ZooParc de Beauval Autumn Camp in Thésée, Touraine
Thésée, FranceTemps Jeunes4.8(4969)
- Dates
- Oct 18 – 24, 2026
- Duration
- 1 week
- Ages
- 6–12
$864
Course price for 1 week
A seven-day residential autumn camp for children aged 6 to 12 at the Temps Jeunes centre in Thésée, on the banks of the Cher in Touraine. Two full days at the ZooParc de Beauval, eight kilometres away, are combined with a naturalist workshop on the giant panda, a visit to Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci's Clos Lucé, and a day of team Olympiades.
Age
6–12 yrs
Language
French
Program type
Adventure Camps
Accommodation
Campus
About
About the Course
A discovery week built around the largest animal park in France. Two full days are spent at the ZooParc de Beauval, eight kilometres from the centre, where more than 35 000 animals from around the world are grouped into 22 zones. A naturalist workshop on the giant panda has children read the traces the animal leaves in its habitat, handle field equipment and record what they observe, learning the species' biology and how it is protected. The week also takes in Amboise and the Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked, and a day of team Olympiades.
What’s Included
The published rate covers the stay at the centre, accommodation, meals and the activity programme. Supervised travel to the centre by train or coach from a choice of departure cities is charged as a supplement and listed separately, a departure city runs only with a minimum of three participants. Families who bring their child to the centre themselves pay the base rate. A health record form and a copy of the vaccination record are required before departure.
Accommodation
Children stay at the Temps Jeunes centre in Thésée, in rooms of two to nine beds with washing facilities close by; the centre's own description gives the range as one to nine beds. The centre stands in a large enclosed park, with direct access to woodland about ten minutes away on foot and a shaded park five minutes away. Free wifi is available. Stated capacity is 48 people.
Meal Plan
Meals are prepared on site by the centre's own cook. The centre takes groups on full board or half board.
Activities & Excursions
Two days at the ZooParc de Beauval; a giant-panda naturalist workshop; a day in Amboise with the Clos Lucé and the town's monuments; and a day of Olympiades with team trials of sport, thinking and cooperation. Children are also invited to propose an activity of their own choosing. Grand games, themed days and evening activities run through the week, and a city stade and a large park are close by.
Facilities
The centre sits in a large enclosed, wooded park with green space and a sports pitch, beside the Cher in Touraine. There is a refectory, bedroom accommodation and a separate classroom building; a city stade is nearby. Free wifi is provided. Woodland is a ten-minute walk away and the shaded park five minutes.
Camp Experience
Supervision runs at one adult for every eight children, with a director holding the French BAFD qualification and a leader qualified in first aid (PSC1). The surroundings carry a good deal of history — Thésée is a former Gallo-Roman settlement, and the châteaux of the Loire, the vineyards and the troglodyte sites are all close at hand.
Language Camp prices
Beauval Zoo (Autumn)
25 Lessons · 6–12 yrs · All levelsPrice from
Two full days at the ZooParc de Beauval, eight kilometres from the centre, where more than 35 000 animals are grouped into 22 zones — South American birds, giant pandas, savannah giraffes and polar penguins. A naturalist workshop puts children in the role of field biologists, reading the traces a giant panda leaves in its habitat, handling equipment and recording observations to learn how the species is protected. A day in Amboise takes in the Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked, with his studio, the gardens and models of his flying machines, followed by the town's monuments. A day of Olympiades sets team trials of sport, thinking and cooperation. Children may also propose an activity of their own.
There are no classroom lessons — the week is built around hands-on discovery. Children learn by doing: spending two full days at ZooParc de Beauval, taking part in a naturalist workshop on the giant panda where they read animal traces, handle field equipment and record observations, and visiting Amboise and the Clos Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked. A day of team Olympiades adds sport, thinking and cooperation, and children are invited to propose an activity of their own. Grand games, themed days and evening activities run through the week, all under supervision of one adult for every eight children, with a qualified director and a first-aid trained leader.
The camp focuses on sparking curiosity and teamwork through hands-on discovery of wildlife, history and outdoor challenges.
Daily Schedule
Breakfast
07:00–08:00
Classes
08:30–12:30
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Dinner
18:30–19:30
Evening activities
20:00–22:00
Lights out
22:30
Included items
Optional Extras
Recommended for most families
Smooth arrival and fewer surprises.
Return travel from Angers to the centre, accompanied by Temps Jeunes staff. The operator runs a departure city only with a minimum of three participants.
Return travel from Grenoble to the centre, accompanied by Temps Jeunes staff. The operator runs a departure city only with a minimum of three participants.
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School
Temps Jeunes
Temps Jeunes is a French association that organises residential holiday camps (colonies de vacances) for children and teenagers, runs BAFA youth-leader training, and hosts school trips and group stays. It operates its own network of residential centres across France: Thésée (41), Château de Theix (63), Manoir du Viginet at Saint-Nectaire (63), Edelweiss at Saint-François-Longchamp (73), L'Alpestre at Notre-Dame-du-Pré (73), Le Bocage Savoyard at Bormes-les-Mimosas (83), Domaine des Gatinelles at Brétignolles-sur-Mer and La Touraine at Longeville-sur-Mer (85). Camps are sold with supervised travel by train or coach from departure cities across France, or without transport for families who bring their child to the centre themselves.
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