Mougins
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
- Exquisite old village which was Picasso’s home for many years, is currently full of galleries including the highly regarded FAMM(Female Artists of the Mougins Museum), a small museum with major female artists including Frida Kahlo and Mary Cassatt
- Ample active English speaking community
- Just 15 minutes from Cannes, 10 minutes from Grasse,
- A low crime rate,
- A major international school,
- Famous worldwide for its restarants
Possible Minuses
- Quite expensive
- A relatively dense gathering of British expats
- The old village is exquisite to the point of ..... not entirely feeling like a village, more like a musuem
- Highly built up, with a resulting feel of suburban sprawl in some areas.
Antibes
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
Antibes’ Old Town and central city are compact and easily walkable. It feels like a small town, with its ramparts perched on the sea; but has the conveniences and amenities of a much larger city. There are great beaches at your feet, and it’s easy to take day trips by train to anywhere along the coast. Because of Port Vauban, there are many English living or visiting the area, and English is spoken at least a little in most places.
Possible Minuses
In the warmer months, especially July and August, the city is crowded, noisy, and can seem buried in tourists.
Nimes
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
- Superbly connected by public transport
- Charming medieval center….loads of great events throuhout the year
- All the modern stuff easily reachable via buses on the outskirts of the city.
- Nimes’ amazing Roman past
- BritsNimes…a wonderfully welcoming group of newcomers (not all Brits!) who speak English and are always happy to meet someone.
Possible Minuses
- There are a few neighborhoods in Nimes that where you would need to be careful of your safety.
- For a city this size, it's weekly market is not as wonderful as most French market towns. It does however have a wonderful indoor daily market that is fabulous!
- While it's not a cold city (It is actually often mentioned as the hottest city in France!) it does have the wind. (Either Mistral or Tramontine, and they can be really cold in winter, no matter what the thermometer says!)
Dinan
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
- The beauty,
- The sense of history, especially via the architecture
- The river
- The deep Celtic cultural ties.
- The train station
Possible Minuses
This is a tourist town. A pretty, steep, cobblestone town.
Yvetot
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
-
- On a main train line (and a TGV stop) , so easy to get around France
- Normandy has a healthy population of English speakers (thanks to its proximity to the UK) and you’ll find the region and its inhabitants quite used to English-speaking newcomers.
- The first St. Peter’s Church, built in the 16th century, was destroyed in 1940 by German bombing. A new church, the Round Church, was rebuilt in 1956 on the principle of a circular plan. Its stained glass window made by Max Ingrand is considered the largest in Europe with 1,046 m2. The building has been registered as a historical monument since October 8, 2001.
- On a main train line, so easy to get around France
- Normandy has a healthy population of English speakers (thanks to its proximity to the UK) and you’ll find the region and its inhabitants quite used to English-speaking newcomers.
Possible Minuses
Do you know Yvetot personally? Tell us about it's possible drawbacks here
Vienne
Special pluses
and possible minuses
Special Pluses
- Well connected to city conveniences and culture (Lyon and Paris) by train while missing the price and crowding of city life
- Not remotely an “expat” mecca
- Easy access to Switzerland, and to ski resorts in France
- Architecturally, a merging of Roman and medieval France
Possible Minuses
- Relatively 'un-international"
- Weather lacks the sunny south appeal; more cloudy than not
