If you are coming to study French in the south of France at ILA, you will get the opportunity to visit the region during weekly excursion programs organised by our French Language School in Montpellier. Each one will leave you with great memories, and the one to the Provence will not fail to this rule! You will leave with a private coach, to admire the treasures Provence has to offer. A day full of wonderful discoveries awaits you during your French language stay.
This great excursion day will start with the visit of an Olive grove in a Mas, which is a typical provincial building surrounded by fields of olive trees, plane trees, a water spring, fig trees, planes, a spring, figs, and the humming of the cicadas . This cultural visit will immerse you fully to the heart of the olive, from its production to its harvest! You will end up with a gourmet note, as at the end of the visit you will get to taste several olive oils, as well as regional products made from olives, such as tapenade for example. You will be able to leave with pretty picturesque gifts from your French Language Holidays in the South of France.
The perfect excursion to immerse you in the French culture during your French language stay – enjoy the colors, tastes and unique sights of Provence!
The coach will then take you to the exceptional and atypical village of Les Baux de Provence. Classified “one of the most beautiful villages in France”, this village welcomes more than one and a half million visitors a year. You will discover, during a guided tour, its picturesque lanes, its history over the centuries as well as the museums and monuments within the village. During your free time you can walk the small cobbled streets of the city to buy handicrafts or discover the inside of the castle which has withstood all past revolts and wars.
Your immersion in Provence would not be complete without visiting the famous city of Arles, in the heart of the Rhone Delta, it’s the gateway into Camargue. It is a very festive city throughout the year, the traditions of the Camargue are very present, and you can in fact enjoy them at the most during the Pascale Feria. The Roman world left its signs, with the famous ancient theatre and the Arena, inspired by the Colosseum of Rome, and then with the Cathedral of Saint Trophime, left from Romanesque art.
During this cultural immersion you will get to see that Arles was also has a related to story to the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh who came to Arles seeking the freshness and the splendid luminosity of Provence. He made 200 canvases that reflect the atmosphere and breath-taking scenery of the South of France region.
If you are coming to Montpellier to learn French, do not forget to sign up for excursions such as the one to Provence! More than a just a cultural activity, these excursions will allow you to sense the magic of the French culture and its history! You will have a wonderful time with newly made friends from our French Language school, you learn French outside the classroom and discover wonderful sights of the South of France.