lavandula

Hi, nice thread, I am following with interest. Can I suggest that your wife starts getting French lessons - or a gentle head-start with Duolingo - now? It would be incredibly frustrating and isolating moving somewhere where you could not for example take yourself off for a haircut or deal with the local authorities, and God forbid if something happened to you (hospital????), where would your wife turn to for help with limited French? None of these things are insurmountable, but they do require forward planning. We are planning for a part-time retirement to Belgium (some years off still) and my husband has started with Duolingo French (well, he likes computer games and also does the music and German versions). But we know that language is the mainstay. When I retire, which will be a little bit before my husband, I will start taking French lessons again (I think I am around the B2 level, but have a passive command of C1). I have enough French to cope well, and good Dutch, but we need at least one of us to be really fluent in French. You could at least investigate who gives French lessons in the area you pick to try out first.

Lavandula

lrice

So jealous, And 6-8 years away for us!

We spent a month in Aix in 2021 and LOVED it! Highly recommend due to freeways, proximity to Coast, Luberon and more, the lifestyle, English-speaking, beauty, markets, and more,

kerouac

I would look in the area of Montpellier.

lrice

kerouac I hear mixed reviews about Montpellier. Can you say more about it for readers here?

hetismij2

You may find this website helpful.
https://mafrenchlife.com/category/settling-in-france/

Note the information on drivers licences on the site as well as the rest of the info.

Given one of your reasons for the move is political I would hang on until after the EU elections in June.

StuDudley

We were in Montpellier for 1 night last year. But we had been there several times in the past. Fabulous city!!! The only negative, which most people would think was a positive, was the restricted/no-car-access for most of downtown. So if you stay there, I have no idea as to how difficult it wold be to keep a car. Unless you stayed just outside of downtown and have a reserved parking spot. They have good public transportation, however (as does most French cities).

Stu Dudley

worldwidewinetours

I absolutely concur. Debbie is already doing her homework. I am doing my best to speak only French at home, and then I immediately translate to reinforce what she hears, then I ask her to repeat. Sort of like a 24/7 classroom

worldwidewinetours

That is absolutely one of the areas we are researching. We both love Arles, and on our last trip we drove from Paris to Rome over a seven-week span. Arles was one of the highlights, but it was one of the worst for negotiating with a vehicle. I chose an Airbnb directly on Blvd de Lices so as to be close to the marche. Parking for four days was EXPENSIVE. So we want to be within easy driving distance, but prefer a quieter, more rural area for our home base. We plan 2 weeks in this area, and another three weeks in the Carcassonne region.

bilboburgler

or just convert to using public transport more

joduhl

We spent a month in Montpellier last February and really liked it. We found it to be a very manageable city in terms of getting around, with diverse attractions - historic sites, wonderful food markets, interesting neighborhoods, lots to do. This is what I wrote after our trip about why we loved the city: · The trams are great – reliable, efficient, clean, fast, and soon to be free for all

· There are very nice residential areas around the city, with lots of greenery and easy access to downtown. This apartment is in an olive grove. It gets lots of light.

· The historic city is interesting – good shopping, many food markets. It is easy to navigate.

· The government appears to be progressive

· The location is great – easy access to lots of other places. We did not go to the beach since it is winter, but there are supposed to be many beautiful beaches very close to the city

· The climate – lots of sunshine, temperate

· People are friendly and helpful to visitors.

· The Saturday market at Les Arceaux is wonderful

· Boulangeries on every block – baguettes, cookies

· The population is very diverse – racially, ethnically, age wise, dress, ability