Pros and cons of living in Paris
Paris is one of the best cities to live in Europe, and a wonderful place to move to as a British expat. Living here, you will be blown away by the City of Lights’ incredible scenery and iconic attractions. The city is famous for a whole range of things, everything from it’s historic art and architecture, to it’s sails, baguettes and croissants; and, not forgetting, it’s fashion. If you are heavily into fashion, then you will be pleased to know that Paris Fashion Week takes place twice a year, once at the end of February and once later in the year at the end of September.
You may be currently debating whether or not to move to Paris, and if so then Anglo Pacific are here to help! We have put together a list of pros and cons of living in this wonderful city, so you can way up your priorities and make sure your new home is the perfect place for you.
The pros of moving to Paris
There are so many positives when moving to Paris and the list is endless, but here are some of the most important:
Plenty of entertainment
You will never get bored in this exciting city, there is so much to do all year round. The most popular thing to do in Paris is to climb up the Eiffel Tower and take in the incredible views of the city, or visit The Louvre museum and see some of the most famous paintings in the world, including the Mona Lisa.
Beautiful architecture
Some of the most incredible buildings are located here and their ornate decorations draw thousands of expats into the city every year. The style of architecture found here is known as Haussmann (or Haussmannian) architecture, designed by George-Eugene Haussmann which dates back to the 19th century. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic architectural buildings in the city, and is visited by approximately 7 million people annually.
Old charm
If you are looking to move somewhere oozing in French character, then Paris could be the perfect new home for you. The city is old, but not in a bad way. The buildings all have a story behind them and you never know what you will stumble on around the corner. There is always a lot of history and culture to be explored here, so you there is plenty to be explored in your spare time.
Unbelievable food
Your waistline may never forgive you, but it’s soooo worth it! Paris has a huge variety of restaurants, bars and quaint cafes to choose from that offer the traditional French dishes, as well as multinational cuisines too. You can dine at some of the most famous, Michelin star restaurants in the world or grab a quick bite to eat at a local cafe. There are also many famous bars and clubs here too and you might even run into some famous faces! The food in Paris is also next to nothing and you will never get bored of eating out. From crepes and galette, to duck confit, croque monsieur or French cheeses, breads and pastries – there is something for everyone!
Supportive expat community
As well as the French being very welcoming towards expats, the city is also home to a great expat community. There are many opportunities to connect with others who have moved to Paris from abroad, through language, sports and creative groups – be prepared to put yourself out there and make new friends!
Walkable city
If you are a keen walker, you will be pleased to know that pretty much everything in this city is walkable but for such a big city, this may be fairly surprising. There are also bikes and electric scooters that are available for hire if your legs get too tired!
The cons of moving to Paris
As much as we love this incredible city, there are obviously some cons that are worth mentioning.
Not the best weather
If you are looking to escape from the miserable British weather, then Paris may not be the perfect place for you to live. Paris often sits under grey skies and drizzly rain is not uncommon. Just make sure you have a raincoat or umbrella at the ready and you’ll be fine!
Quite touristy
Being one of Europe’s major cities, you would be naïve to expect that you will have the city all to yourself. Thousands and thousands of tourists visit the French capital every year, throughout all four seasons. This means that the metros tend to be fairly busy, but if you are used to London tubes, you are bound to be alright.
Heavy traffic
Most people tend to walk around the city due to the cities heavy traffic. You will be spending half of your day stuck in traffic, so we recommend dusting off those walking shoes or hiring a scooter or bike to get from A to B.
Although there are some cons in moving to this wonderful city, these are not unusual and are heavily outweighed by the number of pros.
If this has convinced you to move to Paris then be sure to check out our services and get a quote for your move online today.
