Leisure

To balance the busy student life, in France students can discover the beautiful nature either by the sea or in the mountains, a wide range of cultural activities, and a vivid city life with all its cafés and restaurants... not to mention l'art de vivre à la française - the ability of the French to enjoy life!

If you want to do sports, you should ask for advice at your own establishment, as many universities provide affordable hobbies. In addition, universities have theater activities, choirs, and orchestras, in which it is easier to get to know other students. 

In the list below, you will find some of the biggest students cities in France. You might not have had the time to discover these events and destinations during your tourist trips!

• The month-long international piano festival, La Roque d'Anthéronin, brings together classical and contemporary musicians that perform everything from jazz to electronic music. The concert venue is the impressive park of Château de Floransin.

• Le Grand Théâtre de Provence functions as a concert hall and can accommodate up to 1400 spectators.

• La Sucrière, an old sugar storage at the city harbor, was transformed into an art gallery in 2003. It has since served as a unique and spectacular centre of modern art. 

• During the summer months, the historic Gallic-Roman theater, Le Grand Théâtre ja L’Odéon, shows musical, dance, and theater spectacles in the framework of Les nuits de Fourvière -festival.

• La Friche la Belle de Mai is a centre dedicated for culture. There you can find actors from the fields of theater, dance, circus, street art, music, and films.

• The planetarium Galilée is open for everyone interested in the wonders of astronomy.

• The festival La Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs, organised every second year, presents works of young artists and designers from different fields: visual arts, film, architecture, fashion, design, photography, literature, music, dance... 

• The city of Nancy was one of the centres of the style Art Nouveau in Europe. The collections of Le Musée de l’École de Nancyn is one of the masterpieces of Nancy Art Nouveau.

• The Nancy Jazz Pulsations festival, organised every autumn, offers a repertoire of jazz and blues, but also hip hop, pop-rock, and electronic music.

• The Lila bus network brings travelers to a nearby village of Pornic located by the sea, as well as to visit the little towns of the department.  

• The cultural centre Lieu Unique is located in the ancient factory of LU. During the days, there are expositions, events, cafés and restaurants, whereas there is a night club. There is also a hammam. 

• The oldest jazz festival in France, the Nice jazz festival, was founded as early as 1948.

• Le Carna'val de Nice,the legendary carnival of Nice, occupies the streets of the city every February before the beginning of the lent, and accommodates festive people dressed in masks and suits.

• The street artists in Nice katutaitelijat (Les artistes de rue) are of a whole different level... top of the top! The city has been willing to support street artists, but at the same time sought to guarantee a certain level of quality and to concentrate the art works in specific central areas in the city. 

Every summer, there are outdoor cinemas in the city, playing old classics and new movies

• Festival de cinéma en plein air: in Parc de la Villette, in the 19th district, one can combine a movie night and a picnic.

• Cinéma au Clair de Lune: the location of the cinemas change, providing for an opportunity to watch films for free in the city parks and in other central venues.

• Strasbourg is not only the seat of the European Parliament, but also the seat of the Parliament of Philosophers! Le Parlement des philosophes organises conferences for the great public, where the modern human is confronted with philosophical thoughts. 
• The Musica-festival introduces the public to the newest talents and seasoned professionals in the beginning of every autumn.

• How was the Earth formed? What exists in the outer space? Cité de l'Espace is not only a comprehensive source of information, but also allows visitors to discover spaceships and test what it would feel like to walk on the moon! 

• The museum of modern arts, Les Abattoirs, used to function as a slaughterhouse for more than 100 years until 1989. 

• The music festival Le Festival des Siestes, organised every year in June, has convinced amateurs and professionals with its unconventional programme of high quality. The specialty of the event is that it is fully free.