Getting to France, finding an appartment

[Keep a Movin' Dan]

Currently planning a mini-retirement of summering in France. Aiming for a large city, but it doesn't have to be Paris. One thing I'm puzzling over: what's the best way to get there? I've been doing some practice-runs of ticket hunting, and it seems US-London tickets are cheaper than US-other European city tickets, so I'll probably go through London. Once I'm in London, what's the best (and cheapest!) way to get to France? Chunnel? Boat? One of the cheap airlines mentioned in 4HWW?

Also, in U.S. cities during the summer, there are usually vacant student apartments that landlords (or students, if they have a year contract but are allowed to sublet) are desperate to get rid of. It's possible to get lodging for $200/month or less. Is this true of France too?

[David-Andrew]

From London def take Ryan Air/EasyJet or something. Cheapest is by bus, but takes allot of time also.

[David_D]

Hi - this is my first post so hello everyone....
I have already done France and I can tell you that Paris is impossible to get a flat in. It maybe different for some of the other cities. Once you arrive there is a magazine called FUSAC wich can be found in the many English (google Frogpubs) and irish pubs. This has a listing for all the apprtments available in Paris. you will need a 2 months deposit and a Guarentor (someone french). I paid 800€ a month for my rent.

As for getting there it depends on where you want to go. I always used the Eurostar as it was cheap and quick without any customs which meant less waiting time. For flights look up Cityjet (now airfrance I think) and of course the usual Easyjet or Ryanair.

I hope this helps

[Keep a Movin' Dan]

Thanks David_D, useful info. Does anyone know if things are better in the other major French cities--Bordeaux, Toulouse, or Lyon?

[David_D]

The problem in France is the process of actually buying a property is horrible and from the Dark ages... rather than cheering you on saying well done you have made a commitment and invested in your future they shake their head and go 'oh no look how much debt your in'. This means that buying is hard and everyone rents, and the french being the french once your in and you stop paying the landlord has no right to evict you if you pay hm something evey 6 months. So they are all very cautious. It maybe a little different for short lets I'll be honest i was mini-retiring there in order learn French and do some sky diving. So I was looking for 6-12 months.

[liam75005]

Hello,

As a french guy I could give a few tips maybe :

I confirm that Eurostar is the quickest and cheapest way to go from London to Paris. It is not as quick as a flight in terms of pure travel time, but you save on the "setup" time : the stations are IN the city, whereas airports are usually way outside, and the "check-in" procedures to board the train are a lot shorter and easier than at the airport. I definitely recommend taking the train.

As far as accomodation is concerned, the fact is that under french law, subletting a vacant flat is not completely legal, which means you won't really find those offers on the market. To get somewhere decent to stay on the short term, you can find a holiday rental, some of them are at very good price, furnished and short term is ok (when I moved back from Australia to Lille, France, I found a 2-bedroom appartment for 550€ per month, furnished and short term ok but that was really one of the few ads I found). Alternatively if you say to the landlord you stay for 6-12 months it s usually ok, especially with rentals that are dued for students originally. Shorter time is harder to find. For the price range you're looking at (200$ per month) you could probably find a "colocation", shared appartment which are sometimes cooler with short term too. If you speak french, the websites where you can find local rentals are www.seloger.com (where I found mines) or some classifieds websites like vivastreet.fr

Good luck !

[nghs22]

great info laim! I'd love to do a MR in France