Residential French Immersion & Homestay

Program Description

Homestay Living

Living in a homestay is one of the most effective ways to immerse yourself in the local language and culture. Your four week say will be spent living with your host family as you spend four evenings each week staying in the home and participating in family activities. Your other evenings will be spent with your program as you explore the town. Abbey Road not only vets host families, we have also established a close relationship with the community so our hosts have continued to house our students year after year. You will be living within walking distance of delicious and interesting restaurants and cafes along the Riviera.

Daily Schedule

Each morning of the weekday, you will complement the language you learn with your homestay family as you go to your experiential language class. Explore the French language in a course that melds traditional class structure with field trips and city excursions. Your elective class will be held during three afternoons a week which leaves two afternoons for recreational and cultural activities such as hiking, salsa dancing, ceramics, tennis, sea kayaking, and beach volleyball. We offer multiple activities in order to meet every individual’s tastes and interests. We will also go on day trips during the weekends to show you some of the Riviera’s hidden gems.

Day Trips

St-Laurent is situated in a breathtaking region and you will learn them as a local rather than a tourist. Every weekend, and some afternoons during the week, will be spent traveling through Southern France. Feel the film glamour in Cannes and become chic in St. Tropez. Meet locals in Juan les Pins and explore musical styles and taste. Enjoy the works of Picasso and tickle your palate with gelato in amazing Antibes. Snorkel under the massive cliffs of Villefranche-sur-Mer and enjoy a paddle boat race in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. Push yourself to the limits and discover new passions as you join this program.

Optional Travel Extension – Paris

Opt to go on our excursion to Paris and experience all that you heard and read about and more. Tour around historical sites and museums as you explore hidden winding roads and quaint neighborhoods. Visit the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Louvre. You will even, safely, explore the hottest shopping areas and restaurant districts with your friends. End your time with a spectacular dinner cruise on the river Seine.

Highlights

Enjoy a spectacular adventure in France as you learn to speak like a local. St-Laurent-du-Var is a gem off the tourist path and is a mere twenty minutes from Nice. This is the perfect place to ease into French culture and to get into a beach lifestyle.

Live with a host family for the month you spend in St-Laurent and share meals and engaging conversations with your friendly homestay. This is the l'authentique vie quotidienne of Southern France and will be your opportunity to a window of discovery into local French family living. The rest of your time will be spent with day trips, excursions, afternoon activities, and classes that will only serve to boost your learning and cement each new experience. Make the most of a summer spent on the French Riviera and even go to nearby Nice to experience life in a larger city.