rosearthur

Where would the best areas be in France for expats wanting to move up into the mountains, please? Not toooo far from civilisation.

Peabrain

Hi,
Depends what you mean by mountains. The Massif Central is mountainous, one of France's many beautiful regions, there are ski resorts, and it is very close to Clermont Ferrand, although Clermont can't exactly lay claim to being one of France's many beautiful cities. It's civilized though. Grenoble is very close to the Alps, but is one of France's most polluted cities, and from what I've seen, not very nice. However it is very close to the beautiful Massif du Vercors, whose highest point is well over 2,000 metres. Lyon is also always praised for being close to both the sea and the mountains, neither of which claims is true, as it takes a couple of hours to reach the Alps, and over three to get to the coast by car. But people that live in Lyon are besotted with their city for reasons that tend to escape me.
If money is not an issue, why not try the Côte d'Azur? Places like Menton are very nice, and not very far away from the fabulous valley of the Mercantour, one of France's real treasures. Or why not try Biarritz, Perpignan, Foix, whatever, to be close to the Pyrenees.
But what are you looking for? Winters in the mountains are hard, boring, black and white, freezing cold and the ski resorts get taken over by gross, loud-mouthed Russians, or Brits, lots of whom sound like clones of J. Clarkson, with the mandatory Range Rover and their bored children in tow. If I were you I'd choose a place like Biarritz. There are the mountains, the Atlantic coast and Spain just down the road. The climate is mild in the winter and the ocean cools in the summer.
Best of luck anyway. Let us know where you choose to land. And do your preparation well. Spend six months renting in the place you fancy most.
PB

Chatter Static

What are you after when you say up a mountain, I recently moved away from Ariege in hamlet near Foix and best describe it like Wales 50 years ago. We spent 10 years there and wouldn't consider returning just one of those learning curves in life. The region is renowned amongst the French as being insular even to French people that move into the region.

Groundhog day with cheese

If you move there with children you can guarantee that when they come of age they will move away to Toulouse or somewhere else if they are remotely educated as the region offers little to the younger generation. But if you are looking for a lifestyle with lots of hippies/alternative folk Saint Girons has an interesting saturday market where you can smell folk smoking lots of herb. The region has one of France's highest suicide rates in younger people for a reason.

dmu

Hi, you seem to be doing the Tour de France, looking for somewhere to settle! I'll leave it to mountain-dwellers to advise, there are one or two in the Savoie area and C-S who's just moved from the Pyrénées, but I wouldn't encourage you to move into the mountains if you want to earn money with your various artistic activities. You'd need to be close to civilisation in order to find work/clients.
If, on the other hand, you've been dissuaded from working, I still wouldn't think it advisable to move to such a "hostile" environment if you're approaching retirement age, unless there are adequate medical facilities nearby. I think all Seniors would agree that, as you get older, you need medical treatment more and more.
Maybe if you give more info and your present intentions workwise, you'll get more advice on the best type of place to settle in.

rosearthur

Thank so much for all your advice. Just putting out feelers at the moment. Going to Dordogne on hol for a wk at end of month. That'll be nice!

Peabrain

Not exactly the mountains though, is it!

EuroTrash

Not exactly France either, is it? Oops

lauralablanca

You should come to Annecy! It's a half-hour drive to the local ski resorts, though you can see the mountains from town. The town itself is gorgeous and it has quick links to Geneva (40 minutes or so) which is great for job-hunters and airport links.

On the downside, property to rent or buy is very expensive compared to the French average, and salaries locally aren't always brilliant.

So it may be hard to live in luxury, but the mountains, the town, the culture all make up for it.

bigglesworth

That made me laugh!

bobbi2

Check out the Savoie region. It is only an hour to the slopes, but gives you wonderful french villages, the lakes, and great countryside. Property prices aren't cheap, and not much selection, but if you are prepared to hold out for the right place, is an amazing area.

rosearthur

So, continuing my general research on the possibility of moving to France, which area in the Dordogne would be the most popular for British expats?

cyrian

It is not called Dordogneshire for nothing - all of it

dmu

Hi, you said earlier that you were coming to the Dordogne for a holiday at the end of the month. You'll see (or hear!) for yourselves!

grannybunz

Do you want mountains for skiing, walking or just because you fancy mountains?

Have a look at the Luberon or the Alpes de Haute Provence. The latter is reasonable, property wise but finding work may not be easy. Lots of artists etc.

Here you get the best of both worlds. An hour or so to the mountains and 90 minutes or so to the coast (though not in summer). Blinking cold in winter however.