French Immersion With Jennifer
- Expertise: Jennifer is a highly qualified French language teacher with extensive experience teaching students of all levels. She has a Master’s degree in French language and literature and has lived in France for many years, so she has a deep understanding of French culture, history, and society.
- Personalized instruction: Jennifer’s immersion program is tailored to the individual needs and goals of each student. She provides one-on-one instruction that focuses on improving each student’s speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. This personalized approach allows students to make rapid progress and achieve their language learning goals.
- Cultural immersion: In addition to language instruction, Jennifer’s immersion program includes a wide range of cultural activities designed to help students experience French culture firsthand. These activities may include visits to local markets, historic sites, as well as opportunities to meet and interact with native French speakers.
- Beautiful location: The south of France is known for its stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches, and historic cities. Jennifer’s immersion program is based in Béziers, a picturesque village in the heart of the Languedoc region, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Students will have the opportunity to explore this beautiful region and experience the best of French culture and cuisine.
- Personal attention: Jennifer is committed to providing her students with the highest level of personal attention and support. She works closely with each student to identify their learning goals and develop a customized plan to help them achieve those goals. Throughout the immersion experience, Jennifer is available to provide guidance, answer questions, and provide feedback on each student’s progress.
- Flexible scheduling: Jennifer’s French immersion program is available year-round, and students can choose the length and intensity of their program based on their individual needs and goals. This flexibility allows students to fit their language learning experience into their busy schedules and make the most of their time in France.
Veux-tu venir me voir en Occitanie?
A note from Jennifer…
My aim is to provide you with an unforgettable immersion experience in Occitanie, where I will help you enhance your French speaking skills and listening comprehension. As my former students can attest, I am a patient teacher who will work with you at your current level while challenging you to reach the next level.
During your stay, we can tailor the course to your liking and I have plenty of suggestions to make the most of your time here. All of my immersion courses are highly personalized, so I will ensure that your wants and needs are met. To achieve the best results, I require a minimum of 4 hours per day. Typically, classes start in the morning, continue through lunch, and last until the afternoon.
If you plan to stay in the area for a few weeks, you may choose to alternate days on and off or meet every day – it’s entirely up to you! Please refer to the excursion ideas and video below for some suggestions on how to make the most of your time here.
Where To Stay
There are many options for lodging in Béziers. Here are a few ideas for you:
Excursion Ideas
- Béziers: Promenade sur le Canal du Midi ; Les Neuf Écluses de Fonsérannes
Did you know that the engineer Paul Riquet, responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi, was from Béziers? In fact, you can have direct access to the Canal from Béziers. You don’t even need a car to get there. You can walk or even bike there in no time. We can stroll along the canal, speaking French the whole time, and after a 20 minute or so walk we’ll reach Les Neuf Écluses de Fonsérannes. Did you know it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
- Béziers: Cathédrale Saint Nazaire
No trip to Béziers would be complete without a visit to the Saint Nazaire Cathedral. We’ll walk through the Centre Historique through narrow medieval streets to reach the highest point in the city. Don’t worry, it’s not a strenuous walk at all. There is a magnificent look out point of the countryside, and on a clear day you can see the snow-capped Pyrenées and Spain. If you’re up for it we can climb the 160 steps to reach the top of the bell tower. It’s totally worth the effort (even for me… I’m so afraid of heights)! From the top you can walk all the way around and see all of Béziers with a bird’s-eye view. You’ll love it, and I’ll tell you about what happenedhere in Béziers in 1209.
- Béziers: Les Allées Paul Riquet, Marché aux Fleurs
Les Allées Paul Riquet is the Champs-Élysées of Béziers!! Ok so it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s truly a lovely place. Les Allées is a pedestrian only promenade which is named after the engineer responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi. There’s a statue to commemorate him on one end of Les Allées, and as you walk along toward the beautiful municipal theater you’ll have the opportunity to stop for a coffee and some French conversation at one of the many café terraces. If you’re here on a Friday, you’ll have the amazing opportunity to see the flower market on Les Allées. It’s a real must to stop at a café and have a drink while watching the market in full swing.
- Béziers: Le Marché du Vendredi
Did I mention seeing a market in full swing? Quite different to the flower market on Les Allées, every Friday morning and until about 1:00 pm there is a farmers’ market that takes place in Béziers. What an excellent opportunity to see all of the fruits and vegetables that are in season and taste local specialties. Experience the South like a local!
- Béziers: Le Plateau des Poètes
We are fortunate here in Béziers to have one of the nicest public gardens I’ve seen in this part of France. This English-style park is comprised of fifty thousand square meters of land. Le Plateau des Poètes joins Les Allées and the train station, and it’s a nice place to picnic or just take a stroll while admiring sculptures of poètes from Béziers and the Languedoc. We could go and do shopping for a French style picnic at Les Halles before heading over there. Did someone say wine and cheese?
- Béziers: Les Halles
Most cities have indoor covered markets that are open most days of the week during morning hours. The one in Béziers is closed on Mondays. Even if you don’t plan to make a purchase it’s very interesting to just go and try your hand at asking les marchands questions about their fresh products.
- Domaine de Pradines le Bas: Olive Oil
Only a 5 minute drive from Béziers, located in a 20 hectare olive grove, the Domaine de Pradines le Bas offers a guided tour of its mill and a tasting of its olive products. The uniqueness of the place along with a visit of the collections and temporary exhibitions of the contemporary art gallery “La Mouche” will make this an unforgettable part of your immersion experience.
- Narbonne: Les Halles
A short 15 minute train ride from Béziers, Narbonne (Narbo Martius in Latin), founded in 118 BC, was the first and one of the richest Roman colonies outside Italy. It has preserved a real treasure: a piece of the Via Domitia, well displayed, which you will discover in the center of the city!
If we were to go around noon we could go to Les Halles, purchase meat or fish from the different vendors (a great way to practice speaking with locals), and then it’s fun to go to one of the restaurants there to have them cook it for us! This is a very local thing to do, and something that many visitors miss out on.
- Pézenas: La ville de Pézenas, Le Marché du Samedi
Just a short drive, about 20 minutes from Béziers, will bring us to the charming small town of Pézenas. You’ll fall in love the narrow streets, artisanal shops, and hôtels particuliers any day of the week. We could go around noon, enjoy a lovely lunch and conversation together, and then discover the historic center. Be sure to bring your camera!
- La Mer: Bouzigues (oysters), Sète (à côté de Bouzigues), Marseillan (pas très loin), Noilly Prat, Picpoul de Pinet, Mèze
Do you like seafood as much as I do? Well, even if you don’t you’ll love the beautiful Mediterranean coast near Sète. This is about a 30 minute drive from Béziers. It’s a fairly well accepted fact that the best oysters in France come from Bouzigues. If oysters are your thing there’s nothing nicer than enjoying them right where they’re raised with a nice glass of Picpoul de Pinet, a local white wine. Marseillan is only about 20 minutes down the road in the direction of Béziers, and this little harbor town is chock full of cozy and very typically French seafood restaurants. Something very interesting to do in Marseillan is to take a guided tour (en français) of Noilly Prat. You can follow the link above to visit their site and discover this premium vermouth that is only produced right there in Marseillan.
- La Seigneurie de Peyrat (vignoble et dégustation de vin)
La Seigneurie de Peyrat, one of the region’s oldest and most respected vineyard estates, is only about 20 minutes by car from Béziers. Situated just outside the beautiful town of Pézenas, the estate is renowned for producing some of the regions top wines. It has also established itself as the premiere wine tourism destination for visitors – both local and international – who are looking to experience the best the Languedoc has to offer.
- Carcassonne: La Cité Médiévale
Many say that no visit to the Languedoc is complete without a trip to Carcassonne. I think we’ll have to be careful about going there during the day, and especially during tourist season. In my experience, practically all of the tourists are gone by about 6:00 pm. That’s the best time to discover this medieval city and walk along the ramparts before having dinner in one of many fantastic restaurants. Have you heard of cassoulet? This is the place to try it!
- Nîmes: “French Rome”
It only takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach Nîmes from Béziers by train. The city of Nîmes is often referred to as “French Rome” because of its numerous Roman ruins such as the Les Arènes, La Maison Carré, and the nearby Pont du Gard. In fact, Nîmes has more intact and wonderfully preserved Roman ruins than any other place in the former Roman Empire. What a treasure! You’ll love the big city feel after having visited smaller towns and villages. And you know those jeans you’re wearing? They’re made of denim, right? The fabric de Nîmes. This is where denim fabric was created!
This place is only about a 45 minute drive from Béziers. It’s considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in all of France, and you’ll see why. As we approach the village we will pass by Le Pont du Diable. This ancient bridge breaches a river that flows within the gorge. You’ll want to take a picture or two, and once again, you may want to take a little swim in the crisp waters that flow beneath the bridge. If you come during the summer months we certainly won’t be all alone, so we’ll want to make it there fairly early in the morning. Once we’re in the village you’ll really enjoy exploring the many artisanal boutiques that line the narrow cobblestone roads. As you explore the village you’ll see imprints of scallop shells practically everywhere. In French, these are called des coquilles Saint-Jacques. Why are they called that? Because these were the shells that were put into place to guide pilgrims along the Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle. Saint Guilhem-le-Désert is right on that path. If you’re the adventurous kind and you’d like to try out hiking in the area, we can do that! There are several paths to take right outside of the village, and all levels of difficulty. Let’s not do anything too hard…
This is the capital of the region, and only a 45 minute drive from Béziers. You’re going to love the chic Mediterranean style of Montpellier. Want to do some window shopping? You’ll find everything you want in this university town. With its 2600 hours of sunshine per year, Montpellier is one of the top 5 sunniest cities in France!
Let’s do this!
French Immersion Photo Gallery
