Ten Reasons to Retire to France

If you're looking for the best country for you and your spouse to retire to, may we suggest you consider living in France?

France is the most visited nation in the world and one of the most popular countries with would-be British retirees as well.  The reasons for France’s appeal lie in the beauty of the country, the history, climate and culture and therefore there are a million reasons to consider living there.  In this article we’ll cover ten of the most popular reasons to retire to France.

If you’re coming up for retirement or you’re thinking ahead and maybe planning where to buy a home overseas to enjoy now and then live in when you retire, why not consider France a little more closely?  After all, with our top ten reasons to retire to live in France you’ll be hard pushed to come up with an argument not to at least consider it!

1)France is so incredibly easily and affordably accessible from the United Kingdom.  You have cheap flights available from all airports in the UK to destinations across France, you can drive and even take the train to France now.  This means you can get back and forth now if you buy a property in France before retirement, and once you move lock stock and barrel across the Channel, your friends and family can easily come and visit you ensuring you never get lonely or lose touch.

2)France is well located in Europe and has excellent transport links across the continent – you can get across France easily and what’s more, you need never be bored in retirement when you live in France because you are in the heart of Europe and can easily explore all the nations around you.

3)Real estate – i.e., property and land - is far more affordable in France than it is in the UK. Okay, so Paris is expensive and the south coast may be out of your fiscal reach, but there are property bargains to be had in France if you just look hard enough.

4)France is geographically diverse – therefore there is a region to suit everyone’s tastes and pockets whether you want a rural mountainous landscape, an alpine one, a beach side villa or a vibrant city based pad.

5)In France people work to live, they do not live to work!  This attitude to life is evident in the people – far more emphasis in France is on enjoying life and having a good time.  Naturally in retirement this is great news.  So if you move to live in France when you retire, expect to enjoy the pace of life and the attitude towards life.

6)Because so many Britons have already bought property in France there is so much information available on the internet and in print to assist would-be buyers.  This makes the whole process that much simpler to navigate.

7)In addition to this, the French legal system is excellent and your rights will be well protected as a buyer if you use a reputable lawyer and take their advice.

8)The cuisine and the wine – need I say more!  Suffice to say it is of an excellent quality, it is sumptuous and wining and dining out is far more affordable in France than it generally is in the UK.

9)As an official retiree with an EU passport you will still be entitled to free medical care in France despite the changes the new president has made.  And what’s more, the health service in France is very highly regarded.

10)It is now far easier to move to live and retire in France than it once was if you herald from another country in the European Union – red tape related to residency etc., is much simpler nowadays and there are plenty of expat forums and websites available to assist you anyway.