Institut de Français

I would highly recommend The Institut de Français. I spent four unforgettable weeks studying French in this beautiful location with incredibly competent teachers and staff.

I would consider other options for learning French.A lot of time is wasted with bureaucracy and trips,not so much focus on learning,but more on disciplinary measures.You will be much better off, going somewhere else ;very expensive and not justified.Also, very remote, isolated and difficult to navigate ;too many stairs, going up and down require one to be in great physical condition.I wish I knew what I know now before I went through the trouble.

It is simply the best way to speak French fluently. I have taken courses at Sorbonne and Alliance Française in Paris, and I could honestly say the Institut de Français is simply on another level. I highly recommend it. Also, as a bonus the food is fantastic. All the teachers are great and the view from the Institut is breathtaking.

One of the best experiences of my life! Taking a month out of my busy day to day life to improve my level in French and spend time in the beautiful cote d’Azure was an incredible experience. The institute is a friendly and loving place that makes you work intensely on improving your level while having a lot of fun. The teachers are lovely, funny and very talented at teaching french as a foreign language. Particular thanks and shout out to Sylvie, who helped me make more progress in 4 weeks than I had made in the previous years of learning french put together. The setting is also incredible in the beautiful Villefranche-sur-Mer, near Cap Ferrat, Nice and Monaco. The food at the institute was also amazing and having lunch with the teachers and extracurricular events are all part of the experience. Don’t hesitate. Book your class now!

It's been years since I attended Institute Francais, so I can't speak to current specifics, but I wish I knew some of these generalities that haven't changed.I went in October/November of 2015, a fairly quiet season in Villefranche. I agree with so much of the others' descriptions of great teachers, tedious afternoons and noticeable results.  It was a remarkable experience that I highly recommend. It was less expensive then, so a great deal.  I'm considering going again.Things to know before you go:Get in shape.  These are serious hills around the school.  A few people had cars or scooters, but most people walked, and we were sweating in November.  You don't want to dread a part of every day. You will walk in the streets, with cars coming fast around curves, or on stone staircase shortcuts, so it's already a bit challenging.Get into town a few days early.  The school is fast-paced from day one. Everyone felt at least a bit stressed. Those who arrived with no transition time had a hard time getting their feet under them (in my opinion.) Grab a bag of food from a grocery store, non-perishables, cereal, soup to get you through the first days' dinners. You'll be exhausted the first week.Make friends right away. It will make the month really fun. Be outgoing and accept, and offer, invitations to everyone, even if that's not your usual style. Participate in everything.Don't get sick. Bring your own hand sanitizer and use it all the time. Everything may have changed since COVID, but there was one hand towel in the restroom that everyone used.  My estimate is that 1/3 of the class became ill at some point, missing up to a week of school. So, be responsible for yourself. Bring your own tissues and hand sanitizer. (Also, don't mix alcohol at dinners out, haha.)Remember that you're there to learn. Struggle through. You may feel very self-conscious at times but just accept that and move on.  If another student is causing a disruption to the flow of the class, mention it immediately to the teacher and insist they handle it asap.It's one of those times and places where you just stop and say I can't believe I'm here." We all felt so lucky."

Cadre de rêve pour apprendre le français, face à la mer, professeurs et directeur à l'écoute des besoins de chacun et offrant un vrai suivi, très compétents, gentils, progrès remarquables en peu de temps (mon copain a suivi un programme de 1 mois et est revenu en parlant couramment le français !) Repas cuisiné par un chef dédié chaque midi, excursions organisées de temps en temps pour découvrir la région. Élèves internationaux, expérience très enrichissante ! Je ne peux que recommander cette école !

My husband and I had a wonderful experience at the Institut de Français, in VilleFranche-Sur-Mere. The whole learning experience was amazing!! The quality of the professors is outstanding, the approach is very dynamic with very participative classes, audio laboratories, practical sessions, etc. Thinking and communicating in French 100% of the time, including the breakfast and lunch!An incredible experience, in one of the most beautiful places of the CoteD’Sur. In addition to what we learned, we also enjoyed the great food and the kindness of the whole team of the Institut, which were always very attentive to make our experience outstanding!!.We definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to learn French. It is the perfect place for a real French immersion, great quality and amazing environment!

Really a wonderful and mentally stimulating experience. My French was essentially non existent, and at the end of the 3 weeks it was good enough for basic communication. The intense focus on the grammar and structure is so essential for this complex language with so many exceptions and Tres Important" verbs. Of course our teacher Sylvie was exceptional so that made class fun as well as very useful. I hope to return in the future."

My husband and I just finished the one month session at the Institut de Francais and it was one of the best experiences we've ever had. He came in having studied on his own throughout the lockdown (but having failed college French!), and I entered after having studied at Alliance Francaise pretty consistently for the past many years. We were both placed appropriately in classes that were right for us. Both of our teachers were absolutely wonderful: very experienced, gifted as instructors, and above all funny and engaging. Our fellow classmates were from really diverse backgrounds, from age 21 to 80's, and from all over the world (in my husband's and my classes there were people from China, El Salvador, Mexico, Kuwait, and Sweden). They were working (many from the World Bank, who sends many students every year) and retired. We all had in common a love of travel and intellectual curiosity which makes for a great self-selecting pool of possible new friends and a strong sense of community. The methodology, which includes strict rules about not speaking any other language than French while at the school, was in fact originated in the '60's, but the Institut has over the years modified it and adapted it. It's focused on oral communication rather than written work and grammar" as it is normally taught in schools--unlike anything I'd ever experienced and very effective. I can't say enough about my teacher

As a language instructor myself, I am absolutely impressed by the passion, dedication, and professionalism of the Institut.I am an Algerian who grew up in Egypt where English is the second language, so unfortunately I lost most of my French there. The decision to work on my French started in 2019, and ever since then I hardly ever improved with the online individual classes that I intermittently committed to (mainly because as a teacher it is so hard to turn a blind eye to ineffective teaching techniques, so I always eventually quit).The Institut adopts the aural learning style where learning takes place through a lot of drilling, but the school takes it to the next level thanks to using prompts that are about the students themselves (thus creating genuine interest), reinforcing learning through language labs, instant error correction, recap sessions, and constant schema activation from Day 2. I was in Evelyne’s class, and while strict in her teaching, she still built an excellent rapport with and among all of us (8 in total). Besides the aural style, she also encouraged student-centeredness through group work and peer-editing before providing a whole-class feedback… absolutely stunning! I have learned a lot from her unique style and I am planning to adopt some of it with my students. Frédéric, Head of Pedagogy, taught us for a week when Evelyne had an emergency at home, and I truly admired how he always came up the following day with personalized worksheets (and this takes a lot of time and investment) that addressed exactly where we needed help the most.Having lunch with teachers everyday talking about personal plans & hobbies, discussing the news twice a week with Amandine, enjoying daily « séances pratiques » about the French culture mean that you will feel tremendous improvement from week 1.I absolutely recommend the school to anyone interested in improving his/her language in the most natural yet professional way. Je vous remercie très sincèrement, l’Institut de Français!