Bargains, parcels and politics chat: 6 essential articles for life in France
Bargain hunting, parcels and what makes buying a house take so long are all covered, as well as some conversation stoppers if your French friends suddenly get too political for your liking.
France’s winter sales are coming to an end - unless you live in parts of the northeast of the country, in which case they’ve already ended.
This weekend therefore may be your last chance to bag a bargain, so here’s everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the annual winter sales in France but may have been afraid to ask.
What you need to know about France’s winter sales
Speaking of money, it appears your advice to friends and family overseas is “Don’t send anything” to France by post - unless you want to get hit with unexpected duty fees.
Among the more than 100 people who responded to our survey, almost all said that they had been hit by duty fees on packages sent to France.
And the consensus of opinion was that getting things sent here from outside the EU wasn’t worth the money.
‘Don’t send anything’: How foreigners in France are being hit with big parcel fees
Politics is almost impossible to ignore pretty much any time, but as this is a Presidential election year, it’s even more ubiquitous than usual. So, when your French friends start banging on about the election, impress them with your unusually offbeat knowledge of Emmanual Macron, Valérie Pécresse, Marine Le Pen, and Eric Zemmour.
We’ve also spent some time looking at the administrative and financial issues that you will face when you’re buying a house in France, including this article which breaks down what has to happen between you putting in an offer and finally moving in.
Here’s our explainer on the time-frame for buying and selling property in France.
Meanwhile, the first-ever cable car service in the greater Paris region will connect two of the city's suburbs in just 17 minutes, according to newly-released plans.
Work on the line, which will connect the southern Parisian suburbs of Créteil and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, is set to begin in March. Read all about it here.
Finally, if you’re stuck for something to watch this month - because, let's face it, it's still too cold to go out all the time - check out our pick of the best shows on French TV and streaming services, and - for those of you living in and around Paris - French movies with English subtitles screened by Lost in Frenchlation.
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France’s winter sales are coming to an end - unless you live in parts of the northeast of the country, in which case they’ve already ended.
This weekend therefore may be your last chance to bag a bargain, so here’s everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the annual winter sales in France but may have been afraid to ask.
What you need to know about France’s winter sales
Speaking of money, it appears your advice to friends and family overseas is “Don’t send anything” to France by post - unless you want to get hit with unexpected duty fees.
Among the more than 100 people who responded to our survey, almost all said that they had been hit by duty fees on packages sent to France.
And the consensus of opinion was that getting things sent here from outside the EU wasn’t worth the money.
‘Don’t send anything’: How foreigners in France are being hit with big parcel fees
Politics is almost impossible to ignore pretty much any time, but as this is a Presidential election year, it’s even more ubiquitous than usual. So, when your French friends start banging on about the election, impress them with your unusually offbeat knowledge of Emmanual Macron, Valérie Pécresse, Marine Le Pen, and Eric Zemmour.
We’ve also spent some time looking at the administrative and financial issues that you will face when you’re buying a house in France, including this article which breaks down what has to happen between you putting in an offer and finally moving in.
Here’s our explainer on the time-frame for buying and selling property in France.
Meanwhile, the first-ever cable car service in the greater Paris region will connect two of the city's suburbs in just 17 minutes, according to newly-released plans.
Work on the line, which will connect the southern Parisian suburbs of Créteil and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, is set to begin in March. Read all about it here.
Finally, if you’re stuck for something to watch this month - because, let's face it, it's still too cold to go out all the time - check out our pick of the best shows on French TV and streaming services, and - for those of you living in and around Paris - French movies with English subtitles screened by Lost in Frenchlation.
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