Final-year school trip to Lyon, Annecy and Provence: Old Lyon, Lake Annecy, Avignon, the Pont du Gard and Arles (8 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and arrival in Lyon

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the agreed time, and daytime drive to Lyon (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.
• Arrival in Lyon in the early evening and check-in at the accommodation for two nights, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 2: Lyon, from Fourvière to the Confluence

• Climb up Fourvière hill: the basilica of Notre-Dame and the view over the city, then the Roman theatres of Lugdunum.
• Walk down into Old Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and discover its traboules, hidden passageways between the buildings.
• Lunch at your own expense, then the Presqu’île: Place Bellecour, Place des Terreaux and the banks of the Rhône.
• Visit to the Musée des Confluences, devoted to science and societies (on request).
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 3: Drive to Annecy, the Venice of the Alps

• Departure after breakfast and drive to Annecy (about 140 km, i.e. 1 hour 45 minutes).
• Walk through the old town: the Thiou canals, the Pont des Amours and the Jardins de l’Europe on the lakeshore.
• Visit to the Palais de l’Isle, a former prison in the middle of the canal (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense, then a guided cruise on Lake Annecy (on request).
• Check-in at the accommodation for two nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 4: The Fier gorges and Lake Annecy

• Short drive to Lovagny (about 15 min) and a visit to the Fier gorges, on walkways hanging above the river (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense by the lake.
• Bike ride along the greenway beside the lake to Sevrier or Duingt (bike hire on request).
• Supervised free time on a lifeguarded lake beach in the late afternoon.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 5: Drive to Provence and Avignon

• Departure after breakfast and daytime drive south through the Rhône valley (about 330 km, i.e. 4 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival in Avignon in the early afternoon and visit to the Popes’ Palace and the famous Pont Saint-Bénézet (on request).
• Climb up to the Rocher des Doms garden for the view over the Rhône.
• Check-in at the accommodation for two nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 6: The Pont du Gard and Arles

• Drive to the Pont du Gard (about 30 min) and a visit to the site of this Roman aqueduct, almost 50 m high (on request).
• On to Arles (about 45 min) and lunch at your own expense.
• Visit to the Roman arena of Arles (on request), then Place du Forum and the places painted by Van Gogh.
• Return to Avignon, dinner and last supervised evening.

Day 7: Orange and drive to Burgundy

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and drive to Orange (about 30 km).
• Visit to the ancient theatre of Orange, one of the best preserved in the Roman world (on request), and a stop at the triumphal arch.
• Daytime drive north (about 400 km), with two drivers taking turns; lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Overnight stop in Burgundy, in the Beaune or Dijon area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 8: Return to Belgium

• Departure after breakfast, around 8 am.
• Daytime drive to Belgium (about 500 to 600 km), with two drivers taking turns and regular breaks.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.