Touraine, where the “purest” French is spoken You will benefit in a big way from studying in this region where the ‘best French’ is spoken (without a regional accent). It is here where the writers Rabelais, Ronsard, Balzac and Bergson lived. The Loire Valley, home to the kings You will be staying in a region known as ‘The Garden of France’. It has a reputation for its gentle lifestyle and its chateaux, some of which were the residences of the French kings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The beautiful countryside with its rich architectural heritage, has enabled the Loire Valley to be classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (the 280km from Sully-sur-Loire to Chalonnes sur Loire) - see www.valdeloire.org for more information.

See our blog "Autour de Tours". Find out about some charming chateaux and gardens around Tours.