Retiring in France

France has been popular with British visitors since the nineteenth century, but it has been the development of mass tourism in the latter part of the twentieth century that has made French life and culture accessible to many more people than before. As a result of this contact, recent decades have seen certain regions of that country experience a surge of popularity as a prospective area for retirement. Many people buy holiday homes when they are still living in the UK with the expectation of retiring to France when the time comes.

Until recently, Spain had the largest colony of expatriate over 60s, but rising prices and complications with property purchase and sales left many people there disillusioned, if not hard put to make ends meet.

France, may never be as popular as Spain was at its peak with those looking for a warm retirement spot, but it is experiencing rising popularity. Pensioner numbers retiring to France have increased 6.8% in the last decade thanks to low property prices in many areas, less sharply rising prices generally and the beauty and diversity of the rural regions. Furthermore, many parts of France are becoming increasingly accessible thanks to new road and rail links.Both the dream and the practical aspects of retiring to France can present an attractive proposition, and planned with care, also a viable one.

If you are discriminating about the area and location you choose, there will be all the benefits of Spain, such as good weather and a substantial expatriate population of a similar age group, with the added benefits of novelty, a new culture and a different way of life. Additionally, although property prices vary greatly between different parts of the country (and even within them), it is possible to buy a property to retire to in France at a lower price than the equivalent in Spain.