English communities in france?

Question

We're thinking of moving to southern france but want a area that has expats.

Answer 1

In the area south of Bergerac bordering the Lot et Garonne, if one walks down the main street in the small town of Eymet on a market day one hears more brit' voices than locals and that is not only in the tourist season. I find also that even though there is a large brit' population in the area almost all the natives are friendly. The traders love us, after all we are boosting their sales. As others have said, learn a few words of French, it helps and is always appreciated.

Answer 2

There's a couple of prisons down there, but none come to mind right now.

What did you two do that forced you to move there?

Answer 3

You'll find ex pats everywhere you go in the world. If you are moving to France then it's vital you learn French and muck in with the locals. It's easy and you'll never regret it. In France there certainly are a few Brits who get together to whinge about marmite and custard powder but most avoid them like the plague. Then there are many who are only here for 2 weeks of the year.  If you really would be happier in an English speaking community I would suggest you look at Spain

Answer 4

there are hardly, if any, english speaking areas in france. france doesnt want to change their language to english. if there are any english speaking areas in france, id say theyd be in the northern regions closer to england (normandy region). in southern france, they speak french mostly and maybe a little spanish or italian.

Answer 5

You wont have any problems finding EEnglish speaking communities in southern France. That area is completely saturated with mainly British. I saw on French TV that there are villages that are 40% English!

This is a good publication to check out;

http://www.connexionfrance.com/

another one;

http://www.brit-mag.com/

This is an American site but this is a good list of links;

http://www.americansinfrance.net/Links/L...

Most of the English speakers in France are in the Paris region or down in the South. I can't name exact cities but places that can easily be reached by air from Britain would be logical.

I will warn you that there is a bit of "chagrin" against this invasion. My husband works in agriculture so I hear it on the other side. Buying up the best properties, driving prices up, not making an effort to integrate, etc.

If you move here, please make an effort with the language and culture or it could be a very difficult move. It's fun to connect with the expat community but it can be claustrophobic and transient sometimes. Keeping it balanced is key.

Moving to France means living with the French. If you want to hang with English speakers, perhaps a rethink on the move is in order.

Good luck!