IAC Journeys Returns for Summer 2025!

Provence. Côte d’Azur. The Riviera. Monaco. Amid the glamour, there are millennia of history and culture to explore in the magical South of France, and we hope you’ll join us for a week-long family tour as we explore and discover it after the Olympiad concludes! Please review the tour description below, as well as the above linked information pages on the planned timed itinerary as well as the costs, details, and practicalities. For further questions on the post-Olympiad tour, please email IAC Executive Director and Tour Leader, David Madden, directly at david@iacompetitions.com.

Day 1 – July 27 – Paris to Lyon
We’ll begin by taking an icon of France: the TGV high speed train around midday (so you can rest up a bit after your last night in Paris) on July 27 as we head to the beautiful city of Lyon, where your tour leaders and IAC co-Executive Directors David and Nolwenn Madden once lived for a year in 2009 (and where the idea for IAC was originally hatched). After checking into our hotels near the train station, participants can choose from one of three sightseeing options that afternoon. The first of these is the Resistance and Deportation History Center, a museum that tells the story of Lyon’s leading role in the French Resistance from 1940-1944, and the price that many of its citizens paid during World War II. The second is the Lugdunum Museum and the Ancient Roman Theatres, which showcase Lyon’s role as the capital of Gallia Lugdunensis, one of the primary divisions of Gaul. The third is the Lumière Museum which tells the story of the Lumière brothers who largely invented the movies. After dinner (and Lyon is a city which knows how to eat very well – it’s considered the hometown of classic French cuisine), we’ll offer the first of our five competitions, the French Geography Bee with players competing in a public promenade on the banks of the Seine River on our battery-operated buzzer systems. Parents and other adults are welcome to compete in their own division in all bees on the trip! Students will be split up into at least two age divisions.

Day 2 – July 28 – Lyon to Avignon
In the morning, we’ll begin with a small walking tour of the historic city center that dates back to Roman times. We’ll begin at the top of the Fourvière hill for a beautiful view of Lyon’s setting at the confluence of the Rhone and Saône Rivers and then explore the area of Vieux-Lyon with numerous Renaissance-era buildings and passageways known as traboules. Then we’ll go back to the hotel and board our coach buses for the trip to Avignon, a city most famous for having been the seat of the papacy in the late Middle Ages. After checking into our hotel, we’ll tour the Palais des Papes (the Palace of the Popes), which is the best-preserved Gothic palace in all of Europe. You’ll also have a chance to walk out onto the Saint Bénezet Bridge, a landmark of the city which ends… halfway across the river (the bridge foundered in 17^th floods and was never rebuilt). There’s also a very famous French children’s song about it. You’ll then have some free time to further explore the city (which is magical at night) and have dinner.

Day 3 – July 29 – Avignon to Pont du Gard to Nîmes to Saint-Rémy (optional) to Les Baux to Arles
We’ll begin with a visit to Avignon’s famous Les Halles market. Provence is home to some of the freshest produce, vegetables, cheeses and other treats of French cuisine, and you’ll find it all right here. Eat a light breakfast as you’ll want a chance to indulge here! Then, we’ll board buses that will give us a chance to explore more of Provence. Our first stop will be the Pont du Gard, another iconic monument of France. Built by the Romans to carry fresh water to their thriving city of Nîmes, nearly two thousand years later, the world’s most famous aqueduct still towers over the valley below. Then we’ll visit Nîmes itself, just a half hour away, which was the largest Roman city in the South of France. We’ll stop for lunch, and you’ll have a chance to explore the city a bit on your own, including the amazingly well-preserved arena and the Maison Carrée (considered to be the best-preserved Roman temple in the world). Romanophiles can opt to stay a bit longer to visit the Roman History Museum, while those who have had their fill of ancient times have the option to continue on to the picturesque Provençal town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Aside from beautiful squares, narrow lanes, and fashionable boutiques, the town is artistically important as the place where Van Gogh recuperated at the local asylum and painted a famous Starry Night above it. We’ll all then meet in our dinner spot: the hilltop town of Les Baux. One of the most remarkable villages of all of France, Les Baux has been a hilltop citadel whose prosperity depended on its mineral resources (cf. Bauxite) dating back to Celtic times. After sufficient time to tour the medieval Castle and have dinner, we’ll head to Arles, where we’ll spend the night.

Day 4 – July 30 – Arles to Aix-en-Provence (with a stop at an olive oil mill) to Cannes 
Today you can begin by exploring Arles, where Van Gogh lived during the most productive period of his career. Art lovers can explore a self-guided walking tour with copies of paintings and descriptive signs that the city has placed in sites of artistic significance. There’s also yet another assortment of highly impressive Roman ruins including a major amphitheater. Or just sleep in a bit before we board the bus for our first stop, the olive oil mill at Mas des Bories. After seeing how the local olive groves are harvested and sampling the newly pressed oil, we’ll then head to our lunch stop in another classic city, Aix-en-Provence, home to some of the most beautiful squares in France, if not Europe. After lunch, we’ll be on the bus for several hours as we make our way to the seaside. On the bus, we’ll run the World History Bee, a chance to play more history quiz questions for those inclined. David and Nolwenn will also take some time on the various bus rides to share the story of how IAC was born in France in 2009, some tips about being an exchange student (which is how David first got to know Europe up close while in high school), the college admissions process (David has worked as an alumni interviewer for students applying to Princeton), French-American relations, the history of the French language, current French politics, Provençal cuisine, and more. Finally, around 5:30pm, we’ll reach our hotel in Cannes. After checking in, the buses will shuttle you to the city center (home to the world-famous film festival) or the beaches, and continue back and forth until approximately 8:00pm, though you are welcome to stay out later and take a rideshare back to the hotel.

Day 5 – July 31 – Cannes to Nice (with optional stops to Grasse, Vence, and Antibes)
Today will start with three options, after having breakfast and checking out. First, you can visit Grasse, including the world’s leading perfumeries, which take the local lavender and turn it into luxurious fragrances. Those who visit Grasse will continue on to the hillside village of Vence for lunch. Or, stop off at the Escoffier Museum, honoring Auguste Escoffier, perhaps the true founder of modern French cuisine, and the only culinary museum in France before continuing on to Antibes. Alternatively, you can go directly to Antibes, one of the oldest towns in France which was founded as a Greek seaside colony in the 4th century BC. For interested players, we will conduct buzzer practice and individual lessons on the beach. After lunch, we’ll finally reach Nice, the largest city on the Côte d’Azur, and where we’ll be for the final three nights. You’ll have the mid-afternoon at your leisure, and then from 5:30-7:30 before dinner, we’ll have our Family Scavenger Hunt in Vieux-Nice (Old Nice), the bustling historic heart of the city, home to winding streets, busy shops, bakeries, pastry shops, and historic sites galore.

Day 6 – August 1 – Nice, Monaco, and the French and Italian Riviera
Today will be a Nice day. Sorry, we had to go there. Obligatory puns aside, the metropolis of the Cote d’Azur dates back to its founding as the Greek colony of Nikaia in the 4^th century BC. The intervening 24 centuries have seen countless cultures (Greeks, Romans, Franks, Genoese, Italians, French, Arabs, Africans and more) leave their mark on the city. For the final two full days, you have an array of options depending on your interests. All options will be offered on both Day 6 and Day 7, with minor adjustments to return earlier on Day 7 for the final evening’s activities. If you wish to see more of France’s artistic heritage, you can explore the visit the Henri Matisse Museum in the morning or the Marc Chagall Museum, home to the world’s finest collection of one of the masters of modern art, in the afternoon. Those who are looking for a physical challenge can hike the Chemin de Nietzsche (where the philosopher found inspiration for his masterpiece, Thus Spoke Zarathustra) to the clifftop village of Eze in the morning for breathtaking views of Nice and the entire Riviera. Your guides will include a former Canadian paratrooper (Grayson) and a hiker of the entire US east coast from Canada to Florida (David). Then either continue on to Monaco or head back to Nice for the remainder of the afternoon. Other options include a full-day trip to Monaco to see the famous casino, the Monegasque Palace, and explore the world-class Oceanographic Museum, with exhibits highlighting the fauna of the Mediterranean. Or a morning in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, home to one of the world’s most famous beach villages and the Villa Kerylos. Still not enough options? How about a whole new country for the trip and taking the train just over the border to Ventimiglia, Bordighera, and/or San Remo if you wish to have some great pizza or pasta for a full day trip to the Italian Riviera! You’ll make it back on time for dinner followed by the South of France Bee at 8:15 in the evening, with questions on all aspects of Southern French history, geography, and culture. Hope you’ve been paying attention during the tour!

Day 7 – August 2 – Nice, Monaco, and the French and Italian Riviera
Today sees a reprise of the Day 6 options followed by two special ways to end the tour, depending on your age range. For those 18 and younger, we’ll have a students’ picnic on the beach and play the Mediterranean History Bee. Those who are a bit older can join IAC staff for a concluding toast along with a parents’ and singles’ date night for dinner and a trip to the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco (we’ll provide a staff escort on the train to get there). However you choose to spend it, it will be a memorable finish to an unforgettable week!

Day 8 – August 3 – Departure Day
You are free to depart at any time on August 3. Of course, you are welcome to take more time to explore the Riviera, continue your travels into Italy, take the ferry over to Corsica, or head home at your leisure. Your tour leaders have very extensive knowledge of France, Italy, and beyond, so please ask us for any advice for your onward travel.