Best place to live in France
 

Hi

I have just joined the forum.

I am thinking of spending a year in France with family...kids 9 and 13. We havent really decided where...

I know its a very personal thing...but I was wondering whether anyone had any thoughts experience tips on questions to ask/considerations before making a final decision.

We are thinking about a small town near an interesting city. Possibilities include near Dijon, or Montpelier or Avignon or Toulouse area. Will be going Sept-June ish--probably not July/August/hottest months.

Looking for authentic French experience...but also want to make it easy for the kids...not to get too isolated/estranged at the beginning...Good school would be a be big factor in our choice. Also like to be able to continue martial arts for kids...Judo and Aikido.

Anyway, just wanted to see whether anyone had any thoughts/reflections/comments.

Thanks a million.

Byrne

Re: Best place to live in France
 

TOULOUSE
If it is just for a year then the schools there will support your children but allow them a french experience:

for primary Paul Bert, Colommiers - looks a lot like Colditz but has a CLIN - class for easing entry into france - french lessons etc, a branch of ENGLISH 31, to continue english at the level of uk (ish)

for secondary the section britannique c/o English 31 COLLEGE ET LYCEE VICTOR HUGO Colommiers; your 13yr old will get support in french and continue english and history and art in english
Both English 31 sections cost a minimal amount per year .
Failing that if you possess a small fortune in income there is a intenational school near the college

In Pibrac nearby there is an excellent Judo group offering classes twice a week

To live there is a huge range of places within range of the schools, both in the countryside and not;

My daughter is at the COLLEGE and loves it, having left the uk about 18months ago

If you decide toulouse is for you and want more info just PM me

michele

If you w

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Thanks for that...Definitely sounds interesting. Slightly worried about it getting too hot May/June. WIll PM you after my next post (need 3 posts to PM apparently.
FB

Re: Best place to live in France
 

May June can be hot but not always - july tends to be the hottest month
michele:)

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Loire - gorgeous!

Re: Best place to live in France
 

NOOOON - C'est Toulouse!!!!:p

Re: Best place to live in France
 

C'est trop chaud en été! :blink:

Re: Best place to live in France
 

....ok, peut etre:)

Re: Best place to live in France
 

...mais la Loire est trop froide.... tous le temps:p

Re: Best place to live in France
 

:sneaky:

C'est pas vrai! La Loire est le jardin de france!

(We'll get snipped for speaking foreign in a 'mo, you watch....)

Re: Best place to live in France
 

lol:rofl:
didnt realise it was contre les lois de parler en francais

Re: Best place to live in France
 

put it down to a shortage of mods.

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Thread Closed. If you think you can come on here and type utter mumbo jumbo and get away with it you've got another thing coming.












can i be a mod now?

Re: Best place to live in France
 

France is Mod less until some one outstanding shows their face. Im bored with hitting the report post button, It's giving me repetitive strain injuries. <SNIP><SNIP><SNIP><SNIP><SNIP><SNIP> Censored for reasons of insanity by the mice in the server.

As for the original topic Ariege is the best place to live, Don't live in Toulouse it a Mad House avoid anywhere with 31 plated drivers as the moment they get in a car common sense is left in the garage. :lol: If you want peace tranquility no particular aim to get anything done then Ariege is the place to be, If you want to feel like part of a swarm of bees in a melting honey pot then Toulouse is the place to be.

By all means, Why don't we get vivian from the Young Ones in to do the cleaning.

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Yes... I had heard that Ariege was cram full of aging hippy types who make their own sausages and cant cope with a normal pace of life:rofl:

Toulouse is hardly busy by english standards and anyway I live surrounded by forest and in the country; today birds are flying all around my wood, the buzzard is calling and the single car a day just went past; a half way house maybe:D

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Ive been called many things, But never hippy. The only reason we picked Ariege was buying our home outright, Being able to renovate it to a cleaner way of life. We work for our enjoyment and are no longer slaves to the man sitting behind a desk in a bank, Dam the man. Oh you have misjudged my age some what. I turned down employment with Airbus so I could develop and improve my Creative side in the Cgi industry.

Oh and em hairy scary types spend a awful lot of time in Toulouse and can be seen all around. For me being that close to so many other people is not my idea of fun. It amazes me that people feel compelled to live on top of each other, If I was going to live around so many other people I would move to Tokyo. But from the way you explain your surroundings I guess you don't live within the city limits, But Toulouse is still a city and it is busy enough to be distasteful for my liking. Some of the facilities it provides are useful especially Rangueil hospital which as the make over continues actually makes a fine hospital with some talented staff.

8 years ago demonstrated why industry and large populous communities don't go well together. The explosion at the Total facility on Route Espagne which was the largest in europe since the berlin blitz 20 000 injured and they are still cleaning up the site to this day. Although the new office complexs they have built are not the prettiest I have seen a bit obscure looking.

Suburbia Kills

Re: Best place to live in France
 

I was just teasing!:D

Re: Best place to live in France
 

I know it's the irony of life, Im young but it's the latter years of my life and I brought it upon myself. So enjoy it, and those around you because there is no everlasting light bulb.

I will be visiting Toulouse again in the near future when I can work out which cinema is best for VO films. It seems random which ones do it and im trying to work out if the Imax in the Citi du Espace is going to show the Watchmen in the Imax version at all and in VO.? Otherwise im going to have to jump on a plane and go to england for a few hours.:lol:

Re: Best place to live in France
 

We love the Gironde - two kinds of terrain, one very flat pine forest, the other (where we live) sunflower fields and vineyards (oh did I forget to mention the wine:) ) short mild winters - long hot summers - perfect :thumbsup: and only 40 mins in the car to Bordeaux.

Re: Best place to live in France
 

sorry to hear about the way your life has turned ka ora
in our experience the gaumont cinema place wilson toulouse the best for VO -certainly adult films
not sure about the cite d'espace

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Im not so sure the Citi d'espace shows films at all other than the listed ones that we have seen over and over in the KSC in Florida, but there is a limited number of Imax Cinemas in France. Only Two listed on the Imax website:blink:

Re: Best place to live in France
 

(SNIP)

For me the South of France is one of the best place, just try to avoid the big cities, French people are much more friendly in small villages, if you have a problem (ie you car break down) they won't charge you £1000 to repair it, most of the time they will do it for free (even if you will have to buy them lunch :)

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Hi Michele

Just read your response re. good places to live in France. I am currently living in NZ with my husband and 2 children. We are English and have lived in NZ for 10 years - we love it here but miss our family and would like to live nearer the UK. We have been looking at France but know little about it and are particularly concerned about our Childrens education - they are 12 and 14 and were very interested in your comments on the College - I tried to look it up on the internet but couldn't find it - only the international school in Toulousse.

I would appreciate any upto date info you can give me.

Thanks a lot

Kimberley

Re: Best place to live in France
 

HI
you need to google Collège Lycée Victor HUgo Colomiers; or English31 the site can be read in english;
to be in the section brittannique as yours would be costs 150 euros a term ; help is given to newcomers with french lessons

If you need more help/ info just ask: pm me

michele

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Definitely agree with this. Don't know all of France, but have been to many parts, and the Gironde is definitely the nicest so far. You forgot to mention the rolling hills and cliffs along the estuary, the stunning beaches, the surf, Ikea in Bordeaux......:thumbsup:

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Thanks but only just joined and can't pm you yet. Do you know where Gironde is? Was looking at Toulousse because heard the Midi Pyrenees lovely place to live - countryside but not sure on areas that are nice to live - we love the countryside and have horses here in NZ - but need to be able to commute to a good school.
Thanks for any help/advice you can give.
Cheers Kimberley

Re: Best place to live in France
 

The gironde is north of bordeaux; quite popular but not my personal cup of tea; it depends what you are looking for really.

There are loads of stables around us; we live just north west of toulouse in a village right beside a huge forest that is very popular with riders, walkers and cyclists

In effect we are just on the very outer edge of the suburbs so have access to the college mentioned via a free bus, good local sports clubs, music schools etc; if you want more rural then I personally would go for Ariege SSE of Toulouse and running up to the Pyrennees; house proces are MUCH cheaper there and it is really very pretty; Ka Ora could tell you more about this region.

hope this helps; if you reply to this you should be able to PM people:)

Re: Best place to live in France
 

Hi!
You'd do well to invest in a map of France, to locate all of these places!;)

Seriously though, la Gironde is the Département 33, capital Bordeaux, in the South West.
If you want to be near the UK, why not consider Normandie, Bretagne or the Nord-Pas de Calais Regions? There are several BE members there, who will be able to give you more info.:)