Europe: The STEAM Experience | Teen Travel Network

Europe

The STEAM Experience

London, Paris & Geneva

The Experience

Science and travel collide as you explore some of the epicenters of STEAM learning and research. You'll explore London, Paris and Geneva along the way, including a visit to the CERN Museum in Switzerland!

Trip Highlights

Journey to Geneva, Paris and London via train
Explore CERN’s interactive exhibits as a citizen scientist
Visit the iconic Eiffel Tower and Louvre in Paris

Get a birds eye view as you soar over the city on the London Eye
Visit Oxford and Cambridge on full-day trips to these two prestigious universities
Find out how science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics play a role in modern European societies

Europe

The STEAM Experience

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Program Overview

On this program you will travel to five cities that are making their mark in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

Your adventure begins in London, Great Britain’s metropolitan hub.

From there, venture north to Oxford and Cambridge, the world’s second and fourth oldest universities.

Hop the English Channel and spend three days in Paris, France where you’ll explore the “City of Light” so named for its role during the Age of Enlightenment.

Finally, journey south via high-speed train to Geneva, home of the United Nations and a longtime European hub for scientific research.

KEY DESTINATIONS

REGION: EUROPE

EXPERIENCE: MULTI-COUNTRY EUROPE

COUNTRY: FRANCE

COUNTRY: SWITZERLAND

COUNTRY: UNITED KINGDOM

CITY: LONDON

CITY: GENEVA

CITY: PARIS

Europe

The STEAM Experience

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AT TEEN TRAVEL NETWORK, YOU'RE NOT ONLY TAKING A JOURNEY IN MILES, BUT A JOURNEY OF SHARED EXPERIENCES AND SELF-DISCOVERY.

PROGRAM ITINERARY

THIS ITINERARY IS AN APPROXIMATION OF THE OVERALL PROGRAM EXPERIENCE. THE ORDER OF ACTIVITIES ON YOUR TRIP MAY CHANGE.
IF A PARTICULAR SCHEDULED EXPERIENCE IS CANCELED, WE MAY REPLACE IT WITH AN ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY.

Day 1: Arrival

Welcome to England!

TTN staff will meet you when you land in the London airport. Together we’ll travel to your new home away from home.

Get settled into your room and start getting to know your fellow travelers. We’ll have an English welcome dinner together and then gather for a brief orientation.

Day 2: London (Exploring the City)

Before we jump into academics, we’ll start with an exploration of London.

We’ll start the day with the best view of central London from the London Eye, a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. Next we will explore Westminster with your Local Director to watch the Changing of the Guard.

From there, we’ll take a cruise down the Thames to see some major landmarks. We’ll visit the world-famous Tower of London and see the Crown Jewels as part of our city expedition.

Then we will enjoy dinner at our London hotel and have a group activity.

Day 3: London (Forensics & the Science Museum)

We’ll start the day off with a hands-on forensic workshop! Evaluate the evidence and collect DNA from a fictional crime scene before using molecular biological techniques to identify the criminal.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll visit the Science Museum. Explore many interactive exhibits, such as the Atmosphere, an interactive new gallery focused on our “Pale Blue Dot”, the capsule that keeps Earth viable for life.

After dinner, we’ll head to the West End for a night at one of London’s famous theatre shows.

Day 4: Oxford

Spend the day at Oxford!

You will discover Oxford on a guided walk, including a visit to Christ Church college.

Have lunch at local restaurant, where you’ll get the chance to try quintessentially English fish and chips.

In the afternoon, we’ll head over to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which houses the University’s scientific collections of geological and zoological specimens, for a self-guided tour.

Day 5: London

Today we’ll tackle a cultural activity in London, a city known for its dynamic and ever-changing cultural scenes. The specific activity will depend on what’s happening in London at the time, and the weather. Possibilities include a market visit, checking out an off-the-beaten-path local park, or another as-yet-unforeseen cultural adventure!

We’ll have lunch at a local restaurant after a busy morning. Then, we’ll listen to a fascinating lecture on carbon capture and storage, linking these new methodologies to issues around climate change mitigation.

Later, we’ll return to our London hotel for a hands-on group activity.

Day 6: Cambridge

Spend the day in Cambridge!

We’ll explore iconic Bletchley Park before stopping for lunch at a local Cambridge restaurant.

Tour King’s College, the centerpiece of any visit to Cambridge, and then explore this vintage city on foot with an experienced local guide.

Depending on the weather, me may also give punting a try! A punt is an elongated, flat-bottom boat, and Cambridge is famous for punting.

To finish off the day, we’ll spend the evening enjoying the thrills and spills of punting on the River Cam. A dry change of clothes is recommended.

Day 7: London → Paris

Travel day! We are taking the Eurostar to Paris.

Enjoy the true European travel experience by train as we head through the English Channel on the way to France.

We’ll spend the night in our hotel in Paris.

Day 8: Paris (Exploring the City)

We’ll begin the day by seeing everything we possibly can in Paris!

We’ll take the Metro to travel to the Eiffel Tower and enjoy the views from this incredible engineering marvel.

After we get a taste of true French cuisine at a local restaurant for lunch, we’ll visit the Louvre, the world’s largest art museum and one of the most iconic landmarks in Paris.

We’ll have dinner back at our hotel in Paris to wrap up the evening.

Day 9: Paris

We will visit the iconic basilica of Sacré-Coeur and take in the views of ancient cobbled streets of Paris’ most charming neighborhood.

While in Montmartre, we will enjoy a drawing and sketch class from a local artist before walking around for some last minute shopping in this beautifully authentic village.

We’ll have lunch at a local Parisian restaurant!

Then, we’ll cap off the day with a journey to the Palace of Versailles. We will spend the afternoon visiting Versailles and its extraordinary gardens.

Once the residence of France’s kings, the Palace of Versailles is now one of the most visited monuments in France.

Day 10: Paris

After breakfast, we’ll visit the Cité des Sciences et de L’Industrie, the biggest science museum in Europe. Touch the stars in an astronomy talk in the Planetarium.

We’ll have lunch, then take part as a group in a local community project. Volunteer like a local and discover a different side of what life is like in France.

Then enjoy dinner as we spend our last night in Paris before heading to bed at our hotel.

Day 11: Paris → Geneva

We’ll spend the morning traveling from Paris to Geneva on a high-speed TGV train and have a packed lunch for our journey.

This is the kind of train ride that travelers’ dreams are made of! Take a seat by the window if you can and gaze in awe as the vistas transition from urban Paris to the countryside to Switzerland itself.

You’ll also have plenty of time to hang out with your new friends during the train ride.

We’ll have dinner at a local restaurant in Geneva and do a team activity to conclude the day.

Day 12: Science at CERN

Today, we’ll get a true taste of what it is like to be a scientist!

We’ll start with a visit to the iconic museum at CERN. Dive into the fascinating universe of particles as we are guided through both of CERN’s current interactive exhibitions to learn more about the contemporary physics being explored at this state-of-the-art facility.

We’ll have lunch at the CERN Museum, before enjoying some more activities around Geneva.

See the famous Geneva Water Fountain and Flower Clock, two bucket list items for anyone visiting the city. Then, take a stroll around the Old Town for a glimpse of Geneva’s past, all as you consider its present and future.

Day 13: Geneva (the United Nations)

It’s time to look at the bigger picture.

Today, we’ll learn what it means to have “an air of peace and the winds of freedom.” Gain this new perspective on a guided visit of the UN Palais de Nations. This tremendously influential location has been the home of the United Nations since 1936.

Once we finish lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll visit the International Red Cross Museum. This visit will offer a glimpse into this humanitarian organization that has been operating for 150 years.

We’ll cap off the day with a swim in fabulous Lake Geneva!