I know I'm going to study in France next spring, but I haven't made up my mind about which city...Help?

Question

Paris? The bigger the city, the lower the chance I'll get bored (I bore of smaller cities very quickly--yes, even in romantic foreign countries).

Grenoble? I will probably never have another chance to live in the mountains. I'm from Florida and don't get to ski or snowboard or do the chilly mountain thing very often.

The French Riviera? I love the beach and I would have easy access to Monaco, Italy, and the Alps.

Answer 1

The French Riviera? I love the beach and I would have easy access to Monaco, Italy, and the Alps.

  believe me you well be  more happy there .

Answer 2

Don't go by the location. Pick the best program. Try to study on a university campus, not an isolated language school. Try to pick a program where you can choose your classes. It's kind of boring following a set program.

Paris is not the best place to study French if you're a serious student. Too many people speak English and it's too impersonal.

Complaints that the people in the South are quite closed to outsiders. They are bombarded with tourists and foreign residents so it's not suprising. With such a large English community, again, you may find yourself practicing that more than French! Also, the French you hear might be with a strong accent.

I would have loved to study in the Alps but someone said that region attracts ski bunnies and not very serious language students. Don't risk learning only ski vocabulary, they warned.

The three areas you listed are probably the most expensive and tourist-filled in the country.

I was advised to study in the Loire Valley, where standard French is spoken (not in Paris as many believe). There are quite a few good schools in that area. It is also easily accessable to Paris for weekends and much less expensive.

I actually found it better to actually learn a language in a smaller place, where being foreign was a novelty and we were welcomed by the locals. Later I lived in Paris (also London, Hong Kong & New York) so I love Big Cities but to actually crack French, I did better in quiet, pretty Angers.

Did I get bored? No, between homework and going out with fellow students and touring around the area, far from it! Being a student is different from actually living somewhere or being a tourist, so keep this in mind.

So ask through questions about the program and widen your horizons to really maximize this experience.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I studied French in Paris last year and it was amazing.  Your assumption about Paris being the most entertaining is probably correct. I have been across France, and Paris is where its happenin'