French courses in Monaco: schools, prices and the 2026-2027 calendar

What this page covers

This is the practical list: which schools actually teach French to adults in Monaco, what they charge, when the sessions start and how to get an employer to pay. If you are still deciding how much French you need and how to organise your first year, start with learning French in Monaco: a realistic plan. For free conversation practice, see language exchange in and around Monaco.

Monaco is small, and so is its language-school market. Two established providers teach French as a foreign language inside the Principality, one non-profit association does so in Beausoleil a few minutes' walk from the border, and the larger intensive schools are in Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. There is no public evening course for adults run by the Monegasque government or the Mairie.

The providers at a glance

Alliance Française de Monaco

The Monaco branch of the Alliance Française network dates back to a committee founded in 1926; the present association was authorised in 1980 and took its current name in 2016. Its head office is at the Maison de France, 42 rue Grimaldi, and its honorary president is the French Ambassador to the Principality. Classes are held on the first floor of the CATS Business Center, Le Forum, 28 boulevard Princesse Charlotte.

Official 2026-2027 fees (from the Alliance's course page and enrolment form):

A 70 € annual administrative fee applies to group courses, and textbooks are extra. Teachers work from authentic material such as press articles and literature, and courses follow the CEFR scale from A1 to C2.

Calendar 2026-2027. The September refresher ran from 14 to 29 September; the autumn session runs from 1 October to 18 December 2026, the winter session from 11 January to 31 March 2027 and the spring session from 1 April to 30 June 2027, followed by the 40-hour semi-intensive in July. There are no group classes in August, on Monegasque public holidays or during school holidays (Toussaint 24 October to 1 November 2026, Christmas 19 December to 10 January).

Rules worth knowing before you pay. A group opens only if at least six learners enrol; if the Alliance cancels for lack of numbers, fees are refunded in full. Fees are paid at enrolment by transfer, cheque or card (card payments carry a surcharge). Paid courses cannot be cancelled by the student, although documented medical absences may be rescheduled or refunded pro rata. A private lesson can be moved free of charge up to 48 hours in advance; later than that it is charged. A certificate of attendance requires at least 80% presence. Learners need their own insurance covering illness, accident and civil liability, and minors can enrol with parental consent.

Contact. +33 6 78 63 63 91, direction@afmonaco.mc, afmonaco.mc. The Alliance also runs a programme of conferences and performances in French, most of them at the Maison de France, which is a good free way to listen to the language once you reach B1. See its directory listing.

Regency School of Languages

Founded in 1985, Regency is Monaco's long-standing private language school, at 20 avenue de Fontvieille (Le Coronado building), open Monday to Friday 9:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:30. It teaches French as a foreign language alongside English, Italian, Spanish, German and Russian, in person, at your home or office, or online.

Formats: one-to-one lessons at flexible hours; duo lessons shared with a colleague or partner; "premium" groups of three learners at the same level; adult classes from four participants organised as ten sessions of 1h30; conversation workshops; a junior club of 30 hours over the school year; 15-hour-a-week holiday intensives for children; and corporate training. It prepares for the DELF and DALF as well as English certifications, and is an accredited TOEIC centre.

Regency does not publish its prices online. It is, however, an accredited FEDEM training centre, which matters if your employer pays: a Monaco-registered company can obtain funding of up to 30% of the pre-tax cost of language training, including French for foreign staff, and the school prepares the file. Contact: +377 92 05 21 21, regency@monaco.mc, regencyschoolmonaco.com. See its directory listing.

Université dans la Ville de Beausoleil

Beausoleil is the French town that begins at the top of Monte-Carlo's staircases, and its adult-education association, the Université dans la Ville de Beausoleil, is the cheapest classroom option within walking distance of the Principality. It is at 15 rue Jules Ferry (Immeuble Le Centre, Parvis Charles Tinelli), a few minutes from the Monaco border and the boulevard de France.

It runs weekly French-as-a-foreign-language classes from A1 to B2, with grammar and vocabulary for beginners and themes from society, literature and art at B1–B2, plus a summer intensive in July (in 2026, Monday to Friday, with a morning slot at 9:30–11:30 and an evening slot at 18:30–20:00). Fees are those of a municipal association and are not published; call +33 4 89 22 40 25 for the current timetable and enrolment conditions.

Private tutors

Monaco has no register of French tutors. The reliable benchmark is the Alliance Française's private rate of 65 € per hour; independent tutors in the area generally quote around or below that, and online tutors on international platforms considerably less. Before you book a series, check the tutor's qualification in French as a foreign language (a master's in FLE or an Alliance/Institut français background), ask for one paid trial lesson and agree the cancellation rule in writing. Expat associations such as CREM and the British Association of Monaco are the usual source of word-of-mouth recommendations.

Just over the border

• Alliance Française Nice Côte d'Azur, 8 rue de Paris, Nice (+33 4 93 62 67 66, info@af-nice.fr): the regional Alliance, with intensive general French and a team accredited to mark the TCF, DELF and DALF. About twenty minutes from Monaco by train.
• Institut de Français, Villefranche-sur-Mer: the well-known residential immersion school, with full-time programmes of two to four weeks in groups of ten at most. Budget several thousand euros per month; it suits a sabbatical, not a working week.
• Centre Méditerranéen d'Études Françaises (CMEF), chemin des Oliviers, Cap-d'Ail: a non-profit founded in 1952, one kilometre from the Monaco border, with an open-air theatre decorated by Jean Cocteau. Its French programmes are for teenagers aged 12 to 16 in summer and for visiting school classes, not for adult residents.

DELF, DALF and TCF

The DELF (A1–B2) and DALF (C1–C2) are the French Ministry of National Education's lifelong diplomas; the TCF is a test with a level result valid for two years, and the "TCF pour la nationalité française" is the version required by France for naturalisation. None of these is required by Monaco for a residence permit, employment or naturalisation, so you take them for your CV or for a French procedure.

Preparation is available in Monaco: the Alliance Française charges 70 € per hour for individual DELF and TCF coaching, and the Regency School prepares for the DELF and DALF. Exam sessions and fees are fixed nationally through France Éducation international and organised by accredited centres; in metropolitan France the 2026 fees published by university centres are of the order of 130 € for A1–A2 up to around 220 € for C1. Ask your school which centre in the Alpes-Maritimes is holding the session you want and register well before the closing date, which is usually several weeks ahead.

Children and teenagers

Monaco's state schools provide French-as-a-foreign-language support for non-French-speaking pupils as part of normal schooling, so a child entering the public system does not need a private course to start. Regency runs a junior club and holiday intensives for ages 4 to 17, and the CMEF in Cap-d'Ail takes 12- to 16-year-olds in summer. The international schools teach bilingually and include French in their curriculum.

How to choose

1. Fix the hours you can really attend. A trimester session needs the same slot twice a week for three months; if your diary cannot promise that, private or duo lessons will waste less money.
2. Do a level test first. Every school places you by a short test; do not enrol at A1 if you studied French at school, you will progress faster in A2.
3. Ask who pays. If a Monaco company employs you, ask HR about FEDEM funding before paying personally.
4. Check the small print on cancellations (48 hours at the Alliance) and on minimum group size.
5. Add practice. Two hours a week of class produce little without use; combine with a tandem or conversation group and the free resources listed in the learning plan.

Related reading

• Learning French in Monaco: a realistic plan
• Language exchange and conversation practice
• Adult education and evening classes in Monaco
• Your first month in Monaco