Are you holidaying in Nice, whether to study French or just to enjoy the sun, and would like to explore the French riviera ?

Why not discover Saint Paul de Vence ?

At St Paul de Vence we like to…

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  • Walk along the ramparts towers the village, entering through the gate at Vence
  • Wander through the streets discovering historical monuments, archways, towers, ornate buildings and houses
  • Visit the chapel designed by artist Belge Falon
  • Roam the galleries, workshops and boutiques
  • Soak in the atmosphere in the mythical square where boules is played, imagine Yves Montant and Lino Ventura playing there just as they did many years ago
  • Have a drink at Café de la Place, where artists once wrote about the village’s history, and learn about them in the streets (Tobiasse, Chagall, Soutine, Léger, Jacques Prévert…)
  • Have a meal at La Colombe d’Or which has served some of the greatest artists of the 20th century
  • Try the local wine (the vineyards are just below the village’s ramparts), with a tasting and chance to try Provençal specialties at La Petite Cave de Saint Paul de Vence
  • Try Provençal specialties (olive oil, tapenade, pesto, terrine)
  • Go shopping at the farmers’ market
  • Discover the town at night with a candlelit tour every Thursday during summer (5 euros per person) and appreciate the village’s calmness and serenity, the evening coolness of the streets, their stories and their secrets

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At St Paul we visit…

 

La Fondation Maeght 623 Chemin des Gardettes 06570 St Paul de Vence +33 4 93 32 81 63 Price: 10€ (with a student card)

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Chapelle du Rosaire (decorated by H. Matisse) 466 Avenue Henri Matisse, 06141 Vence +33 4 93 58 03 26 Open every day apart from Friday. Sunday Mass at 10am.

 

Getting there: Take the Bus 400 at Jardin Albert 1er in Nice Masséna

 

See www.lignesdazur.com

Are you holidaying on the French Riviera, whether to study French or just to enjoy the sun, and would like to visit a lovely nearby town?

Why not explore Entrevaux ?

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Discover Entrevaux with alpha.b guide or by yourself

In Entrevaux we like to…

• Get to the village going over the draw bridge and through the medieval gate

• Stroll through the narrow streets

• Go up 800m of steps to get to the medieval citadel

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• Discover the cathedral dating back to the 17th century and its organ

• Visit the communal ovens and the flour and oil mills

• Go for a hike in the Mercantour National Park and the gorges at Dalius, Cians and Moyen Verdon

• Take the Train de Pignes or the steam train (on Sundays)

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Entrevaux citadel open 7 days a week – Visit duration: 1h30 Price: 3€

Getting there: By the Train des Pignes – Leaving from Nice

For more information go to: http://www.trainprovence.com/

We all know that the first day of any new school or job can be daunting, however, shortly after arriving at alpha.b the few apprehensive feelings that I did have quickly vanished.

 first day of school   

Situated on a quaint street not far from the main shopping promenade (Jean Médecin), alpha.b is easy to find and if the welcome boards in the courtyard are not instantly clear, the very friendly staff are accommodating and more than happy to assist you.

In order to tailor the best experience for you, on your first day you will have to complete a placement test deciding which class you will be in during your time at alpha.b. Made up of a 3 parts – oral, writing and grammar, it’s a quick and effective way of finding the right class for you.

After the test, in the afternoon, we were rewarded with a visit of beautiful Nice!

Pacôme showed us some of the city’s highlights which confirmed that I had made the right decision when choosing alpha.b: improving my French in the setting of such a vibrant city, what more could you want?!

first day of school

Some of my personal favourites were the “Place Massena”, the “Palais de Justice” and “Cours Saleya” a dynamic area with markets during the day and lots of restaurants and bars by night.

But being English, I was particularly excited by the “Promenade des Anglais” an avenue that stretches 7km along the coast and was named after the 19th century English aristocrats who came to Nice during the winter months in search of better weather and fresh sea air.

first day of school

first day of school

However in order to get the ultimate panoramic view of Nice, don’t miss the “Colline du Château”. Although originally built to protect the residents against barbaric invasions after the fall of the Roman Empire, it is now the perfect vantage point to appreciate the coastline and port while wandering through the picturesque hill-top gardens.

first day of school

My day finished with the weekly ‘Welcome Party’ at a bar in the centre of Vieux Nice, the perfect opportunity to see just how vibrant Nice is at night and where I met some of my future classmates, instantly putting me at ease.

If you also want to book a course at alpha.b you can find all the information here !

Are you holidaying on the French Riviera, whether to study French or just to enjoy the sun, and would like to visit a lovely nearby town?

Why not explore Monaco ?

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Explore Monaco

There are different ways to explore Monaco while you are on the French Riviera. You can do the touristic tour, with the little train or the hop and off bus. Or you can wander in the streets of the city, trying to find secret and typical places like in the Old Town for example.

You can also taste the specialities in one of the many restaurants in the city, or take the taxi-boat to cross the harbor ! It gives you an amazing view on the whole city.

You  can also gamble in the famous Casino in Monte Carlo and take pictures with the fancy cars parked out there.

You never get bored in Monaco ! Trust us 🙂

And if you want to know more, we will share with you our little secret places we like to show our French students.

In Monaco we like to…

  • Stroll through the alleys in the old town known as ‘Le Rocher’
  • Wander through the town’s gardens ; The Japanese Gardens and the Exotic Gardens
  • Try some local specialties in the restaurant ‘U Cavagnetu’
  • Go to La place du Casino and go inside the casino
  • See the luxury hotels and sports cars
  • Have a look around Port Hercules and go to the swimming pool in summer or ice skating in winter
  • Watch a concert in Monaco’s theatre
  • Try ‘royal chocolate’ at the ‘Chocolaterie de Monaco

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And we visit…

 

Musée Océanographique (Aquarium) Av. St Martin, 98000 Monaco +337 93 15 36 00 Price: 14€ (adult)/10€ (under 18s)

 

Palais Princier de Monaco Place du Palais, Monaco +337 93 25 18 31 Price: 8€ (adult)/4 € (under 18s)

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Getting there: Bus 100 or by train from la Gare SNCF

 

See www.lignesdazur.com

Sie suchen last minute noch einen Französich Kurs für diesen Sommer in Frankreich? Wir zeigen Ihnen, warum alpha.b und die Stadt Nizza eine Reise wert sind.

Wenn Ihr noch nicht wisst, wie Ihr diesen August sinnvoll gestalten sollt, dann bucht doch einfach kurzfristig einen Sprachaufenthalt mit uns bei alpha.b Französisch Sprachschule in Nizza.

Raus aus der Hitze und rein ins Vergnügen

view of nice

Die Hitzewelle, die schon länger in Europa herrscht, hat auch vor Nizza nicht ganz Halt gemacht.

Aber wir profitieren in der Hauptstadt der Côte d‘Azur von einem einzigartigen Mikroklima, und mit der leichten Meerbrise sowie den vielen Wassersport-Möglichkeiten lassen sich sommerliche Temperaturen besser ertragen. So hat Nizza heute 31° im Vergleich zu Montpellier mit 36°, Aix en Provence mit 38° und Lyon mit 35°…

Unsere Französisch Sprachschule ist klimatisiert, damit Ihr beim Französisch Lernen an der Côte d’Azur einen kühlen Kopf bewahrt.

Nachtleben in Nizza und Umgebung

Der Charme der Sommernächte ist in Nizza ganz deutlich zu spüren. Gerne sitzt man noch lange in einem der vielen Straßencafés bei einem Glas Rosé mit einigen Eiswürfeln, oder tingelt noch am Strand oder auf der Promenade des Anglais.

Dieses quirlige Nachtleben ist natürlich der ideale Anlass für Veranstaltungen und Musikkonzerte.

Konzerte und Musikfestivals in Nizza und Umgebung

So findet zum Beispiel vom 23. bis 26. August das „Crossover Festival“ statt. Dieses Open air Festival feiert seinen 10. Geburtstag im Théatre De Verdure, 1 Promenade des Anglais in Nizza.

Für Fans der Elektro Musik hält Cannes eine Überraschung bereit. „Les Plages Electroniques“ zählt seit 2006 zu den größten Beach Partys in Europa. Das Festival findet am Wochenende vom 11. bis 12. August statt. Nach Cannes kommt Ihr ganz einfach und schnell mit dem Zug.

Les Plages Electroniques, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette (Plage du Palais des Festivals), 06400 Cannes.

Eine Liste und Info aller Festivals und Konzerte an der Côte d’Azur findet Ihr unter www.festivalsrock.com/festivals/region/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur.

Sommernacht Feuerwerk an der Côte d’Azur

Cannes hat auch jeden Sommer noch ein weiteres Highlight. Bis einschließlich 24. August könnt Ihr dort noch in den Zauber des „Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique“ eintauchen. Internationale Pyrotec Künstler stellen dort ihre Feuerwerk Kreationen vor. Ein magisches Schauspiel, jeweils ab 22H in der Bucht von Cannes (Baie de Cannes).

Aber auch die Stadt Antibes bietet ein tolles Spektakel. Am 9., 16. und 24. August geht es in den Endspurt des „Festival Pyromélodique“. Ein Zusammenspiel von Lichteffekten und Sound in der schönen Bucht von Juan-les-Pins. Jeweils ab 22 Uhr. Und auch nach Antibes könnt Ihr einfach und bequem mit dem Zug ab Nizza fahren.

Sommer Freizeitaktivitäten Eurer alpha.b Sprachschule in Nizza

Auch in unserer Französisch Sprachschule passt sich das Freizeitprogramm den sommerlichen Temperaturen in Nizza an. Es stehen folgende Aktivitäten auf dem Programm:

Apéro & Pétanque – Mit dem Boules-Spiel und dem Aperitif geht es hoch zum Schlosshügel, um dort zur Aperitif-Zeit an einem schattigen Platz in geselliger Runde den Lieblingsbeschäftigungen der Franzosen nachzugehen J

Wassersport – Kayak, Stand up Paddling, Fun Fahrten mit Banane und Reifen, Parasailing, Tauchen, Schnorcheln… es ist für jeden Geschmack und jedes Budget etwas dabei.

Stadtbesuche – berühmte Städte an Côte d’Azur, wie Cannes, Antibes und Monaco besuchen wir am Abend. Tingeln durch die kleinen Gassen der Altstadt, das Casino in Monaco, der Hafen von Antibes (der berühmte „quai des milliardaires“, der als größte Marina in Europa gilt),“ La Croisette“ und die Stufen des „Palais du Festival“ in Cannes… an einem lauen Sommerabend hat die Côte d’Azur noch mal ihren ganz besonderen Charme.

Und? Habt Ihr Lust bekommen auf einen Französisch Sprachkurs in Nizza? Neugierig auf hochwertigen Französisch Unterricht und Sommervergnügen an der Côte d’Azur?

Dann meldet Euch doch gleich an www.alpha-b.fr/de/einschreibung-fur-den-franzosischkurs

A très bientôt à alpha.b

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone knows and loves Nice for its beaches, the sea, its amazing old town,  « la promenade des Anglais »  but also for its culture. But do you know that Nice offers also a large selection of culinary specialities? In our post from last week we spoke about the different sorts of wine we have in Nice and our region, today we would like to present you some of the « must tastes » while you are in Nice.

Sprachreise Frankreich

  • « La pissaladière »: The pissaladière is Nice famous onion cake. It’s made of a thin and crispy pizza dough. Toped by soft-boiled onions and a special fish sauce. These days the fish sauce is most of the time replaced by anchovies. The top of the tart is garnished with our special olives « les olives niçoises »
  • « La soupe au pistou »: The soup au pistou is a composition of different summer vegetables, noodles and pesto. For those who don’t know what pesto is: it’s a paste made of garlic, olive oil and fine minced basil. In Nice, once every year, the castle party « fête du château » takes place. A famous city festival. It’s the ideal occasion to savor a tasty soupe au pistou, or an other culinary speciality.
  • « Le pan bagnat »: One of our favorites. The pan bagnat is a sandwiches stuffed with tomatoes, radish, paprika, onions, basil, eggs, tuna and anchovies. Previously the pan bagnat was the typical lunch of the local fishermen. At alpha.b you can not only learn french, but also participate to one of our food tastings or food ateliers. Beside other ateliers where you can discover different specialities of Nice and the region, alpha.b offers an atelier pan bagnat, where you learn, prepare and eat :-).
  • « La socca »: The most famous speciality of Nice. Socca is a kind of pancake, but it’s made of chickpeas and it’s salty. It’s to taste as long as it’s hot, just with a little pepper. It’s a must for all visitors of the French Rivera.
  • « La tourte de blettes sucrée » : The tourte de blette is a tarte. A desert speciality of the region. The « blette » is a vegetable similar to spinach but prepared in to a sweet tart. The other two main ingredients are pine nuts and raisins. Toped of a frosting.

french-food learn french

 

Are you hungry now :-)? This was just short overview of the specialities that Nice and the region offers. If you want to learn more about the French culinary specialities, don’t hesitate to participate to one of alpha.b’s tastings or ateliers. Learn more about the french culture beside of your french language course.