October 2023 // 2 months until France
It started as a vague idea when we were in our 20s: We just knew we wanted to live in Europe someday. Over the course of several too-brief vacations, we narrowed it down to some of our favorite countries: Spain, Portugal, and France. A few years and visits later, we’d settled on France as our eventual expat destination, giving us the very difficult task of choosing where exactly in France we would want to live.
Believe me, this is no easy task. France may be only the size of Texas, but it is incredibly rich and diverse, from the windswept Atlantic beaches of Normandy and Brittany to the dry, sunny South. There are vibrant cities like Paris and Lyon and Marseille, countless charming villages, and huge swathes of countryside with shockingly cheap real estate. France shares borders with Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, with each one of these regions reflecting their neighbors’ influences in their cuisine, architecture, and culture. The options seemed limitless.
So how did we decide where to live in France? It was a long process that involved a lot of research, several extended visits to various regions of France, and a whole lot of self-reflection. Ultimately we decided to start our expat experience in Bordeaux, France — and here are the biggest factors that went into this decision.
Weather and Climate
Coming from the Southeastern United States, we are used to a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, including a hot, sunny summer and cold but manageable winters. We knew we wanted a similar climate for our new hometown — i.e., nothing too cold or too rainy. This helped us narrow down our choices to the southern half of France, as the northern side is known to be quite a bit grayer and cooler.
Geography
With a surfer and a surfer-in-training in our family, we wanted to be near some coastline, and luckily southern France offers coastlines along both the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Bordeaux was particularly appealing because it’s less than an hour from the Atlantic, as well as two hours from the border of Spain (our second favorite country). It’s also only two hours from Paris, a key transportation hub, via high-speed-rail.
Size
As much as we all adore Paris, it’s just a bit too big and busy for us. However, we are still city folk, and we knew we wouldn’t be happy in a small village or town. So we were looking for a mid-sized city (similar to our hometown of Richmond, Virginia) that would offer a nice choice of things to do, restaurants, and schools. We’ve also found that larger cities are more likely to have some English speakers and expats than small towns, which is important to us as we’re still learning the language.
Beauty
I’m constantly surprised at how casually beautiful France is — how you can just run across some random village that will take your breath away. Sure, even France has some soulless suburbs and more industrial areas, but as an American, I really am blown away by its beauty — and it makes sense for a society that places such a high value on good design and historic preservation. We knew we wanted to live in an aesthetically pleasing, inspiring place, and Bordeaux very much ticks that box.
Vibe
This final factor can be so difficult to define, but it’s so important when searching for a home. We loved the vibe in Bordeaux from our very first visit — which, by the way, was on a whim during an extended stay in Barcelona years ago (tickets were extremely cheap). We found the people in Bordeaux to be very friendly and approachable. We loved the city’s parks and green spaces, its connection with the river, and the surrounding countryside. We fell for the different neighborhoods, the public transportation, the wine, and the canelés.
To be honest, Bordeaux felt like the right fit for us from the first time we visited, but we opted to do our due diligence to make sure nothing else felt better. While I’m glad we considered other options — and the research and exploration phase was super fun — I also kind of wish we’d committed to Bordeaux earlier. Sometimes, you should just trust your instincts.