Moving to France: Monito’s In-Depth Guide To Moving to and Living in France in 2022

Healthcare in France

French healthcare is highly regarded. It provides cover in public and private hospitals, and access to doctors and other medical professionals. It is a system that applies to all residents of France regardless of a person’s age, income or status. In short, the French health care system and coverage are available to everyone living here, even foreigners.

Most French healthcare costs are covered by the state through the public French healthcare insurance scheme. Residents in France must have to register with a local French health insurer via a CPAM office near their domicile. It is also mandatory to register with a French doctor, who becomes your GP (General Practitioner). in order to be reimbursed by the French healthcare system, residents go to this GPR for most treatments or initial assessments and, if referred by their GP, they will go to a specialist for certain needs.

Safety in France

France is a safe country will low crime rates and corruption all around. While crime does exist, it usually involves non-violent offenses such as theft and pickpocketing.

Right. Pros and cons are highly subjective. It’s all about your attitude and how you approach issues and challenges. Be open. Accept that things won’t be the same as at home (and that you will probably face heaps of bureaucracy plus strikes that interrupt daily life — more on that later). No country is perfect — there will always be reasons why you may not want to move to France. But, adapting, integrating and discovering a country — including both its shiny, lovely features and its drawbacks — is part of the adventure of moving and living abroad.

Rhys Kentish on Unsplash

Weather in France

France is vast, and its climate is highly variable. If you’re heading to Paris or central France, the climate is continental with four distinct seasons. Cold, wet winters, sometimes with snow. Summers are generally warm, spring and autumn bring temperate changeable fare. There’s the oceanic type of climate in the western parts of France with a more limited temperature range. This climate is defined by plenty of rain and high humidity, cooler summers, and chilly but seldom extremely cold or snowy winters. The Mediterranean climate dominates the south of France (but not the southern alps, which are colder) and offers cool winters, hot summers, low rainfall and lots of sunshine. The alpine region offers cold, snowy winters, short but temperate summers and chilly autumn and spring.

Transportation

Larger cities like Paris, Lyon and Marseille have extensive metro systems and it’s easy to get around by public transport. Beyond these, most major, substantial cities and towns have a local bus or tram system. For longer distances, trains and bus systems run by offer decent connections.  In rural areas, bus and/or train service may be limited and cars are the best way to get around. A recent addition to transport options is Bla Bla Car, a ride-sharing/carpool service that is popular across Europe and is headquartered in Paris. Your search for a route via their mobile app and get connected to drivers and see the costs, and can read reviews for drivers too. It’s often an affordable way to get around and sometimes offers better options for routes not served well by public transport

If you want to own a car, which is quite mandatory if you live in the French countryside. France’s road network is extensive and is generally in good shape. Most major motorways are toll roads.

Strikes (La Grève)

Strikes (la grève in French) are a part of life in France. It is a cultural element of local society and can affect every part of daily life, from transport and the post to public service offices and beyond. In general, there is a strike season that usually begins around April and lasts for a few months, sometimes longer, but strikes can happen any time of year. There are a variety of strike calendars, including C’est la grève, though there are countless, especially on a local level. Individual sites, like SNCF and TER (the main nationwide and regional train companies), will also list strikes in advance on their websites.

What Are the Best Places To Live in France?

Foreigners live across France. While there are some regions that see a larger number of foreigners or specifically retirees, non-French residents are spread across the country. Sun worshippers and retirees often head for the South of France, from coastal areas of the Cote d’Azur to more hilly and inland Provence, while many people working full-time tend to live in Paris, the centre of business and commerce, or Rhone Alpes, where many foreigners live in France but work across the border in Geneva, Switzerland. Apart from that, other rural areas often attract foreigners who want a taste of the French countryside, from Normandy and Brittany (popular with Brits who don’t want hot weather and would like to be closer to the UK) to central areas like the Loire or Poitou-Charentes regions.