Wanting to get a more intimate view of France by creating a home base for a week at a time and venturing out on day trips then moving to the next region for a week. Intrigued by the Roads Scholar Live-and-learn program but want to see more than one place in 45 days those programs offer. My Way is too fragmented. Want to improve my French, maybe lessons along the way—Duolingo isn’t enough. Want airbnb type set up so we can make most of our own meals—are gites more like a B&B or do they offer temporary apartments? What regions are recommended? Thinking Normandy, Dordogne, Provence, north of Lyon—been to Paris, Loire and Nice. How hard to find a French language coach if hoping around? Would love to have a home base guide—someone we could check in with if we are needing someone to run interference! Am I asking too much? Thanks!
Posted by
Northwest Arkansas
835 posts
What a great question. IMO, you can expect too much but you can never ask for too much.
I have considered doing someting similar in Germany. What I have found in Germany is the Goethe Institute offers their programs in about a dozen cities. Have not investigated the details, but my idea is to do two weeks of a six week program in each of three different cities. I don't know if they do this. Is there someting similar to Goethe in France that offers courses in multiple locations?
As to where, please get to Normandy. I have not yet been to Provence, it is my next place to go in France.
Posted by
Chicago
1418 posts
Alliance Française - in the US and France. But, the courses I am familiar with are longer than a week. Perhaps if you contacted a local group they could connect your with a private tutor for a week - or not. It does seem to me that many tutor/teachers would want a longer term commitment, but that's my thinking which could well be wrong!
One example - https://www.alliance-francaise-montpellier.com/alliance-francaise-s-spotlight
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7355 posts
Does it have to be in France? If you just want to improve your French you can also consider Switzerland or Belgium.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks, all!
Posted by
Washington
26 posts
You can often take a one week class at Alliance Francaise in different cities. We spent 4 weeks in Rouen last summer studying French. I remember some people studying for only one week. Classes are usually from 9 am to 1 pm, M-F.
Posted by
SoCal
1613 posts
Bonne chance à l'auteur du dernier post, which has been reported to the Webmaster.
Posted by
Chicago
8985 posts
It would be hard to do French lessons moving around so much but you can look for tutors or classes in each region. Basing in 4 regions for a week each is a great way to see France. We have done this twice in the Dordogne and it is our favorite area in France. We no longer drive and so are sad that it is now a place we can't go and are grateful for the times we spent there.
Gites are apartments; often they require you to provide your own linen so make sure they provide it or that they have for a fee an extra linen service. Locals will bring their own stuff and you don't want to have to do that. We had an apartment in St. Malo that we loved as a base for Brittany. And I would think Alsace would be very interesting. Look into leasing a car for the month.