Living in France (1 Viewer)

[sally47]

Hi all we are moving to France in March hoping for a more peaceful lifestyle and slightly better weather anyone else live their and are you glad you did always a bit apprehensive but decision made and looking forward would appreciate any comments

 

[ianthebuilder]

I think it's beautiful in France!!
I hope it lives up to your expectations,,

But remember this,,,,, if you live in a rural area You have to be in bed, asleep by 9 pm. It seems to be the law!!! Xxxx enjoy,,,

 

[Munchie]

Lived in the Haute Vienne for going on 5 years! Absolute tranquility! Love it and intend seeing out my days here!
Ask @laneside

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[Pilote87]

Hi @sally47 we are also in the Haute Vienne. Love it. Been here about 10 years. Even in winter. Haven't yet figured out why / how, but when it snows the road past our house is always cleared within 24 hours. Yet our road is only just wide enough for a tractor to use. Excellent service. Healthcare good, but the necessary insurance top-up can be expensive.

If you have specific questions then put them on here or send them in a conversation to any of us who are France-based. I am sure any of us will respond.

John

 

[laneside]

Hi all we are moving to France in March hoping for a more peaceful lifestyle and slightly better weather anyone else live their and are you glad you did always a bit apprehensive but decision made and looking forward would appreciate any comments

Obviously France does not appear to be for everyone, but we and several more have no regrets whatsoever. Certainly rural France is England forty years ago before it hit the slippery slope. Yes initially the apparent red tape is a wee bit daunting but we have had a laugh with all the offices we have had to deal with. There are some people that come here and want to change things like back home, these people should stay in England, accept France for being far far better and you can chuck your BP pills in the bin and really enjoy it. Hey we have just gone into the French tax system and are now 2 k a year better off oh and our property rates are almost halved and our parking fees are now a complete nil.

 

[Fenman]

We've owned our French house for 16 years spending about 12 weeks a year here.
Retired in July and finally sold our English house and in the process of doing all the necessary for living here permanently.
Have always loved our village having been welcomed by one and all.
Just had a logburner fitted for the winter warming and thoroughly enjoying being here full time.
Next major job is to get ourselves a motorhome so we can wander Europe at our leisure.
Good luck with your move. One word of advice above all else - learn the language. My grammar is awful, great trouble with il and elle, vous and tu and as for avoir and etre . . . . But we try and that gets you lots of help and patience.
Second advice, get a VPN and organise Facetime or Skype for free chats with family.

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[Munchie]

I don't have a VPN and use skype both on Android and Windows 10. All over Europe.

 

[moulin 87]

We are another couple who are in Haute Vienne, had the house here for 15 years, lived here 12...You make the life you want, quiet if you want it, sociable as you want it...

Find yourself a good insurance/finance agent, they will be a major asset in making everything run smoothly and help with the bureaucracy...If you haven't come across 'Assurance Vie' read up on it...

Don't believe everything you've heard about the weather it can be chilly and grey at times...Though even in the Haute Vienne the weather is generally better than southern UK on 320 days a year...

As has been said contact any of us for further info...

 

[moulin 87]

I don't have a VPN and use skype both on Android and Windows 10. All over Europe.

We use a VPN for TV iplayer etc...

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[Hollyberry]

I lived in rural France for about 8 years.
It can get very cold in winter, even in areas like Dordogne, but log burners plays lots of logs = cosy.
It does get quiet in the winter, but local restaurants, bars etc still open, though sometimes on reduced hours.
The red tapes not as scary as sometimes made out to be. And there is always help. I got an English speaking accountant to register me and complete my first tax return.
There's probably an Anglo Info forum for the area you want to be in. Useful for advice, finding local suppliers etc Most French banks have an English speaker that will help you set up your account and you can call on them if you gave any banking problems.
As long as you make the effort to speak French, no matter how poor, smile and say please and thank you a lot, and always introduce yourselves to neighbours, you'll be fine.
It's peaceful, roads are quiet, road rage doesn't exist in the countryside, teenagers and children are happier and more sociable and polite and family life and manners rule!
Enjoy.

 

[Munchie]

We use a VPN for TV iplayer etc...

Yes you have to. But Skype is fine i use mine all the time with video to relatives in UK.
Whatsapp also works well.

 

[maison]

We have had a holiday home in Burgundy for the last eleven years spending approx. 6 months there each year.

I agree with other posters regarding trying to speak the language. In our area almost no-one speaks English. Why would they?

However, they treat my attempts to use their language with good humour, even when I make terrible mistakes. After one particular faux pas I apologised for my fractured French only to be greeted by a smile and a Gallic shrug and being told not to forget that my French was much better than their English. Things didn't seem so daunting after that.

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[Fenman]

I don't have a VPN and use skype both on Android and Windows 10. All over Europe.

My post didn't mean you need vpn for Skype. Just that those two things are very useful. VPN so you can get iPlayer, ITV Hub, OnDemand etc., the Skype/Facetime is just free contact by video with friends and family.

 

[sally47]

Thanks for your replies guys really nice comments interested in the one from Pilote87 how much would the top up insurance cost please

 

[Munchie]

We pay approx €125 a month for medium cover. That is for both of us.

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[moulin 87]

We pay approx €125 a month for medium cover. That is for both of us.

Question for the 'older' expats, do you still need Top Up with an S1? Just planning for the future...We pay roughly the same figure..

 

[Munchie]

Yes! we are on S1's

 

[Munchie]

S1 entitles us to same care as French so yes topup is needed. Unless you feel you can afford the amount CPAM does not pay.
Example... see doctor pay them €23 up front. CPAM repays into my account approx €17. Topup repays me the rest.

Warning......when topup says 100% it means 100% of what CPAM pays NOT total cost! So if your bill is €150 CPAM pays €50 topup pays €50 the rest is down to you.

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[Pilote87]

Thanks for your replies guys really nice comments interested in the one from Pilote87 how much would the top up insurance cost please

As per @Munchie, but premiums are age-related. I've just sent a note to our agency to let them know that for two long-standing treatments - blood coagulation and gout-like problems - I now get 100% payment by the state so I expecting a small refund from them.

We are in the UK at the moment so can't check our "ledger" for the actual costs, but seem to remember we have quite good cover, including dentistry and optician work. I have just had my eyes tested here and will collect new spectacles next Monday, so I will take my bill back home with me and send it on to the insurance agency for reimbursement. The essential cover is for in-patient hospital treatment as that can work out really expensive.

I fully concur with the previous posters about speaking some French. Lessons local to Châlus (near us) are about 20€ per hour per couple, probably better than having group lessons. I would also urge you to consider joining a French club as that almost forces you into speaking and listening to the language. Listen to the radio, watch French television from time to time, anything to reinforce what you already understand. As I have mentioned previously on this forum, we joined a French motorhome club and regularly participate in their "rallies". This has at least two benefits. Firstly, we have free language lessons each time we go away. Secondly, we get to see little corners of France we would be unlikely to find on our own. Mind you, Now we are well integrated into the club we have had our arms twisted to organise visits to the UK for our members, in 2014 and this year.

John

 

[SmithsInFrance]

We've lived in Deux-Sèvres for 12 years and really feel it is home. Agree with just about everything everyone else has said, our rural area does seem to be about 40 years behind England in lots of ways (traffic, pace of life, family values, shop opening hours, the list is endless).

Speaking French is essential to really make it home and be part of the community - fluent is great but not essential, as long as you try and smile you will be fine in most situations, and there are plenty of expats around to give help and advice (although you do have to be a bit careful - but I'm sure you will be fine with the people on MHF!).

The only thing to be careful about is property prices - they are mostly much cheaper than UK (especially in rural areas) but they do not go up very quickly and in some cases have seen huge drops. So just be aware that if you come totally out of the UK market you may not be able to buy back in if you decide to return in a few years time - we know several people who are stuck in that situation.

But it's a great adventure, a great life - good luck and enjoy

 

[SmithsInFrance]

As I have mentioned previously on this forum, we joined a French motorhome club and regularly participate in their "rallies". This has at least two benefits. Firstly, we have free language lessons each time we go away.

Totally agree! If you really feel you need lessons, then at least make sure it is with a French person (can't understand why so many Brits have lessons from other Brits) and then socialise as much as you can with neighbours, acquaintances, join a club.

We did ballroom dancing for a couple of years, great way to meet people and improve your language skills (if not your dancing skills... oops!). Invite your neighbours in for an aperitif and you will have an evening's free lesson and a great time too. First time we went to dinner with French friends we were utterly exhausted by midnight: 5 hours non-stop French but what a sense of achievement after just a few months

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[Allanm]

We have been holidaying in France for over 30 years, bought a house in Brittany 3 years ago and sold our house in August this year. We live in France about 3 months at a time, returning to the UK to visit family for a couple of weeks, living in the van.
We will move there permanently soon, we still have work to do on the house ( install new heating system, a pellet stove, and new floors) we don't worry about the house price difference, we won't be leaving France, unless we move to Portugal in a few years.
We are in the UK now, back to France till the new year ( heating permitted) tomorrow.
We love the way of life there and are lucky to live in a small friendly village with a new Boulangerie close by.
There are a couple of other English families around who we see occasionally, but we mingle with the locals more.
Living in France? Highly recommended

 

[gus-lopez]

I think it's beautiful in France!!
I hope it lives up to your expectations,,

But remember this,,,,, if you live in a rural area You have to be in bed, asleep by 9 pm. It seems to be the law!!! Xxxx enjoy,,,

fascinates me when driving early evening/at night. Like everyone has been spirited away.