Exchange in Valenciennes
France | 11 days / 9 nights
DAY 1: USA | FRANCE
- Fly overnight to Paris, France.
DAY 2: VALENCIENNES
- Bienvenue en France! Your French Forum Tour Manager will greet you at the airport.
- Transfer by private bus to your partner school in Valenciennes.
- Upon arrival at your school, meet your exchange partners and host families.
- Enjoy your first dinner and evening with your host family.
DAYS 3 – 4: WEEKEND WITH YOUR HOST FAMILY
- Spend the weekend with your exchange partner and host family.
DAY 5: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
- After breakfast, attend school with your exchange partner.
- Afternoon activities and workshops may be organized by your partner school (to be confirmed with your partner school).
- Dinner and evening with your host family.
DAY 6: DAY TRIP TO BRUSSELS
- This morning, board your private bus to Brussels, Belgium.
- Upon arrival, visit the Choco-Story Museum, where you will learn the history of cocoa and chocolate, watch a demonstration by the master chocolatier, and, of course, sample Belgian chocolate!
- Enjoy some free time for lunch and try Belgium´s national dish: moules-frites (mussels and french fries).
- After, take a guided walking tour of the city center. Immerse yourself in local life in the beautiful Grand-Place, the main market square, framed by opulent guildhouses and the Gothic Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), and visit the city’s famed mascot, the chubby-cheeked Manneken-Pis.
- Return to Valenciennes for dinner with your host family.
DAY 7 & 8: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
- Attend school with your exchange partner.
- Dinner and evening with your host family.
DAY 9: VALENCIENNES| PARIS
- This morning, say a fond “Au revoir!” to your host family and board your private bus to Chantilly, known for its beautiful château and whipped cream!
- Enjoy a guided visit of the Château de Chantilly.
- Visit the 18th-century Grand Stables (‘Les Grandes Écuries’), which is still used for demonstrations and home to the ‘Living Museum of the Horse’ (musée vivant du cheval).
- Continue to Paris. Drop off your bags at the hotel upon arrival.
- Head to the highest point in the city, Montmartre (known locally as La Butte). Climb the steps to reach the Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre’s hilltop church and most famous landmark.
- Have dinner at a local restaurant in Montmartre.
- Night accommodation in Paris.
DAY 10: PARIS
- After breakfast, visit the Musée d’Orsay to see its extensive collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings housed in a former railway station.
- Head to the Île de la Cité to see the iconic Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
- Then, visit the intimate Sainte-Chapelle so see its awe-inspiring stained-glass windows.
- Enjoy some free time for lunch before strolling down the famous Champs-Elysées. Climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to admire the views.
- Afterward, enjoy a cruise on the Seine River.
- Have your farewell dinner in a crêperie.
- After dinner, admire the City of Light from the 3rd floor of the Eiffel Tower.
DAY 11: DEPART
- Transfer to the airport for your flight back to the USA.