klgirl

Hi all,

we are a family with 3 kids (8, 5, 2) looking at a probable move to paris in time for the 2009/2010school year. the first 2 kids would attend the german school in garches while my husband would work in the city. i am a housewife.

now what suburbs should we be looking at which would minimise the bus commute for the kids, while at the same time having a good train connection into the city?

also we would want a bit of space. what sort of rent are we looking at for a 3-5 bedroom semi or detached house in a good suburb. we will get a housing allowance, but i would prefer to have an idea of what sort of costs we would be looking at. also how early does one start looking for a home in paris/suburbs?

thanks
klgirl

dmu

We used to live near Garches in another life. I believe that the School is actually in St Cloud and can say that this would be a good town to live in. In my day there was a direct SNCF line to St Lazare (which may now be an RER) and busses to the western Métro termini. The town is pleasant and open, with the Parc St Cloud, the Hippodrome, among other green spaces. Garches is a jewel of a village, but you'd probably have to drive your children to school from there.
A BE banlieusard will be able to advise about what sort of rents to expect and how to go about looking. Sorry I can't help in that respect

G-J-B

I live 'nextdoor' to St. Cloud - if you have money St Cloud looks great. Boulogne is an excellent family orientated part of Paris. There's some extremely posh houses, and some more affordable ones (still need plenty of dough though ). You have views down into Paris, and easy and cheap transport into the city, including a tramline which I like. You're also close to some HUGE parks, so can escape some of the rat race. It's a bit of a snobby part of Paris though - I'm getting increasingly fed up with that aspect.

klgirl

thanks a lot for your replies? but what is house rental like? or better yet what would you get for 3-4000 a month?

G-J-B

Not sure what you'd get renting wise. Property there is on average €7,540 per metre squared if that helps . I live nextdoor to an immobilier in the 16th - for 3,300 euros a month you can get 135 square metres (http://www.agence-mozart.fr/location...-ranelagh-1249). Prices might be a little better in Saint Cloud, but I'd imagine they're comparable. A house would be extremely expensive and the French don't really do semi-attached houses. Obviously you get better value for money the further out you go.

Nibbler

Alot of people would like the same requirements so expect too pay!!!
Best of luck

Herman

You might be better off looking where we live in Le Vesinet or in the nearby suburbs of Chatou or Croissy sur Seine (there is also an RER station in these suburbs) and the bus ride to St Cloud from the last one in particular will be fine. Our rent is €3k per month and for that we have a refurbished large 19th century 4 bed house with a private walled garden of c900 sq m (and the price includes a gardener). We are in a very peaceful road an 8 minute walk to Le Vesinet Centre RER station which has trains to central Paris every 10 minutes. There are plenty of such houses in our area for between €3k and €4k. As you start moving nearer central Paris there are fewer houses and the prices for the few there are absolutely sky rocket.

Look on seloger.com under locations for the houses, for example a 4 bed in Croissy with a 1,000 sq m garden for 3,800 per month: http://www.seloger.com/detail.htm?ci..._QRYpg=3#photo

Herman

By the way, we had the help of a relocation agent (company called Cosmopolitan) and they did a good job of finding a shortlist of houses for us to view. Probably expensive if you are paying yourself, but if you are relocating with an existing employer then this kind of help is normal.

tracyc

Hi, my husband has just told me that he has a job offer for a job in Paris and we could move there in time for schooling in September. - HELP! I have a 7 and 9 year old and don't even know where to start re schools and where to live etc. He will be working in the centre of Paris but I think I would like to live in one of the suburbs. How is you research going and do you have any top tips. i notice your children are going to the German school - are you German? Where are you moving from? Hope all the planning is going well.

dmu

Wow!!! Little over two months to organize things!
As soon as your OH has signed the contract, come over ASAP and visit the WSW suburbs, which are by far the nicest, those mentioned above and in fact any town with RER station going towards Versailles and St Germain-en-Laye, or a railway station on St. Lazare SNCF lines (from St Cloud outwards). I had a Senior moment in an earlier posting, saying that Garches was a jewel of a village - I meant Marnes la Coquette. Garches is OK, also Vaucresson, Ville d'Avray, Chaville, ... After you've decided where to live and can justify your future residence, you then go to the Mairie (Town Hall) about enrolment at Primary School. Make a search (top right-hand corner) for earlier threads on schooling and there's probably a mention in Val's FAQs above.
Good luck!!!

tracyc

Thank you for your reply - first time I have used this and so nice to get a response (although I am worried I have interrupted someone elses questions so better work out how I am meant to do this in future!) I think I am going to book a trip to Paris in the next couple of weeks to check out the places you suggest - sounds like I need to get the ball rolling VERY fast to get them into school for September - especially as I would like them to see the school before the end of this school year! Maybe too ambitious but we'll see. Thank you.

Herman

A lot depends on how your husband will want to commute. I work in the centre of Paris, just off the Champs Elysees, and for the first year I commuted on RER line A from Le Vesinet, which has trains running every 10 minutes to Paris taking about 25 to 30 minutes to Charles De Gaulle Etiole station (by the Arc De Triomphe). From there I have about a 20 minute walk to my office. Currently I commute on a scooter, which takes about 25 to 30 minutes to my office - after a series of strikes and following a mid life crisis I just bought one, don't ask. But I love it so I'm not going back to trains. Don't even think about commuting from the Western or SW suburbs by car, life is too short.
I have no hesitation in recommending Le Vesinet if you have a decent rental budget (min €3000 per month for a house, ideally €3,500 to €4,000). Its got an excellent International primary school for younger children (many British and Americans send their children there - our daughter starts there in April next year when she turns 3). http://www.ecole-malherbe.com/
Le Vesinet also has beautiful parks/lakes, wide tree lined streets, decent shops and is only 5 minutes by RER or car from the larger town of St Germain En Laye. The latter is also a good place to consider if you want somewhere a bit bigger and with a bit more bustle than Le Vesinet (which is pretty sleepy) and its only 5 minutes or so longer on the train. We looked at properties there but ended up choosing quieter Le Vesinet because we found a house we loved. Good luck with your search and feel free to ask me any questions by private message.

Edit: maybe also consider Maisons Lafitte if your husband does not mind up to 40 minutes on the train. We have English friends who live there and they love it. Again, quite expensive but some swanky shops and lots of lovely houses within a short walk of the town centre that are nestled within parkland. Very nice place. So those are my favourite 3 for a young British family: Le Vesinet, St Germain En Laye and Maisons Lafitte.