French Winter Camp in Antibes, French Riviera

The camp takes place in Antibes/Juan-les-Pins, a coastal town on the French Riviera known for its sandy beaches, old-town streets and unusual position between the Mediterranean and the Alps. In winter the town is calm and mild, which gives teenagers a very different experience of France from the busy summer season: quieter streets, local daily life and the chance to see snow-covered mountains an hour from the sea. French lessons run at the school Le Chateau, a short distance from the residence. The Standard Course consists of twenty lessons of forty-five minutes per week, held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Groups are capped at twelve students, and the first Monday is dedicated to a placement test, so complete beginners and advanced speakers are both placed at a suitable level. Teachers use an active, communicative method aimed at building vocabulary, grammar and, above all, the confidence to speak French. Afternoons and weekends follow an organised activity programme. Each week includes a half-day cultural visit to places such as Cannes, Grasse or the clifftop village of Eze, two half-days of activities such as tree climbing, laser tag, paintball, a trampoline park or virtual reality games, and a full-day weekend excursion to destinations like Monaco or Nice. The signature feature of the programme is a full day in the Southern Alps, where students try alpine skiing, snowshoe hiking or sledding and share a traditional mountain lunch; snow activity options vary with weather conditions. Students live in a dedicated student residence in a quiet part of Antibes/Juan-les-Pins, around five hundred metres from the beaches. Rooms are shared by two to four students and each has a private bathroom. Full board is provided, with breakfast and lunch at the school, dinner at the residence restaurant and picnic lunches at weekends. A single-room upgrade and a package with a guaranteed residence, balcony and towel kit are available for an extra charge. Supervision is continuous from arrival in France. Younger students do not leave the school or residence alone, thirteen to fifteen-year-olds may have supervised free time in the early evening, and parents of sixteen and seventeen-year-olds choose how much evening independence to allow. Arrivals take place on Sundays during a season that runs from early January to late February, with stays of one or two weeks, and transfers from Nice Airport or Antibes railway station are included at weekends. The camp accepts every level of French, which makes it a practical choice for families who want a short, structured immersion abroad during the school winter break.