagers making bread

Bread making

Suitable for all ages bread making is not just a case of making bread, it’s also a golden opportunity to practise your singing talents, as we sing French songs. Students will be guided from the very beginning with simple French instructions. From the measuring of the flour to the kneading of the bread, this activity will keep their enthusiasm going throughout. They will even get to taste the fruits of their hard work as their bread will be baked in time for the evening meal.

Circus skills

Circus skills

Enables pupils to discover the art of circus on an artistic as well as technical level. Students are introduced to juggling, diabolo and other circus equipment in a fun and educational manner. The French spoken during this activity is very varied and is based on using the names of the equipment (stick, balls, diabolo...), action verbs (to walk, to move...), directions (left, right, up, down...), colours (orange, red, green...), numbers (one, two, three...).

Petanque

Pétanque

Good old fun (and SUPER competitive!), the French game of pétanque takes place on our traditional boule pitch where players are challenged to throw the boule as close to the jack as possible to win.

activities Orienteering

Orienteering

The students will be taught map reading in French using orienteering games and courses in the Château grounds. As well as using French language for features, directions and map symbols the team orienteering challenges will involve other French language quizzes along with finding the control markers.

activities Photography

Photo developing

This activity is designed to enhance the students’ knowledge of French while capturing an image from their activity, be it a leaf or a flower or their very own design. Using our dark room we can develop the image onto paper for the students to take away with them.

Exercices dinitiative

Team-building games

On location in the beautiful grounds, tasks are set for each group to encourage the students to work together. These team-building and problem-solving activities are challenging, fun and require good communication skills and a lot of team spirit.

Family adventure holiday at the chateau kids playing aeroball

Sports tournament

Making the most of Château de Chantereine's fantastic multi-sports complex, students will work in teams to compete for the prestigious Coupe de Normandie. But there's a catch. All games, rules, refereeing and team-talk is conducted in French. Strictly no English allowed - and the animateur's word is final!

Included

Our French language immersion programme includes:

  • A fun programme of guided cultural excursions and evening games, all led in French, by our own highly trained French-native animateurs
  • French language activity workbook per student
  • Full board and lodging at Château de Chantereine
  • Private lounge area for teachers
  • Return coach travel and channel crossing
  • Free teacher to student ratio approx 1:8
  • 24-hour emergency support
  • Subsidised centre inspection visit for two adults
  • Comprehensive travel insurance

 Extras to budget for:

  • Off-site excursions
  • Meals on journeys
  • Supplements for small groups, single teacher 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:

Gallery

Autumn/Spring

From

£424 pp
4 day/3 night with animateur & on-site activities included 
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