Ecole des Trois Ponts Arvostelua 

This was my sixth (6th) visit to Ecole des Trois Ponts which offers high quality French education for adults. On each visit I have stayed two weeks at the school, and after each visit I have a feeling that I had made progress.

Your visit starts with a dinner on Sunday evening during which you get to know the other students. The school has its own chef which fact guarantees the high quality of the meals.

The meals (breakfasts, lunch and dinner) are a good way to practice your French with other students and learn new words.

On first Monday morning after the breakfast you have an informal discussion with Valerie who assigns the students into small groups according to their ability to speak French. The principle is that the students in the same group are at the same skill level. The largest group that I have attended has had 5 students. The smallest group has had one student: me and the teacher. The small group size guarantees that you get individual attention.

In the class you discuss with the teacher and other students about some topic. During the discussion the teacher writes down in her/his notebook the words that you have mispronounced. After the discussion she/he goes through the words that you have misused and teaches the correct spelling and pronunciation. This is a good way to learn from your own and other students errors.

There is a good balance between the discussions and grammar exercises. During my last visit went through the most common verb tenses and pronouns.

Depending on your level you also study articles that are published in French newspapers, such as Le Figaro or Le Monde, or in the internet. You discuss the tone and the content of the article. This is a good opportunity to widen your vocabulary and to learn about the French point of views of the current events.

In some classes you also watch video clips to improve you hearing comprehension.

After or between the classes you can walk to the city of Roanne.On the way to the center of Roanne there is a movie complex where you can relax and practice you French.

If you stay more than one week, you can visit during the weekend nearby cities like Lyon or Vichy with a train or even go to Paris where you can get fast by taking the TGV from Lyon to Paris.

I highly recommend Ecole des Trois Ponts if you want to learn French and to meet interesting people from all over the world: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Finland, UK, Russia, Switzerland, and USA.

One nice thing about the school is that you meet again students that had been there a couple years earlier at the same time as you.

In the past two years, I have spent three weeks at Ecole des Trois Ponts. The program is excellent with lots of possible enhancements (such as the afternoon cooking classes, or the "intensif" program with additional daily hours of speaking with a professeur one-on-one). I liked it so much after my two week stint in 2018 that I brought my mom to join in the fun this summer!

Valerie and her staff are really top notch. I unhesitatingly recommend Ecole des Trois Ponts!

Another superb experience of French immersion! Usually I spend two weeks at the school but time constraints meant that I only had a week for this visit. As usual, my course was designed for my level and I finally mastered some elements of grammaire that have eluded me until now. The immersion experience and small personalized classes make for total absorption all day long! I love that the school is residential so that you don't have to find a place to stay while studying. All meals are included and the four course dinner is an educational event, in itself. All the professors are excellent and very approachable. I am looking forward to returning next spring!

Excellent French Language School ! Nice experience and a very warm team ! A real pleasure, highly recommended !

An incredible all-inclusive experience!!! The teachers, host families and other students were outstandingly welcoming and went out of their way to make sure we had the best possible opportunities to improve our linguistic and cultural knowledge. Absolutely no complaints other than I wish I could have stayed longer!

What a wonderful week improving my French and a highlight of our trip to Europe.
Valerie and her team are a class act! Combining the warmth of a family and a true feeling of belonging, with the expertise in education of everyone on the team and a true passion for what they do!
I have studied French for several years, and this was the best learning I have experienced to date, by far!
After reading others reviews, we detoured from our original holiday plans, to spend a week at École des 3 ponts and I am so grateful we did! I feel more inspired than ever to improve and continue my French journey, and I’m saving up for the next one! I’ll be back. Thank you for a memorable week, even though we experienced le canicule. Marianna

The real test of what École des Trois Ponts can achieve came when I returned home and my French Canadian in-laws were impressed by the improvement (after just 1 week!).

I spent three weeks at Ecole Trois Ponts in June-July 2019. The thing that impressed me most was the quality of the instruction. My teachers, Valerie, Vincent, and Genevieve, were well-prepared, flexible, patient, and obviously invested in my progress. I could see that they had a curriculum progression in mind, but they designed the lessons around my interests and needs. I really appreciated that they were very positive and encouraging, while still correcting me when needed. My confidence in speaking French increased tremendously in three weeks. The food was amazing, my host family was very welcoming and helpful, and the excursions were interesting and very reasonably priced. I hope to return again soon!

Dans mon avis, L'École de Trois Ponts est la première école pour un expérience immersif. Il faut que vous la découvriez!

The instructors are patient, kind, and extremely helpful. The food is ... simply awesome. And the Director, Valérie, is an absolute gem.

L'École des Trois Ponts... the best place to learn more than French!

I went for one week course at the school in Maj and my experience was more than positive. Charming people beautiful location excellent service and lessons voted to practical use of French language.
Let alone meals managed by a very skilled chef.
Thanks to you all. Au revoir j'espere!!! Ciao, Maurizio

Cannot speak highly enough of Ecole des Trois Ponts. Beautiful setting and room facilities, wonderful teachers and delicious food. Great environment to learn and practice French! Would love to return in the future.

École des Trois Ponts was a wonderful experience. The atmosphere is less like a school and more like staying in a home with a family. The teaching was strong and flexible, depending on our requirements. I'll cherish my week in Riorges.

Merci à Valérie, Vincent, Christophe, and all the lovely staff!

I have had an extraordinary 4-week experience at Ecole Trois Ponts:
Valerie is the director of this well-known school; she has chosen her teachers well who tailor our classes to suit the level of our French ability. Along with learning grammar, many discussions were had relating to travel, food, environment etc.
Christophe is the “chef extrordinaire”. His food was excellent, and his knowledge of wine and cheese was all part of the education. He made me feel very comfortable as my knowledge of French was limited in comparison to other students at the time of my visit.
My first week was 19 hours of French instruction along with daily Gourmet Excursions.
• Huilerie J Leblance & Fils - Artisan of Oil, the business has
been in the family for 4 generations.
• Nicola Piot - Atelier au Choloate, etc
• Degustation Gastonomique at Chateau de Champlong
• Mons Fromages - Wines and Cheese company who exports
around the world
• Brasserie La Germanoise – Boutique Beer
These excursions enhanced my education of the French culture and the language.
My second week was 19 hours of French instruction along with walking excursions. We were driven to a different beautiful village each time where we walked through the countryside and through vineyards.
3rd week was total immersion of 25 hours.
4th week I tailored it back to just 19 hours of French.
I thank you Valerie, Vincent and staff for your care and education towards your beautiful country and language. I have learnt so much and have the desire to further immerse myself into the language now that I’m home.

First rate experience. Very nice place - the professeurs, chef, concierge and cleaning lady all excellent. We enjoyed it so much we stayed an extra week.

Great teachers , and fantastic meals . Familiar atmosphere!!!
Excellent experience.

This was my second time at Ecole des Trois Ponts and it was terrific. As before everything was well organized, and the meals and setting were delightful. The teachers are superb; I'm amazed how well they can untie my tongue when I am speaking French. All the staff were friendly and reinforced the language learning.
I highly recommend the Gourmet Excursion week. It was a way to delve into the passion and spirit of France that you cannot get from visiting tourist sites or restaurants.

I spent a glorious two weeks at Ecole des Trois Ponts in April.
The meals and accommodations were excellent. The staff are all professional, inspiring and really want you to have the best experience and learn french. At Ecole des Trois Ponts they create an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming and fun, all great elements to enhance learning. Many of the participants who were there had been to the school before. I can see why, I can certainly see myself returning!

My experience at the school was superb. The teachers are highly qualified, attentive, and very helpful. They are genuinely interested in improving your ability to understand and speak French. The best part is that, while you are being aided to improve your French, you are also learning about the culture, wine, cheese, and history of France. I had a delightful week at the school and there was a perfect balance between grammar and fun!
The food was delicious, and authentic, and always came with a thorough explanation from the personable chef, Christophe, including information about the wines and cheeses (all locally sourced).
The rooms, which look out onto the central garden, are comfortable and clean.
I recommend, highly and without reservation, this school.
It was fun, and my French improved a lot.

Ich komme immer wieder gerne zurück in die Ecole des Trois Ponts. Da es sich um eine kleine Schule handelt, ist der Umgang sehr persönlich und herzlich. Dank der Möglichkeit, nebst den interessant gestalteten Französischkursen, Wanderwochen oder Kochkurse zu belegen, habe ich die Gegend und die regionale Küche Kennen gelernt.

I enjoyed and benefitted from my course at Ecole des Trois Ponts. The teachers were professional and most helpful, the accommodation was comfortable and the meals and culinary information provided by Chef Christophe were terrific.