Are you learning French? Are you looking for a vacation, keeping in mind to improve your French language? Then, you have plenty of options to choose from. And France is not the only one of those options.
Yes, you read it right, you do not have to go to France, to improvise your French, and you will perhaps get to experience an alternate version of the language in that manner.
As you know that French is the 6th most widely spoken language and it is an official language in 29 countries. And there are several countries where it is spoken unofficially. Here, are some of the top French Speaking countries to travel, to that aren’t France.
Belgium
Just under half the population of Belgium speaks French as a native language, though the majority of them are concentrated in the southern Wallonia part and in the capital, Brussels. Brussels is actually officially bilingual, having its street signs and advertising printed in both Flemish and French. You are way more likely to hear French spoken on the streets of Brussels, however. Also, it has been known, that it’s a nice spot to experience other “French” things, such as fried potatoes.
French Polynesia
There are more than 100 islands in the South Pacific that consist including French Polynesia, Tahiti being the largest. In terms of “island paradise,” you perhaps cannot get much better than this, and the language barrier is really pretty robust — meaning you will get a rigorous French workout while you are lounging among the hibiscus flowers.
Canada
If you are going to visit Canada to practice your French, the definite recommendation is Quebec. Out of the 10 million native French speakers living in Canada, 7 million live here. Montreal is really, the fourth-largest Francophone city in the world (Paris being the first, then, followed by Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast).
Madagascar
If you are into nature and biodiversity, go to Africa’s largest island. Madagascar’s wildlife is particularly, unique thanks to its geographic isolation, and it is the only place in the world where you can see lemurs in their natural habitat. There are more speakers of Malagasy compared to French in Madagascar, but these are both official languages here, and you are likely to encounter several Francophone locals.
Luxembourg
French is spoken widely, in Luxembourg, which easily ranks as one of Europe’s most multilingual countries. It is also one of the world’s top nations in wine consumption, so that is a pretty good indication of a fun time. For such a small country, it packs plenty of dense forests, dramatic cliffs, and fairytale castles.
Switzerland
Around one in five Swiss citizens speak French as a native language (and an even broader number have a working knowledge of it), but the top most reason to travel to Switzerland as a French student is to experience the distinctness between Swiss French and Standard French. Swiss French is the variety of French spoken in Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland).
Seychelles
This idyllic 115-island nation has plenty in the form of beaches and natural parks. But in spite of the fact that it has the smallest population of any African state, its culture is also quite compelling. The Republic of Seychelles has no indigenous population, but rather, a multi-ethnic melting pot formed up of people from virtually every part of the globe. English, French, and Seychellois Creole (a French-based creole) are amongst the most widely spoken languages.
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