School French Language Study Trip to the South of France

If you’re looking for a French school trip to the South of France that offers incredible beaches, rich culture and warm, friendly locals then Sète is the destination you’ve been searching for!

The lovely town of Sète is located on the Mont Saint-Clair hill, which is sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea and the saltwater lagoon known as the Étang de Thau. Its natural surroundings are gorgeous, with nine beaches, plenty of creeks, a lush forest and saltwater marshes. And the city centre is criss-crossed by canals, including the terminus of the iconic Canal du Midi.

With humble beginnings as a small fishing village, the town has developed into a popular high-end resort with many French celebrities moving in to the area. It’s even currently starring in a French soap opera! Sète is famous in France for its fabulous seafood and unique culture – which includes water jousting on the canals in the summer! But for us, the fact that it’s such a small, safe and friendly city for school groups is what makes it a great choice for your French school trip to the South of France.

Our partner language school in Sète is run by a Sètoise who is passionate about her home town and all of its unique culture and landscapes. The school exclusively offers French language lessons to closed groups, so your programme will be completely tailored to your group, from the location of your lessons to their content and even the cultural activities programme!

You can choose from lessons in the city centre, which are best enjoyed with host family accommodation to complete the total immersion experience (other accommodation options are available), or at the beach campus which is, as the name would suggest, right on the beach and offers on-site residence accommodation.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Flight to Montpellier

Afternoon

Transfer to language school and meet host families

Evening

Evening with host families

Day 2

Morning

French lessons at language school

Afternoon

Guided walking tour of Sète

Evening

Evening with host families

Day 3

Morning

French lessons at language school

Afternoon

Half-day excursion to Montpellier

Evening

Evening with host families

Day 4

Morning

French lessons at language school

Afternoon

Treasure hunt around Sète

Evening

Evening with host families

Day 5

Morning

French lessons at language school

Afternoon

Transfer back to airport

Evening

Return flight to UK

12 hours of language lessons in closed groups
4 nights' host family accommodation on half-board basis
Return airport transfers in resort
Free staff place ratio: 1:10
VAT at current rate to tour operators
Access to the Vamoos app to download all tour-related travel documents
Airport tax and passenger duty at current rates
ATOL protected return flights from the UK

Curriculum

A Level

Theme-based vocabulary - chosen by teacher
Practising reading, writing and speaking skills
Communication strategies
Understanding rubrics and instructions
Grammar revision
Asking questions and giving opinions
Social conventions
Understanding culture and identity of French-speaking countries
Literary text and films

GCSE

Theme-based vocabulary - chosen by teacher
Practising reading, writing and speaking skills
Grammar revision
Communication strategies
Understanding rubrics and instructions
Asking questions and giving opinions
Social conventions
Understanding French culture and identity

Key Stage 3

Theme-based vocabulary chosen by teacher
Suggestions:

- Exploring the town

- Hobbies and pastimes

- Food and drink

- Eating out

- Introducing yourself

- Describing others

- Likes and dislikes

- Plants and animals

- Cultural traditions

Accommodation

Host Families, Sète

Host family accommodation is the perfect option if you want your students to enjoy a total immersion experience. Host families will encourage students to practise speaking with them over their evening meal, which is a fantastic opportunity for students to build their confidence and ‘tune’ their ear in to French. All host families are carefully selected and well known to the Director of the language school, who ensures that they all satisfy strictly established selection criteria, which includes clean police records. Host families will also show students the way to school on their first day of lessons and will ensure that students have their a map, the host family’s contact details and the contact details of the Director of the school too, just in case.

Beach Campus Residence, Sète

The school’s beach campus offers on-site residence accommodation, which is ideal if you have a younger group or you would like your group to stay together throughout your French trip to the South of France. There is a variety of accommodation options to choose from and, as well as fully-equipped classrooms and a huge dining room where you’ll enjoy buffet-style meals, there are also a number of communal areas for activities, including a hall that’s perfect for an end of trip disco and even an outside theatre!

Educational Activities

Excursion to Montpellier

Just a short hop on the train from Sète is the beautiful city of Montpellier.

Cooking Workshop, Sète

Enjoy a cooking workshop with a local chef where your group will be taught how to make a local speciality.

Treasure Hunt, Sète

A great activity designed to help your students practise their French and get to know the town.

Shopping in Sète

Enjoy a shopping tour of all the independent shops, producers and artists of Sète.

Guided Tour of the Théâtre Molière

Go behind-the-scenes of one of Sète's most iconic landmarks, the Théâtre Molière.

Paul Valery Museum

See some spectacular works of art and learn more about this famous Sètois poet.

Musée de la Mer, Sète

Visitors looking at a model ship at the Musée de la Mer

Discover the maritime history of Sète at this fascinating museum.

MACO

Explore Sète and its incredible street art with this fantastic open air museum.

FabLab

Join an expert in the Fablab at our language school's city campus to create a unique souvenir.

Cultural Activities

Mini Boat, Sète

These electric one-seater boats are hugely popular in Sète and a great way to navigate the city's famous canals. Life jackets are provided.

Pedalo, Sète

Enjoy Sète from the water by hiring some pedalos! This is a fun, relaxing activity that your students will absolutely love.

Boat Tour, Sète

With such a wealth of waterways, there really is no better way to see Sète than by boat. You can explore its canals, the Mediterranean coast around the city, or even the oyster beds of its magnificent saltwater lagoon.

Bike Rental, Sète

Hire some bikes and explore Sète on two wheels! There are a variety of different tours you can enjoy along the canals, the seafront or the lagoon.

Rosalie Quadricycle, Sète

Hop on a 4 or 6-seater bike and enjoy a ride along the beachfront promenade! A great way to enjoy Sète's spectacular setting on the Mediterranean coast.

Introduction to Water Sports, Sète

Enjoy a 2-hour introduction to water sports either in the sea or on the saltwater lagoon, depending on the weather conditions.

Game of Petanque

Enjoy a game of this traditional Southern French sport!

Afternoon at the Beach, Sète

Spend an unforgettable afternoon on one of Sète's 9 beaches!

TV Locations Tour, Sète

Filming of TV series in Sète, South of France

Sète, in the South of France, has inspired many French TV series - discover why on this tour!

Espace Georges Brassens

Discover the life and work of one of Sète's most famous sons - Georges Brassens!

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.