France: French Immersion Adventure

This immersive experience starts and ends in Paris. We have a relaxing arrival day including picnic as a group for lunch in Île de la Cîté. This is the perfect location for us to get to know each other and establish both personal and group goals. As we refresh our French conversational skills, we catch our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the overlook in front of Sacré Coeur. 

On the morning of day 3, we head out of the city via high speed train to the Southeast of France, beautiful Grenoble, the capital of the French Alps. From Grenoble, we travel via private bus to stay in a small village far from the tourist crowds where down-to-earth, open-hearted people make for a warm reception in the town on Mizoen! The towering scenery is breathtaking and adventure awaits us. We focus on cultural exchange and community service by working alongside community members on environmental and historical restoration initiatives. Our service includes environmental projects, such as trail maintenance in the nearby national park and repairing historic stone walls. But that’s not all! An exciting whitewater rafting trip brings us to a swimming spot in a waterfall. We also take an overnight hike up to a gîte, or mountain lodge, that provides traditional French meals and hospitality. We spend two nights in the mountains before hiking back down to our base in the village of Mizoen. After a final celebratory nighttime bonfire in the mountains, we head to Grenoble to settle into our cozy accommodations and explore the city known for its dedication to preserving the natural environment. We ride “the bubbles” to take in the extraordinary panorama. From here, we gain context for the region via a discussion with local experts.

We take the bus from Grenoble to Les Baux de Provence where we will explore the the ruins of the medieval castle & take in the breathtaking Alpilles mountains. Next we will head to Saint Rémy de Provence, a quintessential provençal town where Van Gogh spent over 2 years of his life (in the asylum). We will tie up our aprons & fire up the stoves for a cooking lesson in the city center. We will learn the culture around French dining while preparing our own Provençal meal, complete with cheese tasting! Then we will hop back on the bus to Avignon for a good night’s sleep before we take in the Pont d’Avignon, le Palais des Papes, & the World Renowned Theatre festival. We spend some time getting ready for the next phase of our trip – homestays in Carcassonne! On the morning of our departure from Avignon, we kayak at the Pont du Gard!

We are off to Carcassonne, our new home town near the Mediterranean! Living with local families is an excellent opportunity to practice language skills, make friends, and absorb the many cultural differences found in day-to-day living and conversation. Throughout our time here, we work on community development and education projects. We volunteer at a youth summer camp and teach English to elementary students. In nearby towns, our students work to restore historical sites important to the regional heritage, such as an 11th-century chateau, a canal’s irrigation system, or a medieval lookout tower. Excursions to the beach, through the fortress of Carcassonne, and into an underground cavern round out this memorable stay.

Please see The Homestay Experience for more information on how we select our homestay communities and families!

From Carcassonne, it’s time to explore the architectural wonders of the Sun King at le Château de Versailles. We spend a day in Versailles, touring the famous royal gardens and palace by foot and bicycle.

Bien sur, a visit to France would never be complete without time spent in beautiful Paris. We kick off our visit with a cruise along the Seine River to view the Paris monuments lit against the night sky. During the day there is so much to see and do: the Champs Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, le Louvre, and Musée d’Orsay… the list goes on and on! We muster enough energy to have a final dinner celebration, during which we recollect how our time with Global Works gave us a unique and fulfilling glimpse of French culture.

When flights become available, please contact us for the latest airfare pricing or visit our Flight & Travel Arrangements page for more information about travel days.