Where would you live in France if you could choose?

[toddlerhip]

I am a SAHM of a 16mo and we suddenly have the chance to move to SW Europe. We would pick France, but where...?

Yes toddler the heat, I find it can get really stiffling.

AuldAlliance - not only do I entirely agree with you that organising one's life on the supposition that cheap air travel is going to continue is crazy optimistic, but I fear that my own family's life, organised around Eurostar stopping at Ashford has been totally messed around with since the advent of Ebbsfleet/St Pancras. No more direct Eurostars from Ashford to Brussels (my sister lives in Amsterdam), and only three Paris-Ashford and Ashford-Paris trains a day. Grrrrrrrrr.

How about Annecy or Aix les Bains, both beautiful lakeside cities within a 1.30mins drive from Lyon airport. Annecy in particular is beautiful, if a tad expensive... Aix less expensive, much less of an expat community, but still lovely.Both are close to the mountains, and only a 5hr drive down to the south coast for holidays.

Not 3 hours from the nearest airport, 12 hours from the ferry, and at the top of the steepest hill practically on a mountain, with the nearest shop a 10 min drive away, when you have 4 grandchildren under 4!

Sorry, rant

Toulouse is great.
Lyons is also worth thinking about.

Thanks all for these. We have decided we have just moved too often lately & are just starting to settle. dh is going to go for the equivalent job in the UK instead. But we still like the idea. So we are going to research more and visit some of the places you've suggested & do things slowly.

La Rochelle is gorgeous. We are spending July-September near there this year (coming from Australia) and are really looking forward to it. There is an airport.

Lyon is great, direct flights to Edinburgh and easy train access to train to Geneva for daily Scotland flights. Big parks, easy access to skiing, nice weather (though bloody hot in the summer, most people leave).

Just responding to your question about being a SAHM in France. It’s not that common - most women go back to work pretty quickly and the state childcare system supports that. It’s not a popular choice to stay at home with a child and things to do tend to revolve around this. So expat networks are very useful if you are looking for things to do during the week and a group of friends to do it with.

OP wrote her post 18 years ago….