What is an EF tour?
Our tour itineraries go beyond just seeing the sights. Through professionally guided tours and insight into each destination, EF tours invite students to become actively engaged in the local culture. Whether your child discovers why Paris is called the City of Light from atop the Eiffel Tower, experiences Roman history among the ruins of Pompeii or learns to dance the flamenco in Spain, she will connect with the world in a whole new way.
Plus, EF takes care of all the practical details, so that your child can spend the time abroad absorbing the sights and local culture. All of our tours include round-trip international airfare, transportation while abroad, hotel accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, a full-time EF Tour Director, guided sightseeing and visits to special attractions.
What is included?
Round-trip airfare
All EF tours include round-trip airfare from your preferred airport. With EF, travelers
fly with such respected airlines as Lufthansa, United and Air France.
Transportation on tour
Although we typically travel by motor coach, travelers may also find themselves climbing the Alps by cable car, crossing France in a high-speed TGV train or traversing the Greek isles aboard a cruise ship.
Hotel accommodations
A good night’s sleep is important, so travelers can count on superior tourist class hotels with private baths. We inspect every hotel personally to ensure it’s comfortable, clean and safe. Each traveler shares a room with two or three other students of the same gender. (Travelers may pay a supplement for single or twin rooms.)
View some sample hotels in our most popular destinations:
Meals
We start the day right with a European breakfast: bread and rolls with butter and jam; juice, coffee, tea or cocoa; often cereal, yogurt, fruit, cheese or breakfast meat. We leave lunch for students to make their own culinary discoveries, and dinner is a nutritious balance of familiar dishes and local favorites.
Tour director
EF Tour Directors handle all the logistics of your child’s tour—from hotel check-in to sightseeing and everything in between. These well-trained professionals are also experienced travelers who are excited to share their knowledge and to provide important historic and cultural information about the sights and destinations your child will visit.
Guided sightseeing
EF tours include a guided sightseeing tour of every major city along the way. Typically conducted by motor coach and led by an expert local guide, these comprehensive overviews give travelers the history and local insight into each city. A professional guide may lead visits to important monuments and museums. The EF Tour Director will also lead the occasional walking tour of cultural attractions off the beaten path.
Experiential learning opportunities
EF’s experiential learning opportunities immerse travelers in the local culture and history by engaging them with interactive activities. Your child might learn about WWII history while standing on the cliffs of Normandy, bend backwards in the Sistine Chapel to admire Michelangelo’s ceiling masterpiece or make an attempt at yodeling atop the Alps. Through these experiences, students often gain the most insight into their destinations—without even realizing that they’re learning.
What is a typical day like?
A typical day on tour
For a glimpse of what your child’s daily experience will be like on tour, check
out a typical day on a tour to Paris. Then just imagine how many discoveries and
memories your child will make each day.
7:30 a.m. - Bonjour, Paris!
The day begins with an early wake-up call. A full day of discovery awaits.
8:15 a.m. - Breakfast
A hotel breakfast may include bread and rolls, yogurt, cereal, orange juice, coffee,
tea and cocoa.
9:30 a.m. - Guided sightseeing of Paris
This morning’s guided tour of the City of Light features the Arc de Triomphe, the
elegant Champs-Élysées, the Place de la Concorde and, of course, the Eiffel Tower.
11:30 a.m. - Visit to Notre Dame
Students step inside the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral to admire the stained-glass
rose windows and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings.
12:30 p.m. - Lunch
Lunch is free time for students to choose their own café or eatery, based on the tour
director’s suggestions.
1:30 p.m. - Walking tour of Paris
During this afternoon’s stroll through the Latin Quarter, travelers will experience
the area’s bohemian spirit.
3:00 p.m. - Guided visit to the Louvre
Art history books come to life at the Louvre. The museum now holds one of the world’s
most spectacular collections, including the Mona Lisa.
6:30 p.m. - Tarte flambée lesson
Tonight, students delve into culinary history by learning to make a French favorite,
tarte flambée.
10:30 p.m. - Bonne nuit!
Students head to bed to rest up for tomorrow’s excursion to Versailles, Louis XIV’s
opulent palace.