bobbi2

We are looking forward to an early retirement and have narrowed down our search to two areas, the French Alps or Dordgone. We want to be in an area with a few more expats but primarily a good hospital, and clubs or societies which combine meeting english and french so we have the best of both worlds. We know some areas of the french alps but apart from Sarlat and the immediate area not sure where to make our next visit to in the Dordogne. In order to stay in France we must be comfortable with the area, people and more importantly health facilities. Also, how do people find the French in the Dordogne? There as been thsi stigma with the Dordogne for having so many Expats that this doesn't bode well the the locals.

Touraine

Give me Annecy over the Dordogne any day. Annecy is very 'international'.

I think the stigma with the Dordogne is more Brit on Brit like other such places in France. The French moved out years ago.

bobbi2

Hmm, we visit Annecy a lot. Very nice but mad in the Summer (like the Dordogne) and full of students. Hospitals in the area are nothing special either.

Touraine

???

Hospitals are nothing special in any area although I have never had a bad experience in all the areas I have lived in France.

At least you have one in Annecy (voted 2nd best place in France for quality of life in a recent report).

Le Genevois français, Annecy, Chambéry, Bourgoin-Jallieu dans le Top 10 des lieux où il fait bon vivre en France - France 3 Alpes

Then you have Grenoble (voted best place to retire to in France in another report) and Chambery sat in between.

Then you have the Dordogne voted best place to find a cheap house by the British.

bobbi2

I was interested to see Bourgoin Jallieu in that list. Very interesting. It is a complete and utter dump and according to locals is the hospital where people go to die! We live near Chambery hospital and that is pretty ropey to say the least. Grenoble sits in a valley of smog and like many french cities is not pretty! Quite an interesting article though thanks.

Touraine

You mean top 10 of the list.

I get it. The longer you live in France the more you get it. It is ideal if you think about it.

I agree about Grenoble. The smell gets me. Grenoble (I was once told) has the highest suicide rate in France.

In terms of the Dordogne, I would in all honesty prefer to move back to the UK.

Give me Val de Loire any day.

Scots in Treignac

It depends what type of Brit you are happy with . Some villages seem to be favoured by Guardian reading teachers. In others the Mail or the Telegraph are the label.If you want to meet French people go to activities where local people go.

Tweedpipe

And I wonder why that was......

petitefrancaise

Talking of hospitals....
there is a list done every year by lepoint.fr
http://www.lepoint.fr/hopitaux/tableau-d-honneur.php


Toulouse and Lille at the top of the list again. i know where I'd rather live if I had to choose by hospital!
Bordeaux is 3rd and Grenoble 12th.

They also list by speciality which might be useful if you have a particular concern. Of not much use to many but if you had the fairly rare disease of Ehlers Danloss syndrome, then the best place in Europe will be Toulouse which is the center of treatment/research into this disease. They have a professor that always reminded me of House... he sees patients and diagnoses those that nobody else can figure out.

I'm sure Bobbi has read JJMB's posts about her parents and her struggles with sorting them out in "retirement". JJMB's post about this ought to be a sticky I reckon. Although nobody would read it.....

Dordogneshire - well, it's pretty in the summer and dismal and quiet in the winter. My aunt and uncle semi-retired there and even though they spoke french, my uncle was working and they moved to an area which is teeming with people and things to do in the summer holidays, they were bored to tears in the winter when everyone just appears to hibernate.

Haute Savoie on the other hand, well plenty to do all year round.

dmu

There IS a sticky on the subject, following jjmb's thread. Maybe not many expats who are already here read the various threads in the FAQs, but potential expats are encouraged to read them if it's evident that they're not aware of the differences between life in France and life in the UK. It certainly saves repeating info every time....

Johnprofwhite

Anyone got any advice around the area of Saint Pardoux La Rivviere for retiring to, not that I am in the 70s and in a wheelchair � ����

petitefrancaise

ask away. My aunt and uncle lived there for 12 years but left about 3 years ago.

Johnprofwhite

that does not bode well then if they have left, going to pop over and visit during the colder months to get a feel for it in Dordogne. Will there be any winter/Christmas markets on or would it be better to go to Brantome, Nontron for example.

petitefrancaise

They had owned the house for 25 years and lived in semi-retirement for 12 years.

They got fed up with dealing with french bureaucracy, the winters in the area are dead, there's almost nothing going on and they were bored. It's beautiful in the summer of course but heaving with tourists especially in Brantome. Perigueuex was just a bit too far to go for shopping on a regular basis.

Their daughter had bought a house in Wales near their family home (which they had kept) so they sold up (took 2 years to sell, as is normal). They had also witnessed friends of theirs getting older and needing more care - and realised that they didn't want to end up in a french nursing home or indeed being too old to look after themselves in their house and a long way from family.

Having said all that, the 25 years they had owned the house had been enjoyable. They'd just reached the end of their french life.

They now own a very plush caravanette with which they tour southern europe in the winter months.

cyrian

Sums up the issues that many expats don't consider when they make the move.
I am glad that they kept their UK home which would make the return to the UK easier.
Many can't do that.