toulouse with
May 25 - 30, 2025
Coucou french classes and rêverie have teamed up to provide the ideal immersive experience for french learners to practice their language skills and dive into the rich culinary traditions of southwest france.
6 Days, 5 nights
May 25 - 30, 2025
We’ll be staying in the ever-so-charming (and stunning!) Château de Labusquière, in the Gers region of southwest France, just 45 minutes from Toulouse! There’s just one rule for the week: once you step foot into the château, « on ne parle que français ! ». From coffee in the morning to the last sip of wine, Coucou and Rêverie will provide a fully immersive experience where French is the only language spoken. There’s no better way to improve your conversation skills – and we can’t think of a better experience to make it happen!
From $4600.00 USD
What will you do?
Get ready to fall in love with your home for the week - the Château de Labusquière in Montadet, France. This well-loved family home has been tirelessly renovated to provide a real French country experience with views over the rolling hills of the Gers region and sunsets that will take your breath away. During our time in the château, Coucou French Classes will provide some guided activities to sharpen your French (think Trivia Nights and menu creation - NOT conjugation!) and the Reverie team will be in the kitchen preparing classic, delicious French meals to grace the dinner table. We’ll even host a local French chef for a cooking workshop and a wine expert for a guided tasting of some incredible natural wines.
When we’re not learning and practicing at the château, we’ll make our way out to the open-air market in Samatan, the village next door. We’ll venture to the Pink City of Toulouse as well for a day of wandering, shopping, eating, and searching for clues to complete the Coucou Scavenger Hunt in the city.
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While we hope everyone will participate, all experiences are optional! Please feel free to take time for yourself whenever you like.
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Rêverie and Coucou have carefully created activities and experiences that we believe represent the best of the region and our own expertise, aiming to provide an optimal experience for the participants.
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Coucou will provide several engaging experiences for learners to practice their French skills and grow in their confidence. Rêverie has planned a number of food-focused experiences fully in French for participants to appreciate the flavors of the region.
The team at Coucou wishes to provide a full immersion experience during this week in France. Therefore, you must be at a level 4 (Intermediate) or above to join this retreat. You can check your level with the Coucou placement test on their website. And guess what ! If you’ve never taken French before, you can start today and make it to level 4 by next spring - let’s go!
YOUR guest host
Get to know:
coucou, (more than) a French school
Coucou is the “it” school for French learners and francophiles. They are a woman-founded, bicoastal business with over 10 years of experience in French education. They have created a modern, approachable curriculum that sets them apart from other language schools. Their team of passionate teachers and French-speaking professionals fosters a diverse community by welcoming students from all backgrounds. After a decade of building their community of learners, they’re delighted to partner with Rêverie!
YOUR ITINERARY
*Please note that changes to the itinerary may occur between now and your retreat start date*
DAY ONE
sunday 5.25.25
Welcome to France! As you approach the beloved Château de Labusquière, you’ll feel swept away by the inviting vistas and the wheat fields. You’ll be welcomed with a glass of champagne and some post-travel snacks made by the Rêverie team, and then you will settle into your room before we gather for a welcome lunch to kick off the week! Over our pre-dinner cocktails, we’ll get to know each other and learn that we’re not totally strangers. Let the French begin!
DAY two
monday 5.26.25
After a traditional and indulgent French breakfast of brioche, croissants, pains au chocolat (and a few healthful options as well!), we’ll head to the spectacular open-air marché in the nearby village of Samatan for some exploration. Keep your eyes open for inspiration, because when we get back to our château home, your Coucou teachers will lead you in a market-inspired exercise to get that French brain ticking. In the evening, we’ll be joined by our friend Virgil from Le Merle Moqueur in Auch for a guided natural wine tasting featuring winemakers from the region. The Reverie team will treat you to another unforgettable dinner in the grand dining hall and then, who knows? Karaoke? ;)
DAY three
tuesday 5.27.25
After another satisfying breakfast, we’ll head to La Ferme Mapalou, a nearby goat farm where they produce their own delicious organic goat cheeses. We’ll head back to the château for lunch, a lazy afternoon, and then a special apéro trivia night with a little game of name that tune. Don’t worry - we’ll make sure you have the perfect French playlist to prepare. And yes - the winner gets a prize!! Meanwhile, the Reverie team will prepare a fabulous grill party, complete with bubbles on the lawn. And for anyone who’s in, we can have a little pétanque tournament by the pool. Get ready for an excellent evening!
DAY four
wednesday 5.28.25
If we’ve done it right, by now the Château will start to be feeling like a home away from home. So let’s spook it up with a murder mystery - all in French of course! - led by the Coucou team. In the afternoon, we’ll have a classic French dinner workshop to learn about cooking Poisson en Papillote and the magical Île Flottante dessert to follow. Apéro hour with French 75s to follow, and then you’ll get to enjoy the dinner you’ve cooked in the château courtyard while the sun goes down.
DAY five
thursday 5.29.25
This is our official Big Day Out in the great, beautiful city of Toulouse! We will start the day slow and easy, giving you some time to pre-pack after breakfast and serving one last lunch in the courtyard with Yopi, the resident peacock. Then we’ll load up in the vans and head into one of our favorite cities in France. In Toulouse, you will be able to wander as you like with our guide that we’ve loaded up with some of our favorite stops. There are so many historic, culinary, and cultural joys to find in Toulouse - it’s quite the city to discover! Then we will have our final dinner together in the city. This will be a night to celebrate and remember - the fondest farewell between friends.
DAY six
friday 5.30.25
Today, we depart from our home for the week and we soak up every last breath of the wide open air of Gers. Breakfast will be served and we will say our goodbyes as the vans arrive to shuttle us all away from Labusquière and toward the airport so we can make our way to our next destinations.
FRENCH IMMERSION
To help you advance as much as possible during your stay, your Coucou teachers have prepared a program of fun activities that will keep you on your toes, expand vocabulary and above all–get you talking! The château is an immersive experience, meaning French must be spoken at all times! This immersion is the best way to level up, and we hope you’ll enjoy your new conversation skills as you practice and learn with your teachers and peers!”
WORKSHOPS
Full Immersion Experience at the château - our team and your Coucou French Classes instructors will be there to help you along the way as you only speak French during your week with us.
French Trivia + Name that tune - We’ll make sure you have the tools to succeed in this fun quiz night.
EXPLORE
We can’t wait to show you around! There will be a trip to the Monday marché in nearby Samatan for sourcing local, seasonal produce. Then, a stroll around the gorgeous plazas and old streets of Toulouse, one of France’s largest cities. We’ll visit the local La Ferme Mapalou to learn all about raising goats and organic goat cheese production. We will have so many great moments at the chateau as well - from long languorous dinners in the courtyard with Yopi and the moonlight, to outdoor cooking parties (protein technique!) by the pool, to pâté and saucisson and gougère filled apéro hours. It’s made with love, we promise you that!
OUTINGS
Shopping at the open-air market in Samatan
Visit La Ferme Mapalou, organic goat farmer and cheesemaker
Explore the rosy city of Toulouse
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything! Well, everything except for your big ride across the ocean and to the chateau’s nearest airport. But once you arrive, we got you.
Transfers to and from the château from the Toulouse Blagnac airport.
Coucou French Classes workshops, activities and all materials associated
Recipes galore!
All meals, unless you go rogue
All wine and beverages, unless you wanna have your own after hours party ;)
Private coach transportation while on retreat
All scheduled outings and events during our week
Chateau lodging, naturally
* Due to the nature of the experience we wish to provide, we can accommodate vegetarians, but will be unable to accommodate any further dietary restrictions. Please get in touch if you have questions about your particular dietary needs!!
GETTING HERE
Airplane
Several planes fly direct to Toulouse Blagnac airport (TLS) every day from Paris and other cities around Europe. We will arrange for an airport pickup on the first day of the retreat at 11:00 a.m. , and we will drop you off on the last day at 11:00 am. All you have to do is get to Toulouse and we’ll take it from there!
*If you choose to arrive after our arranged pickup time or to leave earlier on the last day, we would be happy to help you arrange for a private driver for an additional fee.
*Cost of airfare to the Toulouse Blagnac airport is not included in the cost of your reservation. Please let us know if we can offer any support or guidance with your travel plans - we’re happy to help!
Car
If you’re the seasoned-traveler type and you’d enjoy having your own transportation, then please - rent a car in Paris and drive down! Have a stopover in the region of Dordogne for a foie gras tartine and make a pitstop for the wild view of the old cliffside city in Rocamadour. You could then keep your car for the week and choose your own destiny, or drop off at the Toulouse airport on the first day of the retreat and we’ll come grab you.
Train
Trains are another option for those who feel comfortable traveling around on their own! Please note that if you take the train to the Toulouse Matabiau train station, you will need to take a taxi to the Toulouse Blagnac airport (20 minute drive) for our scheduled pickup time.
Travel Reservation
If you would like guidance with booking your travel to the Chateau, please reach out.
We are here to help make this part easy and smooth.
If you would like to extend your stay in France, we are delighted to partner with The French Travel, a locally owned and operated trip designer based in Paris. They are true experts who will help you perfectly plan your before and/or after Rêverie experience. Check them out for more info!
As you probably already know, our friends at Coucou French Classes offer some incredible online and in-person French language classes - whether you’re looking to brush up on your high school French or looking to learn a few phrases to feel more comfortable with travel, Coucou French Classes is the way! Check out their website for more information.