Your French language stay in the South of France is the chance for you to get to know French culture, the region and main tourist towns around Montpellier. Our French language immersion school in Montpellier organise an excursion to Arles, a town with a very rich cultural heritage right in the heart of Provence.
When you go on the excursion to Arles during your French language immersion program in Montpellier, you will get to see a town that is cut in two by the Rhône on one side and the Camargue on the other. It is like an island in the middle of exceptional natural landscape: the banks of the Rhône, arid plain of the Crau, the wild Camargue and the Alpilles. Camargue traditions such as growing rice, rearing bulls and running ranches are also important in Arles. In fact, Camargue is still very wild with its protected nature reserve, unique in France.
French language stays in Montpellier offer you unique opportunities to discover UNESCO world heritage sites: Explore Arles with an excursion organized by our French language school in France, a city full of art and history, sun-drenched and full of fragrances!
Arles is particularly famous for its very rich cultural heritage because it is in fact a town with the biggest number of monuments after Rome; some even appear on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
During the excursion, you will have the chance to see the famous amphitheatre, which really is an outstanding monument in this Roman town. Today it is famous for hosting the large world famous bull fights during the iconic feria, typical of the South of France. Among the exceptional monuments of Arles, you will also see the “Théâtre antique” (Roman antique theatre), “Saint Trophime” Roman church and of course the Roman forum.
Arles is a town for both partying and enjoying cultural history and it has never stopped attracting artists. Van Gogh stayed here with his friend Gauguin; Picasso, bull fighting enthusiast, completed 2 paintings and 57 sketches during his stay in Arles … There is a key cultural area in Arles dedicated to Van Gogh because he did spend quite some time in Arles. Along with his fellow painters, he appreciated the light here because it is particularly bright due to the Mediterranean sun and appears as very intense on the painters’ canvases.
In your free time during the excursion, you really must immerse yourself into French culture through this excursion, wander through the town’s Provencal streets, taste typical Provencal products like olive oil or simply watch French life pass on by from a café terrace. All of this will make your stay even more worthwhile!
During residential French language courses at our French language school in France, don’t forget to take the time to discover French culture and all the wonders that the region of Montpellier has to offer, and even the South of France as a whole. Our varied program for cultural activities and cultural toursim is designed to help you enjoy all of this!
Enjoy studying French in France, make friends from all over the world and have a great time during your French language stay discovering the amazing sites of the region.