Small French town for 3 months

Keep in mind that the Schengen zone limit is 90 days and NOT three months. I would shot for 85, 86 days just to have a couple days of pad.

Some friends of mine retired a few years ago and bought an apartment in Pau. They now spend around 3 months there every year; usually from February through April. The weather is mild enough that it beats Chicago's winter, lol! They love it there, though, and are applying for a resident visa so they can stay longer. From what I understand, there are American expats in the area, which make it a bit easier.

Hi,

A most envious idea and plan. In early 2006 a friend of mine finally got his teaching sabbatical from his high school position in CA. He spend all of it, ie, as permitted by the Schengen time imposition in France, under some pretext of continuing education, after which he had to submit some perfunctory paper/report, so to speak. Anyway, he got away with it, stayed in Paris, and then moved north to the south , ie, "et du nord au midi" (as the French song from the Revolution says). So, one could say in a way he "lived" in France as you are planning to undertake.

How far "north" are you considering in finding this place to stay , ie this small town? Or, are you focused on primarily in the south. I understand very well your passionate desire in fulfilling the "lifelong dream to live in France" even though it is under the constraints of Schengen.

Aside from the other preparations, you need to do, I heartily suggest setting aside time for pursuing learning the language, ie, cram in , jam in as much French as you can learn and retain. Bottom line, you cannot overlearn. Use which method to acquire the most language, ie simply do what works best for you. Don't give up on learning the language regardless of frustration, stress, (no such thing in language learning as I see it), be patient, basically keep at it, pound away at the language.

Your goal is so that you don't need to lapse into English. What is good in your case is that in small towns or villages located in the central or towards the south, there will be, most likely fewer people with ready English capacity to talk with you, ie, a great chance for you to speak more French, which is what you want anyway, isn't it?

My friend found that as he gradually went southward and into the interior of the country, villages and towns, there were fewer and fewer locals willing to speak English or who could, which was what he wanted anyway. He got his degree in French, so the less English he encountered , eg, being addressed in English , from the local population, the better he liked it. That was , however, in 2006...maybe changed somewhat now?

Thank you all for the quick responses! Yes, strongly aware of the Schengen restrictions and will not push my stay to the full 90 days.
I’ll take a look at Pau - am a little familiar with it but have never been. I’ve been to France about 20 times and studied French in college. My language skills are mediocre at best, but I am able to have conversations of several minutes if I’m speaking with a kindhearted French speaker. But you raise a good point - I’m very open to taking some sort of French class while there.
I’m definitely open to other regions although probably not the northern-most ones (because of weather). I love Brittany and the Loire and have always been interested in the Auvergne.
Please keep the suggestions coming.

Just as an alternative suggestion, think about 4 weeks in 3 different locations. If you go in April-June I would suggest starting in the south like in Cassis along the Med. Then perhaps a location like Isle Sur La Sorgue and finally a larger place such as Nimes or Arles. This will give you a variety of towns and locations. Enjoy your dream!

"...a smallish town or large village, is there such a thing?"

Of course there are. In France there are approximately 15,000 municipalities which have between 2000 and 10,000 inhabitants.

“I won’t have a car so needs to either be on a train line or bus line,
as I would like to take occasional day trips or long weekends
elsewhere”

This is where it gets more complicated...

Small town or large village = not a lot, or sometimes no public transport unless you have a large city close by and accessible by bus or train, in which case you can probably consider daytrips from this large city.

In the region where I live, which is quite touristy, the vast majority of towns or villages with less than 2000 inhabitants have no bus or train and without my car I wouldn't be able to buy even a baguette (cliché!). And where I can buy it, there is no train or bus.

So "smallish town or large village" why not, but make sure you have at least access to a large city that can serve as a "hub" for your travel.

If you are looking in Languedoc, finding a place less than an hour from Montpellier by bus or train is a good option.

There is the Mediterranean Sea, some national parks: Cevennes, Grandes Causses, Haut Languedoc, The Camargue, etc. etc. You can even consider as far as Perpignan, the Spanish border and the Pyrenees mountains.

Without a car, I'd want to be in a place of some size. Even places that have bus service may have it only infrequently, timed more for workers and/or school children than for tourists. When I went to the Dordogne in 2019, I kept changing bases, not only so I could enjoy those towns more fully but also so I'd have easy access to the buses or local trains fanning out from them. Otherwise, day trips would have been too convoluted. I ended up staying in Agen, Bergerac, Cahors and Perigueux. That area is very interesting, but it seems extremely popular with British visitors and ex-pats, so it might not be as purely French an experience as one would expect.

I think the Languedoc could work, but investigating transportation will be key. Pre-pandemic there were some incredible 1-euro deals on buses and I think also on some local trains in the area. I had no trouble day tripping to Pezenas (attractive craft town), Ceret, Sete and Collioure, but I was staying in larger places--Perpignan and Montpellier. For me, being somewhere that allowed day trips on the Yellow Train would be a plus.

"....taking some sort of French class while there." Great, that's even better as you will have the advantage and benefit of linguistic immersion and contextual comprehension. Your French can only get better.

I am most familiar with the northern-most cities and towns of France, ie, north of the Somme but would not suggest doing your stay there unless you have a particular desire to see these places. Choosing a town more to the center or towards the south has its advantages too. On the last trip I chose to visit cities not only up north , eg, Orleans and Bar-le-Duc. For those cities, I did not get to Lille this time, but picked Maubeuge for the day trip there.

I don't know how pervasive a bus network is stemming from a major city. This time I went back to Arras, where surprisingly the bus network from the train station was more extensive going out to the small towns, likewise with that in Troyes, where one of the locals waiting at the stop as was I told me the bus to the small town of Brienne-le-Chateau was new.

In your choice of a small town, I would suggest that it be close to a city which has a bus network reaching your town, if not the train.

I know Pau very well, I have family there. It is relatively nice but you absolutely need a car to go anywhere else in the vicinity.
You'd be better off in Languedoc, which is more dense and has better transport as a result. Nîmes would be really good if not too large for you. Or maybe Sète if you want somewhere coastal.
Arles, across the Rhone in Provence, would also be lovely.

Small towns and villages lack transportation. So you need to make a choice of staying put in one small town or village day after day after day or choosing a larger place that makes sightseeing easier. Even if you found a rental at the end of a tram or bus line out near the vineyards, you'd have to add the time from the edge of the city onto whatever sightseeing you do.

If you want to be central, Nîmes is good because it's easy to reach sites in both the Languedoc and Provence. If you want a dynamic city, Montpellier is the place. In addition to the train stations, it also has an airport, a large university, two opera houses, tram system, medical school.... Neither Nîmes nor Montpellier is along the canal, but you can cycle to and from and along the beach passing all the flamingos, into the Camargue, and Montpellier has many bike paths.

Acraven mentioned the Little Yellow Train, which is a nice trip to take from Perpignan, almost on the Spanish border. The bus from Perpignan up into the Pyrenees is still one euro. I wouldn't go before may. The train ride is a one-and-done, not something you'd do repeatedly.

Edit: I agree with organizer8 who has posted just below. The Côte d'Azur can't be beat at that time of year and the transportation is excellent.

Another area to consider would be the Cote d'Azur in the French Riviera. The town of Villefranche sur Mer is lovely and has great restaurants and good transportation options by train or bus along the Mediterranean. You could go to Nice, St Jean Cap Ferrat, Eze, Monaco, Menton, Antibes, and Cannes as day trips from there. The scenery is spectacular and there are many places of interest in that area.

Except for your location preference, Paray-le-Monial in Bourgogne would meet many of your criteria. It has a local bus -- I won't say bus system, but it has a bus -- furthermore because it's a destination for Catholic pilgrims (can explain why if interested) it has good longer-distance bus and train service. Many restaurants and shopping opportunities exist for the basics, and some frills. A few -- but not all-- restaurants close during the low season. You can walk from central town to the train station in 10 minutes and be in central Paris in just under 3 hours, or central Lyon in about 90 minutes (or less). It's pretty close to interesting historical spots such as Cluny and Moulins, and Beaune and Dijon are not far either. It lies on the canal that divided occupied France from Vichy France in the early part of WWII, and there's an interesting museum documenting how the locals dealt with that challenge in the nearby town of Genelard. Vichy itself is situated to the south.

Population is a bit under 10,000.

Thanks everyone! Lots of great input — yes, I guess I shouldn’t have used the term “large village.” I think size wise I’m thinking between 10,000 and 60,000 in population … preferably on smaller side, but again would have to be on train line or bus to a bigger town with train access. In your recommendations I’m seeing a lot of towns that are on my radar: Sete, Beziers, Pezenas … I’ve spent several days in Nimes and visited Arles. I had thought about 1 month in 3 places but I’d rather stay in one spot, which I think will also be more cost effective. Im not interested in Cote d’Azure or being right on coast.
Again, thanks to everyone who has responded.

Since you seem to be interested in the Hérault département where Beziers, Sète, Pezenas, etc. are located. And to avoid going to the middle of nowhere, even if the city seems large, you will find the bus network map for this region here: (French version only)

https://www.herault-transport.fr/plan-reseau

Click on a line number on the left of the screen to see its route.

A bus line does not mean buses every hour. So, select one of the bus stops of the chosen line and in the pop-up window that appears click on "Afficher les horaires de passage" (Show timetable)

Regarding the train network, all the maps are available here:

https://www.ter.sncf.com/occitanie/se-deplacer/carte-reseau

Either by département or for the entire network.

The train stations list can be found here:

https://www.ter.sncf.com/occitanie/se-deplacer/gares/liste-des-gares.

By clicking on a city name you will also obtain all the information regarding transport available in that station, including buses and coaches, as well as the departure times of the next trains.

Some places with well-known language programs (in smallER cities) are Rouen (Alliance Francaise or French in Normandie) and Vichy (the CAVILAM).

Many years ago we spent 10 months in Grasse, the Perfume Capital—obtained a Carte de Séjour upon arrival. We have been back several times since then—most recently in February—visiting friends and even the French tutor I had.
But, we had a car.
Also spent a month in Antibes, back in 2011 in the same unit right along the Med, where our friends had spent 3 months. we also had a car but they didn’t and they got along fine.
Antibes, then, would be ideal.

Small towns and villages lack transportation.

This is true. People seem to think Europe is full of small villages and all of them are connected by high-speed trains (or any trains). The two ideas actually work contrary to one another. The smaller the village, the less likely you will have train service. Why not lease a car?

@JoLui - thank you so much for those links, especially the buses! Very very helpful.
@Spuds76: I spent a day in Grasse during my very first trip to Europe, in 1985.
@FarmerPhil: yes I’m well aware that the TGV doesn’t go to small villages and didn’t suggest it did, as the local and regional lines go to “some” villages, albeit not many. I’m not renting a car because 1) I can’t afford one and 2) I prefer to travel by train and bus.

I live without a car in a tiny village in the SW of France where everyone always says you need a car. In addition to trains and buses, there's also a rural transportation service called "transport a la demande (TAD)". These are collective taxis with set schedules that are dirt cheap (e.g., 2 Euros/ride).

The other thing to keep in mind about living in France, especially rural France, without a car is strikes. Last winter was a nightmare. I depend on a regional TER line to get to a big city hub. My travel plans were continually upended from January to May and completely stalled in March. Train strikes are starting up again.

I was recently in Basque Country -- visiting several spots between Bayonne and Hendaye -- and was super impressed by their public transportation infrastructure. They had very frequent buses that connect all the little towns/villages AND only cost around one Euro. There was also good train service. It is off in the far SW corner of the country so not exactly central. However, there are also a lot of young (60s), active retirees there so it could be a good social scene for you. Plus you get both mountains and ocean, mild winters, and lots of sun. A huge share of the housing there is secondary residences so it may not be very hard to get an off-season rental for a few months.

If the small town is not connected by a train, there is more of a chance now of a bus connection existing. I base this possibility on 3 examples gained from this trip and they all point to that conclusion.....just depends where if you luck out in discovering this existence,

In Troyes I was waiting at the but depot, got talking to one of the locals using both English and and the halting French, asked her about the bus to / fro between Troyes and the outlying village of Brienne-le- Chateau. At one point she mentioned no bus had existed before for going out to Brienne. I was more concerned with last bu returning. You could tell that bus depot with the different bays was relatively. new, looked new, the paved street area, the street painting etc.

In Arras left of the train station is the bus area Gare Routiere , also new and had expanded with the a large wall map showing the expanded network including to the outlying villages (Vimy plus the German WW1 cemetery), both of which could not be accessed by bus 30 years ago. Good news. It has been over a decade since I was in Arras, went back to it this time and surprisingly found out this important info.

Likewise in Metz with the bus schedule going out to the battlefield town of Gravelotte-St. Privat, much more expanded than in the past back in 1999.

If you want a smallish place on a rail line, a great weekly market, and other interesting things in the area, might I suggest Figeac? It's not in Languedoc but in the Lot, an amazing area with beautiful villages and ancient history. I would go April - June since early fall can still be quite hot. 9,000 - 10,000 population, so not too small, not too big. Has everything you need but small enough to make some personal connections and possibly get involved with the community a bit while you are there.

I day tripped to Figeac in 2019 and decided I'd like to return there for several nights on a future trip. I liked the feel of the place. It's not flat, which to me makes a town more visually interesting. I don't know how good its transportation connections are, in general; I just needed to be able to get there from my current base, which I believe was Cahors.

Marfal and Fred, thank you so much for the encouraging info re: buses and ideas for certain areas. I have been looking into the Basque area so very helpful.

Anita and acraven: Figeac sounds wonderful! I see where its train station burnt down in 2018 but is even served by a night train from Paris. Thank you!

Previous advices about Figeac made me think of Brive-la-Gaillarde, not so far from Figeac.
A very pretty and pleasant town (50,000 inhabitants) where I go from time to time.

It is in the south of the Corrèze departement, near the Lot and Dordogne valleys.
It is connected to Paris by train. There is also a small airport with flights to Paris, London, even Porto in Portugal and regional trains or buses to the whole of the South West of France: Bordeaux, Toulouse, Cahors, Bergerac, Sarlat la Canéda, Poitiers, La Rochelle, Perigueux, Limoges.

The public transport map (PDF file) is available here:
https://tinyurl.com/4d7hxvkb

Lots of things to do and see in this region

https://www.tourismecorreze.com/en/tourisme/charming_towns_and_villages.html

I stayed in Brive on the same trip as the day trip to Figeac. Brive could fit your specs. It's flatter than Figeac, but I think I remember a bit of an incline in one direction or the other between the train station and my hotel.

Brive is quite a bit larger than Figeac, which you might come to appreciate. I hadn't realized Figeac's population is under 10,000.

I am renting a place in Riquewihr for the month of October 2024. Its a very small village but I can get a bus to Colmar and parts beyond. There is a bakery in town and a bike shop which were two necessities for me 😜. I have never been there before but it sounds like my kind of place with lots of hiking and walking trails in the area. I am not planning on having a car. Good luck in your quest.

JoLui and acraven - thank you so much for the additional info on Brive — I’m looking into going to the area for 4-5 days when I’m in France in April.

@regina; That sounds wonderful! I spent a few days in Colmar in October a few years ago and it was lovely.

Another option. I have digital nomad friends who spend one to two months a year in Angers in a monthly Air BnB rental. They say the quality of life there is very high. They don't have a car. It's also on the Ouigo line (cheap TGVs) so you can easily get to Paris (from where you can get anywhere else), as well as Nantes and the coast. The French spoken there is with a very "pure" accent so a good place for language learners.