Study Portuguese in Lisbon - Portugal

  Portugal

Lisbon

Dates: inquire for dates

Description: CIAL was founded over 25 years ago, and during this time has taught thousands of individuals how to speak Portuguese. Today CIAL has become one of the premiere Portuguese language schools in Portugal and is recognized by numerous national and international organizations. CIAL's method places specific emphasis on language for communication. The method can be described as structural/functional, the grammar and structures being taught and learned naturally, through practical usage. Students are encouraged to use CIAL's audio, video and library facilities in order to practice their language skills. Students at CIAL have the choice of taking small group or private instruction. Private instruction can be tailored to accommodate the needs of businesspeople, medical personnel, etc. Besides a location in Lisbon, CIAL also has language centers in Porto and Faro.

Quick School Facts

-The facilities are ideal for small group and/or private instruction.
-CIAL uses a very comprehensive series of books and materials.
-CIAL incorporates the use of audio-visual teaching aids.
-Students have access to telephone and fax services at the school (not free).
-Students have as a standard accommodation package, the choice of staying with local host families.
-The school can help to place students in a hotel if they do not want to stay with a host family.

Highlights: Lying north of the Rio Tejo (River Tagus) estuary and spread over a string of seven hills, Lisbon offers an intriguing variety of faces to anyone with the energy to negotiate its switchback streets. In the city's oldest parts, tiny, stepped alleys are lined with pastel-color houses and crossed by laundry hung out to dry; here and there you come across a miradouro, a natural vantage point with spectacular city and river views.

In the grand 18th-century center, wide boulevards are bordered by black-and-white mosaic cobblestone sidewalks. Clanking elýtricos (trams) still maneuver through the streets; there's a legacy of fine art nouveau buildings, too, and everywhere-on church walls, around fountains, and in restaurants and bars-you'll see the striking blue-and-white azulejos (painted and glazed ceramic tiles) for which the country is    famous. Lisbon's backyard is rich in possibilities: Drive along coastal roads that thread their way along breathtaking seaside cliffs, or laze about on a sandy beach, sipping a glass of the delicious local wine. At night, enjoy the active nightlife of the region's resort towns or retire to a room in a converted palace, castle, or country mansion. Such famous destinations as the Estoril Coast, Sintra, the palace at Queluz, even the city of Setýbal and its Manueline church, are all within an hour of Lisbon. Within a 50-km (31-mi) stretch north and south of the Rio Tejo (River Tagus) you'll find a succession of attractive coastal resorts and important towns. These are no mere dormitory suburbs of the city, but are instead endowed with unique traditions and characteristics.

- Lisbon is one of the most charming capitals in all of Europe.
- Close by the city, one has the chance to visit numerous traditional towns and villages
- To the north and to the south of Lisbon stretch some beautiful beach areas. --Due to the small size of Portugal, most sites of interest within the country are within just a few hours from Lisbon.
- Lisbon has mild weather throughout the year.
- Lisbon has a wonderful mix of cultures and people living there.
- Lisbon has a wealth of excellent bars, discos, museums, and theaters.
- Lisbon has a reputation for excellent restaurants serving up many different styles of food.
- Getting in and out of Lisbon by plane is very easy.
- Spain and Morocco are very easy to get to.

Cost in US$: $1000 - $1500

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no