Where to live in Paris western suburbs?

[KateinParis]

Hi, I’m looking for advice on where to live in the area of SGEL, Le Vesinet, Chatou, Croissy, Montesson

My kids are now just out of school so that’s not a factor, but my dd (18) will be with us. Moving in September for 3-5 years for dh work.
I’d like to be able to get into Paris easily and be able to walk fairly easily to the RER, cafes etc.
We’re also going to be renting a house, is there a way of finding out which houses are coming to the end of their tenancy before they hit Seloger?
I’d be very grateful for any thoughts or advice! Thanks!

The British School is in Croissy, so lots of Brits around there (which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preference!) but as a result there are a reasonable number in that wider area too. SGEL, Le Vesinet, Chatou/Croissy all much of a muchness in terms of RER into Paris and the extra stop or two on the train makes less difference than distance from the station.

Saint Germain significantly bigger than the others in terms of things to walk to locally.

I did used to live in the area but a looong time ago so would want to mooch around those areas to get a feel for them - can you do a visit beforehand?

Thank you so much. Yes we’re planning a trip to have a look around the areas and get a feel for them. My brother used to live in Le Vesinet but, a very long time ago! Hoping there will be some more houses coming up for rent as people give notice. Thanks again 😊

We moved to Le Vesinet when we first arrived; we’re now in Chatou. LV is more expensive. We prefer Chatou as it’s more lively. Ideally you want walking distance to the station. Both are great areas. Literally 15 mins from Chatou to Etoile on the RER. Montesson is cheaper, but further out; my friends who live there tend to drive to LV before getting a train up to Paris. Croissy super nice, but houses close to the BSP are in high demand, hence higher priced, and again you can be a decent walk or a car journey from Chatou-Croissy station.

I agree with PP that you want to be close/walking distance to the respective RER stations (LV has two; Centre and LV Le Pecq); there’s literally 3 mins journey time on the RER between LV and Chatou, so you could live anywhere between SGEL and Chatou, but it’s the walking distance to the station that is key.

SGEL is a lovely town; much bigger, but you’ll want to live close enough to the centre to avoid having to drive in order to get the RER. Once people live outside SGEL, they tend to drive to LV and pick up RER there are more parking options.

Btw, there’s a great local community here, both expat and French. There’s a local AVF committee that runs a welcome to France programme starting every September; great way to find out how it all works, and meet new people. Lots of walking tour groups in and around Paris. French-English conversations group that meets weekly during school term; good way to meet both French and international folk. It really is a great area to live in. Feel free to pm for more information.

I don't live in Paris, but moved to France some 3 years ago.

I would just echo that the AVF is a wonderful organisation for meeting people and getting settled into your locality.

https://avf-union-nationale.fr/