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.
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.
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Hôtel du Moulin aux Draps
Set in 18 acres of beautiful French countryside, our Hôtel du Moulin residential centre is the perfect safe environment for your students. |
© Alec Brown
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.
© Monica Arellano-Ongpin
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!
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!
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.
© openroads.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
© Damian Entwistle
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.
© Tristram Biggs
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.
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.
© David Nicholls
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.
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.
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.
© Clemens Vasters
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.
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.
© Corentin Fohlen
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.
© Timothy Shawn Hack
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.
Visit a local goat's cheese farm to meet the goats, find out how cheese is made and try some for yourself!
Boasting, among other things, the highest water chute in Europe, Bellewaerde Park is just outside Ypres, close to the French-Belgian border. Enjoy thrilling rides, marvel at exotic animals and explore the park.
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 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.
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.
Trips to our Moulin aux Draps centre include the following:
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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Book an inspection visit
Join us on a subsidised visit to see the Opal Coast programme in action.
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Bonfire seasonal special at le Moulin aux Draps, France
A great value autumn adventure at our residential centre in France + ski session. Available Oct–Nov
Christmas seasonal special at le Moulin aux Draps
French Christmas market trip with a ski-taster session at our Opal Coast school centre. Available throughout December.
Winter treats seasonal special at le Moulin aux Draps
A dazzling festival jam-packed with French delights at our Opal Coast residential centre. Available Jan–Feb.
French language school trip to Le Moulin aux Draps, Northern France
On-site activities & cultural visits, led in French by our native speaking animateurs, a short hop from the UK at our 3* hotel in Hauts-de-France
WWI history trip to the Somme Battlefields, Northern France
Bespoke WW1 history tours of the battlefields of the Western Front, staying at our 3* Moulin aux Draps residential centre in Northern France
WWI history school trip to Ypres & Belgium Battlefields
Visit the battlefields & memorials on this WW1 history tour to Ypres, Belgium
Cross-curricular school trip to Paris
Ace your Paris trip with us. With so much on offer, we'll use our expertise to create an itinerary that's perfectly suited to your educational focus
