Enrichment School Trip to Lille & Cologne

Lille

Hotel Kyriad Villeneuve d’Ascq

This 3 star hotel is located in the suburbs of Lille. It offers very comfortable rooms and is a great budget option if you wish to spend more time at Lille Christmas market.

Aachen

Youth Hostel Aachen

This is a traditional German youth hostel and is located slightly away from the busy centre. It has good recreational facilities and is ideal for overnight stops to allow you to get more out of your Christmas market visit.  

Cologne

Youth Hostel Köln Riehl

This is a modern city hostel on the banks of the Rhine a 30 minute walk to Cologne city centre or just 10 minutes on the tram. This is perfect accommodation for Christmas Market tour. 

Youth Hostel Köln Deutz

Another modern youth hostel with great facilities. Just the other side of the River the city centre can be reached on foot in 15 minutes or by public transport. Another great option for a tour with a focus on Cologne.  

LILLE

Place Rihour

This is the main site for the Christmas Market where you’ll find over 80 chalets, Father Christmas and the Funfair.

Grande Place

The giant 50 ft ferris wheel is here along with more stalls and all year round shops.

Crêperie

We highly recommend taking a break from the hustle and bustle for lunch at a central Lille crêperie. The group menu usually offers a sweet and a savoury crêpe each and we can pre-book this so that you can all stay together.

WST Lille Christmas Quiz

Take our free fun Christmas quiz along with you. This will give your students a focus whilst they are they, encourage them to look around the markets and the area and give them opportunities to try out some language skills. Its also a useful thing for them to finish off on the coach journey home.

Boulogne

This busy port town offers a wide range of visits which means many groups choose spend a half day or a whole day here. At the heart of Boulogne is the Roman old town, ideal for sightseeing and shopping. Other popular visits include Becasuc sweet factory and Nausicaä Sea Centre.

Les Chocolats de Beussent

A well known local chocolate producer. Here you can see a demonstration of melting  and moulding the chocolate with chance to sample the chocolates at the end. Worksheets available for French Language students.

Cite de Europe

If you haven’t done quite enough shopping there’s always Cite Europe, where you can make a last minute stop!

COLOGNE

Cologne offers seven major Christmas markets all with different themes and entertainment  going on. There are four big Christmas markets:

Cologne Cathedral

With the dramatic backdrop of the Cathedral, you’ll find over 160 stalls here. There’s a good range of food and drink stalls and also opportunities to see artisans at work.

The Alter Markt

This is a great market for children. There’s a carousel ride, puppet show, Santa’s grotto and lots of toy stalls. This is where you’ll find the Heinzelmännchen, the legendary gnomes who are said to do the work at night. 

The Neumarkt

This is Cologne’s oldest market, known as the market of Angels. Its located close to the main shopping area of Cologne and tends to offer more high quality goods. The chalets are designed with a ‘stars at night’ theme.

The Rudolfplatz

This market has a real fairytale theme to it, taking you into the world of the Brothers Grimm. Large fairytale figures and festive illuminations are a highlight here.

Smaller Christmas Markets to choose from include:

Medieval Christmas Market & Cologne Harbour Market – located at the Chocolate Museum

Floating Christmas Market – on board a KD Cruise boat

Stadtgarten Christmas Market – located on the edge of Cologne’s oldest park

The Christmas Express

The Cologne Bimmelbahn Christmas Express takes you through the city of Cologne to see the sights whilst travelling from one Christmas Market to the next. Stops include the Cathedral, Alter Markt, Neumarkt and the Chocolate Museum. The train runs every 15 minutes.

WST Cologne Christmas Quiz

Take our free fun Christmas quiz along with you. This will give your students a focus whilst they are they, encourage them to look around the markets and the area and give them opportunities to try out some language skills. Its also a useful thing for them to finish off on the coach journey home.

Imhoff Stollwerk Chocolate Museum

Your students can take a tour of the museum, then watch the chocolate making process before trying some samples.

Cologne Cathedral

This iconic cathedral, a World Heritage Site, dominates the skyline. Whether you call in to take a look around self guided or pre-book a guided tour in German or English to give you more information on the history of the building, it’s a must for everyone who visits Cologne.