I am French and yes I agree with Bergerac, it's a prime location in my view - close to Bordeaux and the sea but the vinyards too and a good size not to feel too isolated. SW is my fav in France :)
I am thinking of making the move from US to France into years. The timing of your videos perfect as I have been exploring the Dordogne area. Thank you so much for sharing. I love your videos.
Im from Bergerac and I would stay away from Perigueux and Bergerac because those areas are becoming increasingly violent and crimes are on the rise since the massive immigration from the last decade. Also, the situation with doctors ( in Bergerac) is hopeless as you can’t get any appointments for months on end. My advice, settle in a village around the cities if you value safety and calm. Edit: Perigueux is the best with medical facilities, and Sarlat is the most beautiful/safe place by far of the 3. Bergerac’s only advantage is the airport and the close(ish) proximity to Bordeaux.
Thanks so much for that bit of info. Safety is rarely covered in these best places to live and would be my number 1 priority in choosing a place to move to.
Excellent I have been looking at properties below $150,000 in France and the Dordogne region keeps popping up. Though small some of the property are very lovely. I was initially focused on the Aude area but I think that area is more expensive. Yes, if I locate there I would have to learn French or be very isolated.
What about the Dordogne's ex-pat community of folks from English-speaking countries? I'm interested in making lots of new Anglophone friends for the next chapter of my life. But I also want to be in a town with good medical options. I'm getting old!
Hi Melissa I have just done another one. Here are the links to the videos. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uePabfolrQg.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VkOR6-Yq2DU.html
This might be a slightly touchy topic, but I’ve heard there are entire villages in the region where almost everyone speaks nothing but English. Maybe do a video pointing out some of these villages ?
If you’ve heard that, it’s an exaggeration based on, probably, just one commune - Eymet, about 30 mins drive south of Bergerac which famously has about 20% of the population English speakers, almost all Brits. If you go there it can seem that “everyone” speaks English because a lot of the local services are geared to cater for these (comparatively) better-off and mainly retired foreigners, some of whom don’t speak French very well (but many do) and eg if you go to Eymet market nearly all of the stall holders will speak some (often very good) English. That is also true of markets in other areas where there are pockets of mainly British residents and a lot of summer visitors. But - speaking as a frequent British visitor to the region who tries to speak mainly French - the locals are pretty easy going about it all and recognise that the foreign tourists and residents (mainly British and Dutch) are a big contribution to the local economy and have saved a number of villages from “desertification” (the curse of rural France). People who haven’t been there often underestimate the sheer size of the region and how rural and comparatively sparsely populated (compared to eg even rural England) most of it still is. Is it true that in peak summer season in Dordogne you will hear “someone” speaking English “nearly everywhere”? Yes, absolutely - but nowhere where “everyone speaks nothing but”.
Thank you for your feedback. Good to have other points of view but it would also be nice to have the reasons why your top 3 would be the other way round.
Hi I’m from Dordogne and I think that he is right. Bergerac has a lot of issue with crime (since the massive immigration from the last decade, and France has very loose laws for criminals) and it’s near impossible to get a doctor or any medical attention for months. Perigueux also has crime problem but is better with medical services. Sarlat has none of those issue, it’s way prettier and the surroundings area are gorgeous.
