With its history and architectural patrimony, Paris is living, moving and evolving every day. From the “Ile de la Cité” to La Villette, from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Opera, from the small streets of Montmartre to the “Arche de la Défense”, from the Sacré-Cœur to the brand new National Library François Mitterand, Paris is a mosaic that overwhelms our eyes and senses.
A historic, economic, architectural, cultural, artistic and academic capital, Paris understandably remains the most visited city in the world. Every day Paris offers exhibitions, theater performances, classical and modern concerts. Discover countless shops and companies displaying the Parisian “savoir-faire”.
French Courses in Paris
- Intensive French Courses
- One to one tuition
- Summer French Courses
- Professional French Courses
- Law French Courses for Professionals
- Tourism French Courses for Professionals
- Economics French Courses for Professionals
Top Rated Places to Study in Paris
Accord – Language School
Founded in 1988 and offers high quality French as a foreign language, FRENCH and other foreign language courses. The school is located in the heart of Paris in a typical Parisian building.Classrooms are bright, spacious and are all equipped with audio-visual materials. Learn more about Accord the school and our 3 locations in Paris, our staff and our students. French courses are held at ACCORD’s language centre located Boulevard Poissonnière. Students can choose an accommodation in a selected Parisian host family or in our residence “Louis Lumière ” in single or double room. Courses offered all year round :20h, 23h and 26h/week intensive courses, ” Intensive-PLUS ” courses, evening courses, one-to-one lessons, and all the afternoon workshops. Summer courses : Intensive courses 20h/23h and 26h per week, “Intensive-PLUS” courses, one-to-one lessons and all the teacher training programmes.
Activities
In addition to language courses – schools organise cultural activities regularly for students enabling you to acquire a better understanding and appreciation of French culture. This programme varies according to the season and the Parisian cultural events. Some examples are:
- Walks in historic and picturesque quarters of the capital, either with a guide or with the help of an itinerary-game written up by the pedagogical team: the Latin Quarter with Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Marais, the Montmartre Quarter with the Sacré-Cœur Cathedral.
- Guided tours of the numerous museums of Paris: the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art, the Picasso Museum, etc.
- Outings to the cinema or the theater which often give rise to lively discussions in Parisian cafés
- Excursions in the Loire Valley and its famous castles
- In the Summer, students are invited to attend weekly conferences held at the school on various topics of French civilization.
Sightseeing
One of the benefits of living in Paris is the sightseeing opportunities. You will get to see world famous tourist attractions and enjoy the traditional French way of life. Must see places include:
Eiffel Tower
This towering edifice was built for the World Fair of 1889, held to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it stands 320m (1050ft) high and held the record as the world’s tallest structure until 1930. Initially opposed by the city’s artistic and literary elite – who were only affirming their right to disagree with everything – the tower was almost torn down in 1909. Salvation came when it proved an ideal platform for the antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy. When you’re done peering upwards through the girders, you can visit any of the three public levels, which can be accessed by lift or stairs. Just south-east of the tower is a grassy expanse that was once the site of the world’s first balloon flights and is now used by teens as a skateboarding arena or by activists bad-mouthing Chirac.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
A popular promenade for the ostentatious aristos of old, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées has long symbolised the style and joie de vivre of Paris. Encroaching fast-food joints, car showrooms and cinemas have somewhat dulled the sheen, but the 2km (1mi) long, 70m (235ft) wide stretch is still an ideal place for evening walks and relishing the food at overpriced restaurants.
Musée du Louvre
This enormous building, constructed around 1200 as a fortress and rebuilt in the mid-16th century for use as a royal palace, began its career as a public museum in 1793. As part of Mitterand’s grands projets in the 1980s, the Louvre was revamped with the addition of a 21m (67ft) glass pyramid entrance. Initially deemed a failure, the new design has since won over those who regard consistency as inexcusably boring. Vast scrums of people puff and pant through the rooms full of paintings, sculptures and antiquities, including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (which looks like it’s been dropped and put back together). If the clamour becomes unbearable, your best bet is to pick a period or section of the Louvre and pretend that the rest is somewhere across town.
Notre Dame
The city’s cathedral ranks as one of the greatest achievements of Gothic architecture. Notre Dame was begun in 1163 and completed around 1345; the massive interior can accommodate over 6000 worshippers. Although Notre Dame is regarded as a sublime architectural achievement, there are all sorts of minor anomalies as the French love nothing better than to mess with things. These include a trio of main entrances that are each shaped differently, and which are accompanied by statues that were once coloured to make them more effective as Bible lessons for the hoi polloi. The interior is dominated by spectacular and enormous rose windows, and a 7800-pipe organ that was recently restored but has not been working properly since. From the base of the north tower, visitors with ramrod straight spines can climb to the top of the west façade and decide how much aesthetic pleasure they derive from looking out at the cathedral’s many gargoyles – alternatively they can just enjoy the view of a decent swathe of Paris. Under the square in front of the cathedral, an archaeological crypt displays in situ the remains of structures from the Gallo-Roman and later periods.
Feedback and Reviews
“I was looking for a 3-week intensive language program where I could take a morning class and have the afternoon free to discover Paris. I found Accord prices to be very attractive.” David (U.S.A.)