Gidman
1/10/2016 09:39 EST
I did a search for this and was suprised there were no hits, but would appreciate your feedback. I will be spending two weeks in June exploring areas for possible relocation in France. I would prefer small town/village but one with enough shops and services -and close enough to some kind of public transportation - that driving could be minimized or eliminated. I'm somewhat solitary but having other expats in the area would be nice.
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LovetheBeach
1/10/2016 10:12 EST
Gidman,
I was looking for the same kind of information several months ago and finally figured out how to find information, "through the back door", so to speak.
First decide what kind of weather and geography you're looking for. Beach, mountains, lots of agricultural land, vineyards, etc. Then, using googlemaps.com, zero in on a likely area. Just randomly pick out small towns in that area, and google them. If they're in Wikipedia, they likely have enough population to have the kinds of services you'll need. Lastly, go to weatherbase.com or accuweather.com and check the HISTORICAL weather patterns to see if it has the kind of weather you're most comfortable with. Once you've zeroed in on an area and a few smaller towns, go to YouTube and see if there are any videos of those towns.
Another way to find some info is decide about how large a town you're looking for; example population around 40,000. Google towns in France with population between 25,000 and 50,000. I've found lots of little towns that look interesting that way. You may get a government table with just a listing of towns, then use Wikipedia and YouTube for any information they have on specific small towns.
Hope this has been helpful!
Bonne chance!
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Diane2263
1/10/2016 10:49 EST
France is a large country - have you an idea of what part you like best? The north, closer to England if you're British? The south, for warm weather and the beautiful Med? The interior - so many choices. Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Aquitaine? Do you like mountains? Alps or Pyranees?
I think it would be easier to give helpful hints if we knew your preferences. I can at least tell you mine, though. We chose Burgundy, for its close proximity to Paris, beautiful countryside, reasonable prices, and of course, great wine. My favorite village is Semur-en-Auxois. It's a hilltop medieval town, very walkable, historic, shops/cafés/etc. Not a ton of expats, but that suits us, as we like to get to know the French - we're vacationing in France, after all!
A bigger town I also like is Beaune. More to see and do, still walkable, more expats, more tourists.
On our house search we wanted to be a 2-hour train ride from Paris, for several reasons. We have friends who live in Paris, we want to be able to hop a train and see the latest art exhibits, have lunch/dinner, and train home in one day, and we also like how easy it is for friends and family to fly in from the States and take the train to stay with us.
Good luck on your search!!
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Gidman
1/10/2016 12:35 EST
Thank you for your reply. France IS a big country - therein lies the issue. I have only been in a few areas of the north so have not seen enough to really narrow it down. I am hoping to make a big sweep by car on this trip, visiting towns in several areas to see what really speaks to me. Being within 2 hours of Paris would be ideal for me as well. I will certainly look at Burgundy. What would your comments be about the Normandy or Brittany areas?
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sallygover
1/10/2016 16:47 EST
Hi,
I will recommand l Etang la Ville Ouest of Paris, very charming with a direct train 30mn to gare St Lazare and many expats living around,
Good luck
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Maribeth
1/10/2016 20:42 EST
Hi. We are near St. Girons, which is adorable and in the Pyrenees. Very quiet, beautiful nature, lots of roads for bicycling with no traffic, lots of mountains for hiking. We are selling our home to get closer to Toulouse, but it's hard to do. So beautiful!
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Maribeth
1/10/2016 20:42 EST
Hi. We are near St. Girons, which is adorable and in the Pyrenees. Very quiet, beautiful nature, lots of roads for bicycling with no traffic, lots of mountains for hiking. We are selling our home to get closer to Toulouse, but it's hard to do. So beautiful!
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Diane2263
1/12/2016 10:47 EST
I've been to Normandie and loved it, but it didn't make me want to live there as other parts of France have. I've not yet visited Brittany. Sorry I'm not more helpful on these areas! I do know there are a ton of British expats in the north due to its close proximity to England, so if you are looking for that, it might be a good choice.
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frabound
1/12/2016 15:56 EST
It sounds as if you are seeking precisely what I am - I have narrowed my search down to the southwest (Dordogne or Pyrenees but near the sea) or possibly the area around Lyon. It is a big country for sure!
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Maribeth
1/12/2016 18:01 EST
Anyhow, it's a 300 year old restored farm house with land around it. As I mentioned, it's difficult to leave but we need to move into the city. Please message me if you want information and I can get hubby to send you the link to see it online. Happy Hunting!
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Gidman
1/13/2016 20:29 EST
Indeed, that does sound like the area that I will narrow it down to in the end. But I hope to check out all the suggestions all of you have put forth. Thank you.
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Gidman
1/15/2016 09:36 EST
After looking at all of these suggestions (thank you all), I too think I have narrowed it down to the Southwest (for now :-)). During my upcoming trip, I plan to focus on the Dordogne area. I will have to do more research and see other areas in a future trip.
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LovetheBeach
1/15/2016 14:27 EST
Gidman,
Could you please do us a favor and post what you discover after your exploratory trip?
The more first hand information we can gather here, the better for all, don't you think?
I, for one, would certainly appreciate it!
Bon Voyage et bonne chance!
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skersh
1/15/2016 17:19 EST
I moved to Besançon, France exactly one year ago today and absolutely love it! It's in the east and is the capital of the Franche-Comté region (who has just joined with the Bourgogne region but we pretend it hasn't). It's right near Switzerland and close to Italy and Germany. I moved from the east coast of US (south NJ) and it has been such an easy transition for me. It's a small city, pop 125,000 so for a suburban girl like me it wasn't too overbearing. The public transportation is superb. My husband and I live in center city and have had no trouble getting around via bus and tram. Almost anything you want can be found in center city and everything else is easily accessible by public transportation. The only problem we have ever encountered is that pets are not allowed on public transportation and there is no vet in center city, so we either have to walk 30 minutes or take a taxi to get to a vet. It's a university town so there is a lot of diversity for such a small town and we have managed to get by regardless of the fact we have little grasp of the French language. We made friends very quickly, the people of Besançon are very kind. I absolutely love it here!
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Gidman
1/16/2016 11:33 EST
Oh my, this certainly warrants looking into. What is the weather like? How long does it take to get to Paris by train?
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skersh
1/17/2016 10:45 EST
I take the TGV, I think it's the Paris - Mulhouse line, and depending on stops it takes 2 - 2 1/2 hrs. The coldest it's gotten so far this winter is -6 celsius (20 f) but in my experience it doesn't normally get much colder than -1 c (30 f) during the day. It's a valley between mountains so while it can snow frequently, it never really stays on the ground. However, if you travel 20 minutes out of the city in any direction, they'll be heaps of snow. Spring and fall are warm. I got sunburn in April and could wear a light jacket until late November. Summer stays around 23-26 c (75-80 f) with intermittent bursts of mid-thirties (low-nineties). The rain situation is odd. You won't see rain for a month and then it will rain non-stop for a week. Wind can be a factor too, and can make tolerable winter days feel much more bitter but also turns heat waves into much more tolerable weather too. (A plus side to this as a woman is "bad hair days" are very acceptable and the proper coiffed appearance expected in other cities is more lenient here).
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fecherklyn
2/21/2016 18:39 EST
Try the lower Atlantic coast, anywhere between Bordeaux (in the South) and Soulac (in the North).
There are pretty villages of various sizes all along the coast where the beaches are fantastic (and sometimes wild) and the prices well below those of the Riviera (Cannes, Nice, etc).
I fell in love with the area which has the added advantage of only being a short drive from Spain.
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RubyTooz
2/22/2016 05:16 EST
Nobody has mentioned the Languedoc-Roussillon area yet, but it also has a lot to offer, as well. My husband is from Normandie, and we lived in Paris for 10 years, but we have never been happier than since we moved to Montpellier. Yesterday, on Feb. 21st, we were playing frisbee on the beach in the sun! There are many lively villages along the coast or among the vines, with larger cities like Montpellier or Nîmes close by...and only 3 hrs to Paris on the TGV (Spain is less than a 2 hr drive away). There are also international airports with low cost flights to the UK and other points in Europe. There are over 300 days of sunshine per year, the culture is laid-back and friendly, and the cost of living is a fraction of other areas' along the Mediterranean.
We offer Regional Reconnaissance packages for people in your situation, so if you do decide to check out the Languedoc, maybe we can be of help.
Best,
Dennelle
www.renestance.com
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Leamuse
4/4/2016 06:19 EST
If you only have two weeks, I recommend you do some narrowing down before then. In 2006 I visited for six weeks. I traveled light with a rail pass but was already sure I wanted to be in the south. The Mediterranean was high on my list and I've been living minutes away for eight and a half years. However, I do continue to explore other parts of France for one of my blogs.
Montpellier is lovely but I am on my own with a budget and live nearer to Narbonne, Carcassonne and Perpignan. It takes me about an hour to get to Spain. My lovely little village has a population of about 700. There are numerous smaller villages about and they come here for our medical centre and a variety of other things. We have numerous events around the year and there is always something to do.
I wish you the best.
Léa
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Beachstruck
4/5/2016 11:33 EST
This has been an interesting string to follow. I am solo and plann9ng on moving to France the end of this year. Opposite though, either to Brittany or Upper Normamdy. Will be doing a "scouting" trip in late May. If anyone knows of expats in either of those areas, I would like to connect via email, with them.
Steve
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Leamuse
4/11/2016 05:02 EST
While I don't live there, Sigean sounds like what you are describing. It is extremely close to the sea, beaches and has a few café's and a number of shops and restaurants. I do have a friend there so get there from time-to-time. Otherwise, we meet up in Narbonne.
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