View from the Foothills of France Some personal views on living, working,
bringing up family and making the dream happen in the most beautiful region of France. View from the Foothills of France also includes some personal and professional thoughts and tips on finding and buying the perfect property in the Ariège and Haute Garonne regions.
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By nadia, on 17th September 2025 
Buying a house and making the move to France is not as complicated as it sometimes might seem but there are a few boxes that you need to tick if you want the process to be as stress-free as possible. Below is a very simple 10-step checklist to make sure you don’t miss any of the essentials, from finding a property to obtaining the correct visa, making the move, sorting out all the administration and, finally, settling into your new life in France.
- Define your location and budget
Research different regions of France and decide what lifestyle suits you best whether that be countryside, village or town, bustling community, or isolated hideaway and then the type of property you are looking for and the transport links. Factor in property prices, notaire fees, renovation costs, and local taxes.
- Find your home
I might be biased on this one, but I would suggest you use a property finder; finding the perfect house in France is not as easy as it is in other countries and can be very time consuming and frustrating. Take your time and also, once you have found your house, be prepared for the buying process to take a good four months from offer to completion. And that the paperwork will be in French.
- Secure financing
If you are hoping to buy with a French mortgage, open dialogue early with banks or mortgage brokers. Non-residents can obtain French loans, but proof of income and larger deposits (20–30%) are usually required.
- Apply for the right visa
Non-EU citizens moving permanently must apply for a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour, VLS-TS) before arriving in France. After your first year, you can apply for a renewable residence permit, a carte de séjour pluriannuelle (multi-year residence permit). From January 2026, you’ll need A2 French proficiency (that is to say you can handle very simple everyday tasks in French). After five years of legal residence, you may apply for permanent residency or even French citizenship. For a permanent carte de séjour 10 ans, you will need B1 French (you can cope with routine conversations, understand main points of clear speech, and write simple phrases) and to show integration, a stable income, tax compliance, and a fixed residence.
- Plan to move of your belongings
If you’re importing household goods, use an international removals company experienced with French customs. Goods for personal use can usually be imported duty-free, but you’ll need a detailed inventory and proof of your change of residence.
- Bring your pets
Dogs, cats, and ferrets need a microchip, valid rabies vaccination, and a pet passport or health certificate. Check the latest EU entry rules well ahead of time to avoid quarantine delays. Once you are in France, register at your local vet and get a pet passport and then you can travel easily.
- Open a French bank account
A local bank account is essential for paying utilities, taxes, and receiving income. Some banks allow you to open an account with a passport and proof of address, while others may ask for a residence permit. Online banks such as Boursorama or traditional ones like Crédit Agricole are popular choices.
- Arrange healthcare and insurance
Register with the French health system (Assurance Maladie) once you are resident but expect a waiting period of up to three months. In the meantime, private health insurance is required. Most residents also take out a mutuelle (top-up insurance) to cover costs not reimbursed by the state.
- Sort out daily life logistics
Register at your local Mairie, sign up for utilities (water, electricity, internet), don’t be scared to ask for help and sign up for French lessons; having a good grasp of French will help enormously with integration.
- Embrace the French way of life
Moving is not just about paperwork. Take the time to connect with neighbours, explore local markets, join some clubs, and accept that most places here still close for lunch and on Sundays and nothing happens very quickly so it is best to relax into the slower rhythms of French life and eventually you will begin to adapt and enjoy and wonder what all the rush was about anyway.
With the right preparation, your move to France can be smooth and deeply rewarding but, as with everything, a lot of the long-term success is founded in the early planning stages. If you need help with your move to France, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com
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By nadia, on 30th July 2025 
There are inevitably 101 things to think about when looking to buy a home in France and there will also always be those things you forget to consider however carefully you have done your planning. Now however, there is increasingly something else to think about; climate change and how that might impact any property you buy now and in the future.
Wildfires, droughts, flooding, and extreme weather events seem to be increasingly regular occurrences which can only lead to a greater emphasis not just on how we live but also where.
In the past, many people, particularly those from more northern climes, have dreamed of owning a house in the sunshine of the Côte D’Azur or amongst the lavender fields of Provence. Demand, however, is now strongly shifting towards regions with more rainfall and less extreme summer heat as everywhere gets hotter and drier and weather patterns more pronounced.
Of course, nowhere is immune from climate change but, when deciding where to buy a property, it is worth looking at the average temperatures throughout the year, particularly the peaks and troughs as well as the yearly rainfall in order to get an idea of the weather trends in the area. Check out recent fire and flood history in the region too.
In terms of choosing a house, for both extreme heat and cold, old stone properties have much better natural insulation thanks to the thick, stone walls meaning they stay much cooler in summer than new houses, but they also retain the heat better in winter. Plus, shutters are not just to look pretty, they do a fantastic job of keeping the heat out or in depending on the time of year. A north facing terrace in summer is also vital; much as it is lovely to sit and face south, looking at the mountains in winter, in summer you will appreciate being able to relax in the shade on the northern side of the house. And don’t buy a house on a flood plain!
So just a few more things to think about when choosing a region and a house either for a permanent home or a holiday house.
If you would like some help in narrowing your search area and finding your perfect house, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com
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By nadia, on 4th July 2025 
Every July, like clockwork, France transforms. Roads are re-surfaced, village squares are swept, bunting is hung, and roadsides fill with picnickers and painted slogans. For three glorious weeks, the country is gripped by a kind of collective madness: the Tour de France has arrived. Even if you don’t know your peloton from your polka dots, it’s hard not to be swept up in this rolling love letter to France.
A race like no other
First held in 1903 to boost sales of the newspaper L’Auto, the cyclists in the Tour de France cover around 3,500 kilometres, over 21 punishing stages. This year it begins on July 7th and during the tour, riders will tackle soaring mountain climbs, cobbled farm roads, dizzying descents and even the odd dash through city streets at 70km per hour. It is one of the toughest sporting events in the world.
And yet, it remains gloriously French. Where else would you find a race that pauses for lunch? (No longer but, in the early days, riders stopped to eat steak and wine mid-stage.) Where else would a podium ceremony involve flowers, champagne and kisses on both cheeks?
Some Tour facts
• The average Tour de France rider burns around 6,000 calories a day—more than double what most people eat.
• Over 12 million spectators line the roads each year, making it the biggest annual sporting event in the world.
• The highest point in the race is the Col de l’Iseran in the Alps at a lung-bursting 2,770 metres.
• The youngest winner was Henri Cornet, aged just 19, back in 1904.
• The most decorated rider is Eddy Merckx, who won five Tours
For most people it is not just about the cycling
For many, the real magic lies in what the Tour reveals: winding châteaux-dotted valleys, lavender-streaked hills, windswept coastlines and tucked-away mountain hamlets you might otherwise never discover. It’s a moving travel brochure, filmed and narrated with Gallic flair.
Each stage is a mini love letter to a region, complete with swooping helicopter shots of vineyards, abbeys, Roman bridges and hilltop villages with red-tiled roofs. You could plan a lifetime of holidays based on the route alone and, in fact, many of my clients have bought a home in this region having seen television footage of the rolling foothills and pretty valleys backed by the snow-capped Pyrenees as the Tour passed through. It is estimated that the Tour is watched by 3.5 billion people worldwide during the three weeks.
Here in southwest France, the arrival of the Tour is more than an event, it is a holiday. Roads close, gendarmes appear, and neighbours gather outside houses and along every road with flasks of coffee and folding chairs at dawn. The caravane publicitaire (a wild procession of floats, freebies and fancy dress) passes first, tossing sweets, hats and inflatable sausages to the crowd. It is chaotic, joyful and completely bonkers. Then comes the silence, the hush before the rush. A whisper of helicopters. A ripple through the crowd. And then, suddenly, they’re here: a flash of colour, a whir of wheels, a blur of muscle and machine, cheering and shouts of encouragement. And just like that, they’re gone.
Vive le Tour
You don’t have to know the names of the riders or the rules of the race to enjoy the Tour de France. You just have to show up. Stand by the roadside with a hat, a smile, and maybe a croissant or two and let yourself be swept up in the atmosphere. And if you find yourself thinking, “maybe I should get a bike,” you’re not alone.
If the idea of living somewhere where the Tour rolls past your garden gate, where neighbours still gather on the roadside with folding chairs and thermos flasks in sun-dappled, pretty countryside, and where life moves at a more gentle pace most of the year, all sounds like your kind of dream, please get in touch:
nadia@foothillsoffrance.com
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By nadia, on 4th June 2025 
One of the joys (and occasional confusions) of spending time in different countries is observing how something as seemingly universal as coffee can be approached so differently.
In France, ordering a coffee is almost never about the coffee itself, it is about the moment, the ritual, the pause. You sit down, you order un café (which, by default, means a small, strong espresso), and you sip it slowly, sometimes over a newspaper, often while simply watching the world drift by. No one is rushing and you don’t grab it in a paper cup and race to the next thing. In fact, à emporter (to take away) is still a relatively new concept and, in many places, still faintly frowned upon. Coffee is not a means to an end. It’s the end in itself.
Compare this with the UK, where the culture is gradually catching up with the Europe’s café lifestyle, but still carries the hallmark of utility. Coffee is fuel, you drink it on the go, you sip it mindlessly at your desk, or you line up for it on the school run with half an eye on your phone. It’s not that Brits don’t enjoy the taste (although, historically, coffee in the UK wasn’t much to write home about), but the emphasis is on convenience. The high street is dominated by takeaway chains, the cups are the size of small buckets, and there is rarely a saucer in sight.
And then there is the US, where coffee culture has taken on an identity all of its own. It is performative, personalised; you order what you want, how you want it, and when you want it, at speed. Oat milk, half-caf, iced with caramel drizzle? Absolutely. The coffee shop is an extension of the home and the office: you can stay for hours with your laptop, use the Wi-Fi, plug into the wall, and no one bats an eyelid.
The French would likely be horrified. Here it is almost the opposite; you sit at a table, even if it’s just for a thimble of espresso, and in return, you’re given time. No one moves you on and no one rushes you. But there’s an unspoken contract: you’re here to be present, not plugged in and hence laptops and phones are not the norm. The café is a stage for real life, not remote work.
And maybe that’s what it comes down to. Coffee culture reflects broader ideas about how we choose to live. Are we consuming for purpose, or pausing for pleasure? Is the cup in our hand a tool to get through the day, or an excuse to step outside of it for a few minutes?
That is not to say that one is better than the other, just as where you were born should not determine how you live. But these quiet, seemingly inconsequential things; the way we take our coffee, how we greet our neighbours, whether we walk or drive, say so much more than we think about pace, about values, about culture.
So every time I sit on a terrace with a tiny porcelain cup, no rush, no wi-fi, I am reminded that, at least sometimes, it is good to let the coffee be the destination. Perhaps this is one of the many benefits of moving abroad for a while; the way your habits shift without you even noticing. You start to savour things differently, you stop apologising for sitting still, you ‘unlearn’ urgency.
When I first moved to France, I couldn’t understand how people took so long over lunch, or how a single espresso could last an entire conversation. Now, I find it hard to rush through a takeaway coffee without feeling a little cheated. Something that used to be transactional has become intentional. And that shift, small as it might seem, changes the texture of your day.
Living abroad doesn’t mean reinventing yourself completely. It just means letting new ways of living rub off on you, until one day you realise that you’re not the same as you were. You still love a good cup of coffee but maybe now, you take it sitting down. And maybe that’s the real difference in the coffee culture.
If you need help or advice with your French property search, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com
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