Promoting French language and culture for over 100 years

Séjour en Val de Loire - Alliance 2008 Immersion Classes in France


The Alliance Française de Portland recommends hosted immersion programs in the Loire Valley of France, under the direction of our Education Manager, Sylvain Frémaux, who owns and operates FranceTours, LLC. This is a fully-guided program in the Valley of the French Kings (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) which includes conversational French instruction and accommodations on the estate of the 18th-century Château de Beaumont (near Blois and Chambord). Guest opting to arrive in Paris by plane are greeted by chartered vans for transport to Beaumont. Itinerary also includes guided visits to area attractions with the host/guide/instructor.

Château de Beaumont - Authentic 18th Century Country Cottages

Located in the heart of France's Loire Valley (between Blois and Orléans), a stone's throw from some of the most celebrated royal châteaux, the Gîtes are country cottages in the fully remodeled outbuildings of Château de Beaumont. For the tour's lodging and classes, Alliance Française of Portland has chosen L'Ermitière, a charming cottage (akin to a B&B with 5 rooms, most with full baths) with group living and dining rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, laundry room, private access to a heated outdoor pool, a tennis court, barbecue patio, old growth tree park and walking paths.

Program Features

  • 8-day escort by French tour director who is a native of the region
  • Instruction in conversational French by native-speaking Alliance instructor
  • Ground transportation from and to Paris or Paris airport
  • 7 nights in charming, newly remodeled, fully equipped country cottages (gîte de charme) on the estate of an 18th century Loire Valley castle
  • One night (following the Loire stay) in quaint hotel in Paris (near Luxembourg Gardens)
  • All continental breakfasts, most picnic lunches and most country inn dinners
  • Daily excursions in a 7 or 9-seat air-condi-tioned minivan: legendary châteaux, historical sites and exhibits, Loire wine tastings
  • Optional sport & outdoor activities: cycling, hiking, pétanque, river kayaking
  • Private access to: tennis, swimming pool, gazebo and barbecue

Séjour en Val de Loire: Rates & Dates

8 days/nights $1,980

  • Ground transportation via vans in France, to/from Paris or Paris airport -- airfare not included
  • Hotel and Estate Accommodations included, per person based on double occupancy, taxes & tips included (some single rooms available, 1st come/1st served, at additional charge)
  • Most meals, all activities & site visits included
  • Airport transfers, bicycle rental and language instruction included
  • Each group limited to 10 participants (age 18 and over), 1st come/1st served
  • Based on current euro/dollar exchange rate (Nov. 1, 2007), subject to minor price adjustment

2008 Schedule

Group A: June 6 - 15 - Open to all (no French proficiency required, 101 level advised)

Group B: June 13 - 22 - Some French proficiency required (102 level minimum, 103 advised)

Reserve by April 2, 2008.

For details and reservations, contact:Sylvain Frémaux, direct Line: 503-443-2464. Email: sfremaux@comcast.net

To display and print the 2-page program brochure, click here.


Seven Tour Highlights

  1. Royalty and common folk
  2. French royal dynasties
  3. The Loire, one of Europe's last free-flowing rivers
  4. The Touraine, Garden of France
  5. Retracing the steps of Joan of Arc (1429)
  6. Four historical figures: Saint Martin, Pierre de Ronsard, Richard the Lionhearted, Eleanor of Aquitaine
  7. François 1er and Leonardo, the ghost architect of Chambord

Tour Director Info

Born in Paris and raised in Monaco and the Loire Valley, Sylvain has taught the language and culture of his native France to Oregonians of all ages since 1990. He has served on the French and music faculties of Linfield College, Lewis & Clark College, Pacific University, Portland Community College and Western Oregon University, where he designed and taught a variety of interdisciplinary courses in both French and English. He also taught French at University of Southern California, Alliance Française of Los Angeles, and Yale University. As a scholar and translator, his publications include, among others: Diary of aTwentieth-Century Composer: Alexandre Tansman, 1897-1986 (winner of the 1998 USC Stefan and Wanda Wilk Prize) and Life of Father Croquet, Missionary in Oregon (Portland, 1997, translated from French).

Sylvain is the founding director of FranceTours, LLC and has led annual tours and travel courses throughout his native France since 1997. His thematic tours have included Retracing the Steps of Joan of Arc; Touraine-Garden of France; Explore the Valley of the French Kings; and The City of Lights. Sylvain holds a Bachelor's degree from USC and a Master's degree from Yale.