Ecole des Trois Ponts Reviews 

This is a wonderful place! What makes the school so special is the community it fosters amongst its students. The groups are small, meals are shared around the kitchen table, and, even if you came alone, you’ll go through the French immersion experience with friends.

I think this was the eighth time I have been to this french language school. And I am not the only person who keeps returning - again and again. I coincided with a student from New York a couple of times and now we deliberately organise our visits together, so you not only improve your french but you make long lasting friendships.
The school is great - small, friendly, and as challenging as you want it to be. Each year when I arrive it feels like coming home. You can choose from a range of different options for learning French alongside hillwalking, cooking or historical visits and you can customise the teaching to suit you with group or individual lessons or even lessons à deux as we did last week.
I strongly recommend this language school but it is becoming increasingly successful so don’t wait too long to book.

École des Trois Ponts is a little gem in a beautiful part of France. The perfect place to go to learn or improve on your French skills, have fun and pick up on some tips from a French Chef too!

This was my third visit to Écoles des 3 pont. Valérie and her team create a very warm and encouraging environment for learning French. The teachers are all expert at teaching at the students level.
The setting is very comfortable and intimate. During my 2 week stay, we were only 3 or 4 students per teacher. Plenty of opportunity to practice French.

The physical setting is also very comfortable and homey. We enjoyed meals at a large communal table prepared by our house chef. Each evening included a tour of the world of French cheeses.
It felt like my home away from home-in France.

J'ai choisi cette école d'immersion car un environnement immersif nous aide à écouter, absorber, réfléchir et parler plus facilement.
Je n'ai pas été déçu, bien au contraire.
Tout d'abord, la belle maison date du XIXème siècle. La propriétaire et l'équipe sont très accueillants, ils s'occupent du moindre détail et la nourriture était super excellente.
J'ai suivi le cours de pâtisserie qui était merveilleux, enrichissant et délicieux !

I chose this immersion school because an immersive environment helps us listen, absorb, think and speak more easily. I was not disappointed on the contrary.
First of all, the beautiful house dates from the 19th century. The owner and team are very welcoming, they take care of every detail and the food was so excellent.
I took the baking class which was wonderful, enriching and delicious!

Highly recommend this course for all levels of French. We were a mixed group but all abilities were covered and I learned a lot in just one week. There is an informal relaxed atmosphere and everyone working at the centre is friendly and professional.
The cooking class looked fun and the food served was good and the wine flowed which helped the french conversation flow too!
Very interesting weekly excursions and other activities make this a holiday as well as an excellent chance to improve the wonderful French language.
Am writing in English to cover everyone 😀 hi to everyone , Jane

Amazing experience! The school welcomes all levels of language proficiency. The professors were wonderful and the environment lovely. I hope to go back!

I could not speak more highly of my experience at the École des Trois Ponts. If you are seeking to improve your French or if you have a love of French culture, I urge you to consider a stay at the school. It was a learning and vacation experience unlike any other I’ve had - and one I will truly treasure nor forget.

I was a bit hesitant about the idea of spending a week living, dining and learning with such a small group of folks, but I could not have been more surprised in what a lovely time it was. Every single member of the staff is an absolute pleasure - professional, kind, helpful, encouraging, etc. The owner, Valérie, truly invests herself in making an unforgettable visit for her students.

The school itself is located about a 25 minute walk from the Roanne station (not too bad if you’re up for a walk with luggage); it features a main building with a dining area and classrooms, surrounded by a collection of single occupancy bedrooms. Each morning you’ll have breakfast around 8, start class at 9 and then enjoy a lovely lunch around noon. I participated in the ‘Hiking Week’ experience and I’m so glad I did. Not only did it offer a different way to experience the country, it was further opportunity to speak in French. In the evening, you enjoyed a multi-course dinner crafted by the chef, including a cheese course with explanations of what you’re enjoying.

Every attendee of the program was a joy. Almost half were return attendees and devoted fans of the school - I now see why. The French levels of the group varied, but you are split into different groups for the lessons. I was initially concerned having a more advanced level might not be served by the more beginner / intermediate speakers, but that was not the case. You’re speaking French throughout the day regardless - and you have plenty of native speakers with whom to engage.

This experience was worth every single penny. I’m also hesitant to speak so highly as they’re already quite booked up, but you are doing yourself a disservice as a French learner if you miss out on this incredible, one of a kind place.

This was my second, two-week visit to ÉTP. Between the my two stays, both end April/beginning of May, I had done three October weeks at l"Institut de Français in Villefranche-sur-mer. As my personal goal is to become reasonably fluent in French, I wanted to experience different approaches. Both are excellent and very different from each other.

ÉTP has a personal, family (without being intrusive) feel. It is a smaller and intimate in scale while offering excellent options for more or less intense study or added activities. I opted for the intense course, and absolutely benefited from the mix of group classes (small, homogeneous in level, FABULOUS profs each week) and my two, three hours individual sessions each week with yet another great teacher.

ÉTP is unique--beautifully scaled to develop friendships, to experience time in a France that is neither touristy nor oversold (Riorges is lovely and the parc near the school with the miles of trails perfect for walking and talking with new friends) and to have a near tailored education experience where your objectives and abilities are acknowledged in the placement in a group (small ~6 each week for me). I think in all the sold "immersion French" offerings, ÉTP is an opportunity to observe French life if only in watching neighbors work in the miles of community gardens bordering the parc, or going to the local Carrefour or meeting a teacher's casually carried baby. Best of all, your French will become more natural.

Perhaps that is what I noticed the most on my return to Boston--words or phrases I "knew" or had seen/heard but which seemed just foreign to me were suddenly a part of my vocabulary, my sense of ease in the language. I did not go from being a beginner to an advance speaker, but my upper-intermediate French (aka B2) suddenly fit me more comfortably and I feel far more prepared to sit the DELF B2 exam in June.

Last bit of advice: visit Pralus Roanne and buy lots of chocolat !!!

I have made 5 trips to Ecole des Trois Ponts since 2018. Each time it has been a quite wonderful experience. A rigorous but warm and human immersive French course with great teachers, wonderful food and sparkling (French!) conversation over dinners. I thoroughly recommend it!

I recently spent a week of French study and countryside walks at Ecole des Trois Ponts. Valérie provides a most welcoming environment. Ségolène’s classes were lively and enlightening, the walks were gorgeous; and the food was delicious. I found myself actually thinking in French after just three days. Brava! An unforgettable experience!

The small classes, excellent tuition, friendly supportive environment, and on-site accomodation make the Ecole des Trois Ponts in Roanne (near Lyon) a great place to come and improve your french. The food is also excellent - 3 course lunches and 4 course dinners prepared by the schools own chef.

Getting there from the UK is pretty easy. Roanne is an hour by train from Lyon. You can sometimes fly to Lyon direct if there is a suitable flight, otherwise there are usually daily flight to Geneva or CDG from most UK airports.

I look forward to my time at Ecole des Trois Ponts!

I have attended this wonderful French school many times, and each time I improve my ability to speak French. The staff is fantastic, not to mention patient and helpful. Classes are small, and students are placed according to their ability. This, of course, adds greatly to the learning experience. An added bonus is making new friends from around the world. Should you choose to study French at Ecole des Trois Ponts, I am sure you will find it a most worthwhile experience!

I have attended L’Ecole des Trois Ponts two times and hope to return again. Valérie is an amazing teacher. The atmosphere at the school is very warm and friendly! It is amazing to learn French while walking in the French countryside!

I have been to this school twice in the last five years and both times, my confidence in speaking French improved greatly. There is no substitute for being in an immersive situation with a small number of students who are being encouraged by supportive teachers and staff. The daily classes are supplemented by real world opportunities to speak in French while working in the kitchen with the chef, going on organized countryside walks and interacting with shopkeepers in walkable Roanne. I love the positive atmosphere of this school and the abundant opportunities for laughter and enjoyment. I will definitely return for more!

I felt my french knowledge was trapped in my head and after I spent 2 weeks at Ecole des Trois Points it all came together! The combination of classes to reinforce concepts and time during meals and activities to verbally and practically use the french concepts worked extremely well for me. I gained a lot of confidence in using different verb tenses, common grammar phrases, and ability to quickly think and speak in french. Also, I had an amazing time. The positive energy of classmates and the gentle encouragement of staff made the time spent very enjoyable. The school is set in a easy to access, pleasant village so it was easy to walk to shops and use my french in a number of different situations. I plan to return soon so I can keep improving.

Ecole des Trois Ponts provides complete French immersion through lessons, meal discussions and activities such as country walks and cooking. I visited for 2 weeks and saw a significant improvement in my ability to think quickly in French which improved my fluidity of spoken French and my confidence. The small class sizes, complete immersion and personal attention are the reasons this school is an excellent experience.

What a wonderful French immersion experience! We had the opportunity to speak French for 10-12 hrs/day in a warm, friendly atmosphere which made everyone very comfortable speaking French without fear of making mistakes. Though tiring by the end of the day, this facilitated me reaching my goal of improving my fluency.

The school is in a lovely, quintessential French country villa, all staff very helpful & attentive, but the real star is the owner/director/professeur Valérie Perez who is dedicated to assuring each student has a valuable educational experience, for both didactic & cultural aspects. I took the French & Country Walks course for 1 week & it provided the perfect balance of classroom time (3 hrs/day) & informal conversation with the other students (10- 12 hrs/day if you push yourself to interact!)) during hikes, outings & mealtimes. Hikes through the French countryside were spectacular & great exercise while chatting in French & it was excellent having an instructor present for all of these outings & our sitdown dinners. I hope to return to École des Trois Ponts in the future!

I have been to Ecole des Trois Ponts twice (my last visit in September 2021) and am very much looking forward to my third trip later this month.
The classes are small and the teachers excellent. It is a true immersion experience, where the students are encouraged to speak French throughout the day, including meals (which are fabulous as there is an excellent chef!). There are also activities in the afternoon including cooking, hiking, and historic visits. A teacher accompanies the students during these activities so there is another great opportunity to practice speaking French. I loved the atmosphere at the school and found the students and professors to be a convivial, welcoming group. The meals and get togethers were such fun as was the opportunity to meet new friends from other countries and parts of the U.S.