Immerse yourself in the French culture through a school exchange in Marseille! Learn about French art through visits to Paul Cézanne’s studio, Espace van Gogh and about French history through visits to Paris‘ most iconic monuments.
School exchange in Marseille
DAY 1: USA | FRANCE
Fly overnight to Marseille, France.
DAY 2: MARSEILLE
Bienvenue en France! Upon arrival in Marseille, a Forum Representative will greet you at the airport and help you transfer by private bus to your partner school.
Meet your exchange partner and host family at the school.
Enjoy your first evening with your host family and get to know them over dinner.
DAY 3: SUNDAY WITH YOUR HOST FAMILY
Spend a relaxing day with your exchange partner and host family.
DAYS 4 & 5: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Attend school with your exchange partner.
Dinner and evening with your host family.
DAY 6: DAY TRIP TO AIX-EN-PROVENCE AND ARLES
After breakfast, meet your Forum Tour Manager at your partner school and board your private bus for a day trip to Aix-en-Provence and Arles.
Upon arrival in Aix, follow your Tour Manager on Sur les pas de Cézanne, a walking tour that follows in the historical footsteps of Paul Cézanne.
Then, open the door of Paul Cézanne’s studio and enter the artist’s private world.
Continue on to Arles, a Provençal city famous for its Roman ruins and association with Van Gogh.
Meet your specialist local guide for a tour of Les Arenes, an extraordinarily well-preserved Roman arena in the heart of the city.
In the afternoon, learn about the life of Vincent van Gogh, who developed many of his masterpieces in Arles.
Visit the Espace van Gogh, the former hospital where van Gogh stayed after cutting off his earlobe.
Return to Marseille for dinner with your host family.
DAYS 7 & 8: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
After breakfast, attend school with your exchange partner.
Dinner and evening with your host family.
DAYS 9 & 10: WEEKEND WITH YOUR FAMILY
Enjoy your final weekend with your host family.
DAY 11: DAY TRIP TO AVIGNON
After breakfast with your family, meet your Forum Tour Manager and board your private bus to Avignon.
Upon arrival, meet your local guide for a tour of Old Avignon, a walled medieval city shaped like a rhombus.
Visit the impressive Palais de Papes, the largest Gothic palace in the world from which seven popes reigned before the Great Western Schism.
Later, board your private bus to Pont du Gard, the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, and embark on a kayaking adventure!
Return to Marseille for dinner with your host family.
DAY 12: MARSEILLE | PARIS
This morning after breakfast, say a fond “Au revoir!” to your host families and board the high-speed TGV train to Paris.
Meet your Forum Tour Manager at the train station in Paris and transfer by private bus to your hotel to drop off your bags.
After some free time for lunch, stroll down the most famous avenue of the capital, the Champs-Elysées. Climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to admire the view, then visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
After, walk through le Trocadéro and enjoy the best views of the Eiffel Tower.
Then, board a glass-topped Bateau Mouche for an evening cruise on the Seine River.
After dinner at a local restaurant, enjoy a night stroll through “la Ville Lumière.”
DAY 13: PARIS
After breakfast at your hotel, explore the Musée du Louvre, the world’s largest art museum, featuring masterpieces like Da Vinci´s Mona Lisa.
Enjoy some free time for lunch.
In the afternoon, take a guided tour of the Palais Garnier, the famous Parisian opera house and inspiration for Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera.
Enjoy traditional French cuisine at a local restaurant.
DAY 14: PARIS
This morning, visit the magnificent Musée d’Orsay and its extensive collection of 19th-and 20th-century art housed in a beautiful former railway station.
After, see the iconic Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
A short distance away, enter the Sainte Chapelle, a stunning example of Flamboyant Gothic architecture built by the pious Louis IX.
In the afternoon, follow your Tour Manager through the Quartier Latin. See the Sorbonne University, the Palais du Luxembourg and the Jardins du Luxembourg.
Later, head up to the highest point in Paris, Montmartre (known locally as La Butte). Climb the steps to reach the Sacré-Coeur, Montmartre’s hilltop church and most famous landmark.
Enjoy a farewell dinner and music show in Montmatre.
DAY 15: PARIS
After breakfast, board your private bus with your Forum Tour Manager and transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
What’s included
All-inclusive pricing makes it easy for teachers,
parents, and students. This trip includes:
Private group tour
Expert local guides
24-hour
emergency support
Personalized itinerary
Exclusive school-exchange program
Comprehensive
Travel insurance
Tour Manager 100%
dedicated to your group
Authentic meals
Airfare & ground
transportation
What our teachers are saying
This was the BEST TRIP EVER! We had a wonderful time. Forum has been extremely helpful, especially after our previous exchange program disintegrated – very attentive to our needs.
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