If you’re heading over to Paris to make the most of the Easter half term with a French language course at ACCORD, whether it be for your A-Levels, CV, holiday home or just for fun, this blog has lots of ideas to keep you occupied in Paris this April. Let’s hop to it!
Enjoy Easter in Paris with ACCORD French Language School
Attend an Easter service in French
You may not understand every single word the priest is saying, but that doesn’t mean attending an Easter service in French won’t be an enlightening experience! If anything, it’s a great way to soak up the atmosphere at some of the French capital’s best-known cathedrals and experience a real slice of local life away.
Just take the iconic Sacré Coeur Basilica in beautiful Montmartre whose Easter weekend begins on Maundy Thursday with a special service at 9.30am, midday prayers at noon broadcast live on KTO TV, a celebration of the Last Supper at 7.30pm live on the basilica’s YouTube channel and compline for all you night owls at 11pm.
If you’ve finished your French class at ACCORD Paris then spend the late afternoon experiencing the Way of the Cross at the Basilica on Good Friday then take your pick from which Easter mass to attend on Easter Sunday (7am, 11am, 6pm and 10pm). Visit the Sacré Coeur’s website to check what’s on and when.
Organise an Easter egg hunt with a difference
Have you heard of a picture scavenger hunt? It’s a scavenger hunt with a list of things for you to find and take photos of in teams of two or more. It’s also a great way to practise your French with your new international friends or family, explore the city and embrace Easter in France.
Ask your teachers or the reception team at ACCORD Paris for ideas to help you get the ball rolling.
School groups visiting ACCORD Paris from the UK to get ready for their exams could do a scavenger hunt that gets them talking to the locals to practise their spoken French. For example, “find someone carrying an Easter egg, ask them who it’s for and if you can take a photo of them” or “visit a church and ask a member of staff what time mass is on Easter Sunday”.
If you’re with the kids, you could keep it simple and have them look out for chicks, bells, bunnies or French Easter words like Pâques, chocolat, printemps or la Semaine Sainte.
Anyone with a sweet tooth will love hunting down the biggest, quirkiest, coolest, most colourful and most expensive Easter eggs in the French capital’s great chocolateries, from the high street’s Jeff de Bruges to the macaron maestro Pierre Hermé.
Make sure you have a prize at the end to award the team who finds all the Easter themed treasures and takes the best photos… an Easter egg would go down a treat!
ACCORD recommandation: Make your own Easter egg
What better place to make your own Easter egg than in the land of chocolatiers itself? You can feast on your very own handmade treat or take it home with you as a souvenir that will melt someone’s heart. Choco-Story is a chocolate museum near the Grands Boulevards and Opéra Garnier. Over Easter it’s giving visitors their chance to make a classic Easter egg filled with classic French seashells during a workshop in either French and English (we’re sure you’ll choose to do it in French to give yourself another learning opportunity).
The price of your ticket includes a 45-minute workshop with a chocolatier, a tour of the chocolate museum and a chocolate tasting session.
Book your place on: https://www.museeduchocolat.fr/
Keep the kids sweet
La REcyclerie describes itself as an eco-hub located in the abandoned Petite Ceinture train station with an urban farm along the railway line. It has a fun-filled line-up of events in store for kids on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday so you can relax after your French language course at ACCORD Paris and the children can enjoy some Easter excitement.
There are three egg hunts on Saturday and Sunday afternoon (look out for the link to sign up because it’s registrations only) plus all kinds of workshops, play areas, colouring tables and more.
Tuck into the special Easter brunch at La REcyclerie’s eatery before exploring the vegetable garden, bug hotel, bee hives, bird nests, henhouse and duck pond.
Easter in Paris with ACCORD French Language School
A few things to remember before you head off on your French course in Paris:
- The ACCORD Paris French Language School is closed on Easter Monday (April 21st).
- A lot of restaurants in Paris close on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, so plan your meals ahead.
- The metro and buses will have a limited timetable over the Easter weekend.
Contact Active Languages to find out more about ACCORD and Paris.
