Denison

Good morning everyone,
My husband and I have just been informed that we will moving to Pau, France in the next few weeks with hubbys work.
This is a completely blind move for us as we have never visited Pau before, nor do we speak French so I am looking for advice!!
Can anyone tell me what to expect?
What is it like to live in Pau?
Where should we look at to live? Is their 'expat compounds' like in other exist cities we have lived in?
Any essential paperwork we need?
Any Facebook groups to meet new friends??
Anything else we needs to know/do??
Etc etc etc!!
I must admit I am a little nervous about the move, this is our 5th move but it never gets any easier!!!
Thank you so much in advance for any replies!

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
There used to be a member in the Béarn, who ran a guest house, but she hasn't posted for years. If no one can give "local" info, you could try on a dedicated South Aquitaine forum, e.g. AngloInfo. Take a look at the Read-Me: Moving to France FAQs above, which has several threads on various general subjects.
Presumably your OH's company will be helping with the move? You may do well to rent a furnished gîte short-term at the beginning while looking for a long-term rental (which are usually unfurnished). You don't mention children, which makes one worry less! Once on the spot, go along to your Mairie (Town Hall) to find out about French classes, and you can also get a list of Clubs and Associations which you could join, once you've settled. Even if there aren't any English people in those that interest you, you'll make friends with French people with the same interests!
Before you leave the UK, get a few up-to-date copies of your respective Birth Certificates and your Marriage Certificate, you'll need all for many reasons in France, and, depending on your OH's employment status in France, make sure that he's covered by the French Social Security System.
Others will come along to expand on the above or add other aspects to think about!
Good luck in your new adventure! I've only visited once, and the Béarn is a beautiful area!.

Tweedpipe

Welcome to the forum!
Pau. The first thing that comes to mind is 'rather cold' in the winter months. I'd be a little wary of recorded 'average' temps, as every time we've been there it's been cold. But winter is relatively short, Nov through to April, during which time if you have adequate heating you'll be ok.
We've had several long weekends in Pau, and really enjoyed our stay. Some of the restaurants we found were excellent!
I think you'll enjoy it there.

petitefrancaise

Pau is lovely!

I can't be more helpful about where to live but you could ask for relocation assistance from your husband's company. Since you don't speak french and have kids, they will help you find a house to rent and get the kids registered in school. They will also have recommendations about where to live.

Your furniture will take ? a week to arrive? People usually get a furnished aparthotel type of thing until the furniture arrives and a house is sorted out for you.
Get all the vaccination certificates for you and the kids from your drs. You will need to know what they had and when to register at the school.

dmu

Agree, if the OP has children - schools are strict about up-to-date vaccinations - but what vaccinations are necessary for EU adults arriving in France? French adults are free to get vaccinated or not... Some vaccinations are advisable, but not compulsory. We had the flu jab last December and have just had the 10-year DPTCoq booster, but it was our decision....

petitefrancaise

yes, there are "vaccins obligatoire"
here is some info https://www.service-public.fr/partic...vosdroits/F724
"Les vaccinations obligatoires sont les suivantes :

contre la diphtérie, le tétanos et la poliomyélite (DTP) ;
contre la fièvre jaune (infection due � un virus transmis par des moustiques).
Les personnes titulaires de l'autorité parentale doivent veiller au respect de cette obligation.

Les vaccinations recommandées concernent :

les maladies telles que la tuberculose, la coqueluche, la rubéole, la rougeole, et les oreillons, la varicelle, la grippe, l'hépatite B, le zona ;
les infections invasives � haemophilus influenzae de type B, � pneumocoque, � méningocoque C ;
les infections � papillomavirus humains."

dmu

Thanks for that! But why is Fièvre Jaune compulsory? OK for the DOM-TOMs, but why Metropolitan France? I'll ask our G.P. the next time we consult! IMO the OP and her husband should simply get a booster for DTP here when it's due...
All the others are recommended but not compulsory...
P.S. I just checked the "Calendrier" on the Service-Public site: the fièvre jaune is compulsory for residents of Guyane and for any one travelling to countries where it's endemic. And, bizarrely, our 10-yearly DTP vaccinations don't correspond to the ages recommended. Our decades end with the figure 7, however old we are....