SYA France school trips are scheduled in accordance with the French academic calendar; during French school vacations, our students travel all over France.
In October students go to the Loire Valley where they visit Renaissance chateaux and a variety of museums. In February the school goes to Paris to study the city's architectural monuments, museums and galleries. In the spring students spend nine or ten days exploring the south of France. They visit museums and Roman antiquities, meander through charming Provincal cities and villages, hike through the countryside, swim in the Mediterranean and some years explore local rivers by canoe.
One weekend in May is devoted to exploring the coast of Normandy, where students visit the sites of the two great events that have marked the region: the Norman conquest, of 1066, and the Allied invasion (known by the French as the Debarquement), of June 1944. There is plenty of time for relaxation and fun built into the school trips; however, they are carefully conceived to complement the history, civilization and art history courses.
During school vacation days and weekends students may remain with their host families or travel independently if they have made detailed plans and secured proper permission. Because public transportation is convenient and France is relatively small, a weekend trip can take a SYA France student to the famous beaches of Normandy, to museums in Paris or to the banks of the Loire River.