Montpellier is a beautiful city in the south of France. It is a major Educational hub. It has one of the oldest universities in France. Thanks to its large student population the city is always in a festive mood.
Montpellier is also a major cultural hub. The British newspaper, The Telegraph once mentioned this in an article – “Montpellier, the most seductive city in the French south at any time, is elegant and cultured, with an autumn sun warm enough to sit out on its squares.”
Therefore, here are five reasons to choose Montpellier for your French language immersion program:
1. Young residents
Since Montpellier is a major educational hub thanks to its old university and international business school, it has a huge student population. So if you are a young graduate or a university freshman looking forward to do a language immersion in France, Montpellier is a great city as you will easily find people of your age group and make friends to have interesting conversations in French.
2. Open minded attitude
People in the south of France tend to be more open-minded and open to conversation towards strangers unlike their northern counterparts who are usually reserved and take time to trust and make friends with strangers. Meeting locals who are open-minded to easily have a conversation with them will improve your French tremendously. After all, during your language immersion stay you do want to improve your spoken French.
Also, if you are looking forward to make long lasting friendships during your French language immersion program Montpellier is a good choice. It would be a pity to go back home without making any friends.
3. Outdoor party scene
Thanks to its great Mediterranean climate Montpellier has a great party scene. Since it receives sunshine most part of the year with warm and sunny spring and autumn, people often organize out-door apéros. Attending “apéros” is a very famous French pastime. Apéro is the short of Aperitif. It is a pre-dinner or pre-lunch drink with light snacks. People often organize apéros in lush green parks, lively squares and beautiful sandy beaches. Attending apéros is a good way to meet new people and join the conversation to improve one’s French.
Many restaurants or bars organize small out-door concerts which you can enjoy while having a delicious dinner or a good cocktail.
4. Affordable city
Montpellier is a very affordable city for French language immersion in comparison to major metropolis hubs like Paris or Lyon. Whether it is for lodging, food or French lessons, it is quite cheap.
Thanks to its extensive network of trams and buses, the public transport is cheap and very accessible. Not to mention the extensive bike lanes and public bicycles that you can rent for dirt cheap. The weather is perfect in Montpellier for cycling.
So, if you are a student on a tight budget, choose Montpellier for your language immersion program.
5. Nearby and accessible beaches
Montpellier is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in France. They are vast, straight and sandy compared to the pebble coves and bays of the neighboring city of Marseille. Also, they are easily accessible by public transport.
During your French language immersion stay you will have the opportunity to play beach volley, go jogging or just lie down to relax on the beautiful sandy beaches of Montpellier.
So I hope you are convinced that Montpellier is an ideal city for your French language immersion program. Hope to see you soon in Montpellier.
To read the article in French, click here