Aix-en-Provence   The NRCSA center in Aix-en-Provence is an international language institute which has specialized in teaching French to adult foreigners for more than 35 years. It is registered in France with the Department of Education as a private school of higher education

Angers   Angers, in the heart of the Loire valley which has a reputation for the best spoken French (la belle langue francaise), is on the banks of the Maine River, about 300 kilometers from Paris. Thanks to the TGV train from Paris, one can arrive in one-and-a-half hours.

Biarritz   Biarritz is a peaceful haven nestled between the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic ocean in the Basque region of France. Originally a quaint fishing village, Biarritz began its evolution into a fashionable and refined seaside resort in the 19th century with the arrival and attention of Napoleon III and his empress Eugenie.

Cannes   Cannes, the "Star of the Riviera", sits on the Côte d'Azur in southeastern France, just southwest of Nice. The city's name became official in 1619 and was inspired by the rows of cane that once grew along its seashore.

Lyon   Lyon is the third largest city in France and an established business center. There are more restaurants per square meter in this city than anywhere else on earth, so you know you're in for the best of French cuisine. The city is populated by about a half a million people and it's cultural scene is colorful and lively.

Marseille Region   Marseille is the most populated city in France after Paris and offers a port with a 2500 year history. It's as cosmopolitan as Paris, with the advantages of being on the coast. The focal point of the city, the Vieux Port, is a good place to people-watch and at the Basilique St-Victor, the city's oldest church, you can visit the crypt and catacombs for a small fee.

Nantes Region   Nantes was the former capital of Brittany and, while it is not officially a part of it today, it still retains many connections and characteristics of that northern province.

Tours Region   in the Loire Valley serves as a good base for seeing a number of châteaux, some good museums and for visiting nearby vineyards. The town's main street is rue Nationale where sits the Musée du Compagnonnage, which documents the origins and activities of the guilds that built the châteaux, and the Musée des Vins, which gives a comprehensive look at the history, mythology and production of wine. West of rue Nationale, Tours' Old Town boasts the place St-Pierre-le-Puellier, whose medieval houses and towers are the city's showpieces.

Nice   Nice is located in the center of the capitol of the glamorous French Riviera, at the same time peaceful and dynamic. Both in winter and in summer Nice comes alive with carnivals, Jazz , music. and film festivals and its museums. All the cities along the French Riviera, from Monaco to Cannes, are easily reached by train in under 30 minutes.

Paris   Students should allow plenty of time to see Paris. It is so much easier to take things at an easy pace and, if you stroll slowly through the little streets and along the broad avenues, you will be able to appreciate to the fullest, all the charms of the city and her many riches.

Poitiers   Poitiers, the capital of the Poitou-Charentes, is a town with a population of about 100,000 inhabitants. It is renown for both its ancient history and for the theme park Futuroscope. The town is an hour and half from Paris by the high-speed train (TGV), from the Atlantic beaches, and from the Loire châteaux.

Montreal   The city of Montreal is unique in North America. It was founded in 1642 by French settlers and retains an old-world Latin pace of life. The old city center still has its ancient stone buildings, stone paved roads and horse-drawn carriages. With a population of 2.8 million, Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in the world next to Paris.

Quebec   Québec City's impressive location above the St. Lawrence River and its virtually unblemished Old Town of 18th- and 19th-century houses, gives Quebec City a more French appearance than most other cities in Quebec. The vast majority of the city's residents speak French, and far fewer are bilingual, as most Montréalers are. (In the province as a whole, about 81% of citizens are Francophone.) With that homogeneity and its status as the putative capital of a future independent nation, citizens seem to suffer less anxiety over what might happen down the road.

Monte Carlo   As is often pointed out, the entire principality of Monaco is only half the size of New York City's Central Park. Monaco is tilted at a 45 degree angle toward the ocean. It is Monaco's severe topography that gives it its dramatic scenic perspectives, whether you are looking up from a harbor toward the surrounding cliffs, or peering down at the coastline from a high vantage point.

Montreux   The chief resort of the Swiss Riviera, Montreux rises in the shape of an amphitheater from the shores of Lac Léman. An Edwardian town with a distinct French accent, it has long been a refuge for expatriates, including the novelist Vladimir Nabokov.