Arts & Culture Tour 2026: Learning Beyond the Classroom
Our 2026 Arts and Culture Tour offered students an extraordinary opportunity to experience the arts in authentic, real-world settings across London, Paris, Florence and Venice, bringing classroom learning to life through direct engagement with significant cultural and artistic institutions.
London
The tour began in London, where students explored the city through both Visual and Performing Arts lenses. Visual Arts students visited major contemporary galleries including the Saatchi Gallery and Tate Modern, encountering large scale installations and curatorial approaches that challenged their understanding of visual language and audience experience. A guided street art and photography tour in Shoreditch allowed students to explore urban visual culture and examine how art functions within public spaces.
Performing Arts students undertook a backstage theatre tour at the National Theatre, gaining valuable insight into professional theatre production, including stagecraft, technical systems and the collaborative nature of large scale performance. They also attended live performances, including Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe and Hamilton, deepening their appreciation of theatrical storytelling, staging and performance conventions. Joint visits to the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Handel & Hendrix Museum and British Museum further supported cross disciplinary learning.
We had an incredible first full day in beautiful London. The visual arts group ventured off to the Saatchi gallery which was right next to a delightful farmers market full of donuts and fresh meats and fruits. The gallery was huge with 3 floors of all kinds of art, in one of the rooms there was a car chained to the ceiling circling a massive pile of old tires. And another piece was a room filled to waist with pitch black oil. It was reflective and smelt so strong it burned your nose. It was visceral. In the afternoon we went on a graffiti tour where we walked for what seemed like YEARS, but each piece was incredible and had such an amazing backstory. Isla.
We started off by sightseeing Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, let’s just say it was divine. We went to the Handel and Hendrix Museum which was super interesting because the rooms we walked in were the rooms he walked in 300 years ago! Finally, we grabbed dinner and enjoyed an amazing modernised ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the Globe Theatre which really tied up another awesome day. Sophia & Claudia.
My highlight from London was watching ‘Romeo and Juliet’ performed at the Globe Theatre, as well as ‘Hamilton’ on our final night. I especially loved being in the traditional Shakespearean atmosphere of the theatre to watch ‘Romeo and Juliet’!, Ella.
A highlight of London for me was ‘Hamilton’. I was awestruck at the performance, I went in with high expectations as many people have been hyping it up and this was my first time seeing it and I can gladly say it was worth the hype. This night will be on that I cherish forever, I loved London!, Oscar.
Paris
In Paris, students engaged deeply with art, architecture and cultural history. Highlights included visits to the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée Rodin, as well as time spent sketching along the River Seine and exploring the artistic traditions of Montmartre.
Students also experienced the grandeur of the Opéra Garnier, attended a symphonic concert at the Philharmonie de Paris, visited the Musée des Arts Forains, and climbed the Eiffel Tower, offering a rich blend of visual, performing and cultural arts experiences. A highlight of the Paris program was a full day excursion to Versailles and Claude Monet’s Gardens at Giverny. Students were able to explore the Palace of Versailles and its gardens before visiting Monet’s home and studio, gaining valuable insight into the environments that shaped artistic production and creative practice.
Experiencing these sites firsthand deepened students’ understanding of artistic context, scale and historical influence.
In Paris, I was introduced to my first country that doesn’t natively speak English. This language barrier was sometimes difficult but most of the people were quite nice. I really enjoyed the many galleries but nothing matched seeing the Eiffel Tower in person. It was really different and cool. Mason.
Paris was an incredible city. My personal highlight was the Louvre. The artwork was amazing and seeing the ‘Mona Lisa’ in person was incredible. A surprise for me was the Musée des Arts Forains. It was interesting and engaging because of its interactive activities, I even won the derby! It was also beautiful and had a unique style to it, especially the ‘comedia dell’arte’ costumes. Noah.
I loved Paris, the highlight for me was getting the opportunity to pray at the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. This was a beautiful moment that I will be forever grateful for. Oscar.
Florence
The journey continued into Florence, where students explored the foundations of Renaissance art and architecture. Visits included the Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell’Accademia, and Brunelleschi’s Dome, alongside opportunities to explore local markets and take part in a pizza and gelato cooking class that highlighted the relationship between culture, tradition and everyday creative practice.
The first night where we all danced and sung to the music on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. It felt special to create a connection with people from the other side of the world through music and I feel we all brought the vibe along incredibly well. I also really loved that one old guy who created the dances, this will definitely be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life! Oskar.
Dancing on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence.
My favourite memory from Florence was when we all danced with the busker on the first night, it was so much fun! My highlight was exploring the markets and climbing to the Duomo, the views were stunning! Ella.
On Sunday we left Paris at 6:30 in the morning and enjoyed a short flight to Aeroporto di Firenze “Amerigo Vespucci” in Florence. We walked to a cooking school, where we had a fantastic cooking class learning how to make margarita pizza and 3 different flavours of gelato, lemon, strawberry and orange. We ate our pizza and gelato for dinner before we went on a walk to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge nearby with a scenic view of Florence. There was some live music, where all the kids enjoyed dancing through the streets. Amy.
Venice
In Venice, students experienced the arts within a unique historical and contemporary context. Activities included visits to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Teatro La Fenice, Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, as well as a gondola ride, a mask making workshop and excursions to Murano and Burano to observe traditional glassmaking and lace craftsmanship.
A performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and a Venetian concert in costume provided a memorable conclusion to the tour’s performing arts experiences. Throughout the tour, students demonstrated outstanding behaviour, curiosity and engagement. Staff were particularly impressed by the way students made thoughtful connections between what they were seeing and their learning back at school, as well as the independence and maturity they showed while travelling.
The Gondola ride allowed me to peacefully immerse myself in the magic and beauty of Venice. Abby.
Yesterday was an amazing last day. We headed off to Ca Macana to participate in the mask making workshop! It was such a cool experience and all of our masks turned out so well! It was really interesting to learn the history and techniques of the mask makers and their passion! After a good few hours and our last amazing lunch in Venice we headed off to the Murano and Burano islands for our last activities and a big shopping spree! On our boat tour we were able to see so many interesting things, like white flamingos, a leaning bell tower and the colourful buildings of Burano! Zara.
The Arts and Culture Tour remains a powerful example of experiential learning at Ivanhoe Grammar School, allowing students to encounter the arts as living, evolving practices shaped by history, culture and place. We look forward to seeing how these experiences influence students’ creative thinking and artistic practice into the future.
