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Loire Valley Cultural & Transition Yr School Trips & Tours

This diverse region of France is an ideal destination for a group tour. Known as ‘the Garden of France’, the Loire Valley is home to many cultural and educational visits for cultura and transition year groups.

A cultural school trip to this popular destination offers groups outstanding immersion in the French language whilst enjoying the charm of French country life. Popular visits in the Loire Valley include a trip to one of the many historic sites here, including Chambord, Orléans, and the medieval city of Chartres with its world famous cathedral. During your trip to the region, NST can tailor your itinerary to include Futuroscope theme park – a popular and fun visit that your pupils will love!

The loire is an ideal destination for a transition year trip, enrichment week, a cultural tour or a group bonding and reward trip.

 

 

Sample itinerary

Our sample itinerary provides you with an idea of the visits you can cover during your trip. We can tailor-make an itinerary to support your specific learning outcomes.

Morning Afternoon Evening
1 Flight from Ireland. Transfer to accommodation for check-in Evening meal. Local orientation
2 Full day in Futuroscope Park Evening meal in the park. Laser show
3 Château de Chenonceau Monmousseau Sparkling Wine Caves including tour of the caves & tasting (grape juice for students) Evening meal followed by free time
4 Transfer to airport for return flight to Ireland
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
Morning Flight from Ireland. Transfer to accommodation for check-in
Afternoon Evening meal. Local orientation
Evening
Morning Full day in Futuroscope Park
Afternoon Evening meal in the park. Laser show
Evening
Morning Château de Chenonceau
Afternoon Monmousseau Sparkling Wine Caves including tour of the caves & tasting (grape juice for students)
Evening Evening meal followed by free time
Morning Transfer to airport for return flight to Ireland
Afternoon
Evening

On-tour support

On-tour support includes...

  • Services of a See Off Representative at your departure airport

Accommodation

Popular options in Loire Valley


Top visits

Châteaux of the Loire Valley

There are a wide number of châteaux along the Loire Valley each providing an insight into French history and tradition, whilst also providing spectacular scenery and architecture. The most popular ones are: Château de Chenonceau, Château de Blois, Château Montrichard and Château d’Amboise.

Loches

Situated on the banks of the Indre, this small town is a gem of historical and architectural interest. Dominated by the medieval city enclosed within impressive ramparts it is also home to a number of visits where students can practise their language skills, including: Vignemont Cave Dwellers Quarry, Château Loche and Confiserie Hallard Sweet Factory.

Amboise

Groups can spend a day exploring this fascinating town. The Château du Clos Lucé is a must-see; it was Leonardo da Vinci’s last home and is now a museum dedicated to him. Le Petit Train is an ideal way to see the town and the Aquarium du Val de Loire and Bigot Patisserie Chocolaterie are other highlights.

Saumur

This small town has a number of exciting attractions for groups, many of them based around the town’s wine and food industries. Highlights include: Musée du Champignon, Gratien & Meyer Sparkling Wine Caves and the National Riding School.

Patisserie Chocolaterie Bigot

Tour of the chocolaterie including hot chocolate tasting.

Futuroscope

Futuroscope is a thrilling experience for students on school trips to Loire Valley. It’s a theme park designed with fun and education in mind - and it’s one of France’s most visited attractions. Packed with content, the park offers a wealth of ideas so you can develop your educational projects around your visit. Attractions include: 

Mission Hubble
Join the latest rescue mission to keep the Hubble telescope observing deep space in this 3D IMAX film. 

Virus Attack
Take part in a fantastic race inside the human body in this flight simulation-style attraction. 

Dance with Robots
Representing a great technology with ten 7 metre high robots fully articulated taken from the automotive industry. 

Cosmic Collisions
See an asteroid smash into our planet, watch as two galaxies crash into each other, witness the massive cosmic collisions in the depths of space that formed the universe, shape it today and set the blueprint for its future. 

The Future is Wild
Darwin’s theory of evolution throws light on how species evolved in the past, and is the inspiration for Futuroscope’s imaginative look into the future. It takes students on a life-sized augmented reality experience.

The Extraordinary Journey
Fly like a bird! Take to the skies aboard an incredible machine for a round-the-world journey where reality meets make-believe. Feel lighter than air with your legs dangling free in this all-new, thrill-filled experience.

Sebastien Loeb Racing Xperience
Settle into your dynamic bucket seat in the car of 9-time World Rally Driver’s Champion Sébastien Loeb and put on your virtual reality helmet for some hard and fast racing action! The world’s first 5D VR attraction.

Through Thomas Pesquet’s Eyes
Ride the immersive power of 4K IMAX LASER technology and 3D audio on a journey into space with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) youngest astronaut, Thomas Pesquet, and enjoy the highlights of his 6-month space mission 400 km above the Earth.

Aquarium du Val de Loire

Study the diversity of the Loire’s aquatic life and touch the fish in the 15-metre tactile pool! Your students can dive into the world of aquatic sea creatures and become immersed in the 60 tanks of tropical fish and the shark tunnel. This makes for a superb learning experience, which is why school trips to Loire Valley are so great!


Transport

We offer flights from a variety of departure airports and we’ll work with you to plan your route at the best value possible.

Flight


Giving you full support throughout

Before your tour

  • Your own dedicated NST contact
  • Bespoke tour itineraries
  • Unrivalled local knowledge & expertise
  • Curriculum linked visit programmes
  • Great value for money - no hidden costs
  • Free group leader inspection visits
  • Risk assessment guidance
  • Safety assured, transport, accommodation and visits

Whilst you're away

  • Free educational resources
  • Group-friendly accommodation
  • Exceptional standards of coaching
  • On-tour support from our reps on the ground
  • Support & assistance from our specialists guides throughout your tour
  • 24/7 support just a call away
  • Extensive group travel insurance

On your return

  • Priority rebooking services
  • Rewarding your loyalty with our reward scheme
  • You say, we listen - we're committed to continuously improving our tours
  • School travel company of choice since 1996