Lyon with your class
France's second city is one of its most rewarding for a school group, a place where two thousand years of history are stacked up between two rivers, and where the national obsession with good food reaches its peak. Lyon offers genuine French immersion away from the tourist crush of Paris, with a UNESCO-listed old town that students explore not just on its streets but through its secrets.
The history is remarkable. On the Fourvière hill, the Gallo-Roman theatres of ancient Lugdunum still host events two millennia after they were built, and the great basilica crowns the city with panoramic views. Below, Vieux Lyon is one of the largest Renaissance quarters in Europe, and its real magic lies in the traboules, the hidden covered passageways that thread between buildings, used by silk merchants of the past and the Resistance during the Second World War. Exploring them is pure discovery.
Then there is the food. Lyon is the acknowledged gastronomic capital of France, home to the traditional bouchons and a culinary culture that defines the city. For students, this is food as geography and culture, understanding where ingredients come from, how regional identity is built around a table, and why a meal in France is never just a meal. The strikingly modern Confluence district, the Musée des Confluences and the Institut Lumière, birthplace of cinema, add contemporary and cultural counterpoints.
All of it happens in French, in a real, working French city. Students leave more confident in the language and with a genuine understanding of French history, heritage and the central place of food in the culture.
Trip highlights
The hidden covered passageways that thread between buildings, used by silk merchants of the past and the Resistance during the Second World War — exploring them is pure discovery in one of the largest Renaissance quarters in Europe
On the Fourvière hill, the ancient theatres of Lugdunum still host events two millennia after they were built, and the great basilica crowns the city with panoramic views across two rivers
Lyon is the acknowledged gastronomic capital of France, home to the traditional bouchons and a culinary culture that defines the city — a market visit or workshop becomes a lesson in how regional identity is built around a table
Curriculum links
Practical information
- The city is compact and well served by public transport
- Local currency is the euro; spending money recommended
- On the Move is the officially accredited school trips provider for the European Schools in Belgium; every trip has a dedicated project manager with 24/7 emergency support
A day by day
✏️ This is an example timetable — we can adapt the destination, programme, duration and budget to suit your group.
Students come home with…
- More confident French, built through genuine immersion in a real French city
- A layered understanding of French history from the Romans to the Resistance
- An appreciation of food as culture and regional identity
- A feel for life in a great French city beyond Paris
In pictures
Cultural Stays - your questions
History, art, civics, languages and religious studies all benefit. Bastogne suits primary P5 groups studying WWII; The Hague suits civics and international relations; Berlin, Aachen and Málaga are ideal for secondary history and arts groups.
Yes. We arrange expert local guides for museums, monuments and walking tours, in English or French as you prefer.
The Belgian Ardennes — Bastogne programme is specifically designed for P5 (ages 10–11), with content pitched carefully for that age. Other destinations in this category suit secondary groups.
Return travel, central accommodation, all entries and guided visits, supervision, insurance and your On the Move coordinator.