Final-year school trip to the French Riviera: Nice, Monaco, Èze, Cannes, Antibes and Grasse (8 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and drive to the Rhône valley

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the agreed time, and daytime drive to France (about 650 to 750 km, i.e. 8 to 9 hours excluding breaks depending on the departure point).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Two drivers take turns at the wheel; lunch at your own expense at a motorway service area.
• Overnight stop in the Lyon area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 2: Drive to Nice and the Promenade des Anglais

• Departure after breakfast, around 7 am, and daytime drive through the Rhône valley and Provence (about 470 km, i.e. 5.5 to 6 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival in Nice in mid-afternoon and a first walk along the Promenade des Anglais, facing the Baie des Anges.
• Check-in at the accommodation for five nights, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 3: Nice, from the old town to Cimiez

• Walk through Old Nice: the Cours Saleya market, Sainte-Réparate cathedral and the colourful lanes.
• Climb up Castle Hill for the view over the Baie des Anges and the harbour.
• Lunch at your own expense (try socca and pan bagnat), then Place Masséna and the Promenade du Paillon.
• Afternoon in Cimiez: the monastery gardens and the Matisse Museum (on request).
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 4: Èze and Monaco

• Drive along the Moyenne Corniche to Èze (about 30 min), a village perched more than 400 m above the sea.
• Visit to the exotic garden of Èze, at the top of the village (on request).
• On to Monaco: the Rock, the changing of the guard in front of the Prince’s Palace at 11.55 am and the cathedral.
• Lunch at your own expense, then a visit to the Oceanographic Museum (on request) and a walk down to Port Hercule, Casino Square and part of the Grand Prix circuit.
• Return to Nice, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 5: Cannes and the Lérins Islands

• Drive to Cannes (about 45 min) and a walk along the Croisette to the steps of the Palais des Festivals.
• Climb up to Le Suquet, the old town, for the view over the bay of Cannes.
• Lunch at your own expense, then a boat crossing to the island of Sainte-Marguerite and a visit to the Fort Royal, where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned (on request).
• Supervised free time on the beach in the late afternoon.
• Return to Nice, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 6: Grasse, Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Antibes

• Drive to Grasse (about 1 hour), the world capital of perfume, and a free guided tour of the historic Fragonard perfume factory.
• Stop in Saint-Paul-de-Vence: the ramparts, cobbled lanes and art galleries of this hilltop village.
• Lunch at your own expense, then the old town of Antibes, its ramparts and Port Vauban.
• Visit to the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi (on request).
• Return to Nice, dinner and last supervised evening.

Day 7: Drive to the overnight stop

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and departure around 8 am.
• Daytime drive through Provence and the Rhône valley (about 470 to 550 km), with two drivers taking turns.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Overnight stop in the Lyon or Mâcon area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 8: Return to Belgium

• Departure after breakfast, around 7 am.
• Daytime drive to Belgium (about 600 to 750 km), with two drivers taking turns and regular breaks.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.