Life in Pau, Pyrerenees

Hi
We recently relocated to Pau from Cape Town South Africa. My husband is from PAU and I am Zimbabwean.
I also have found that people have so many mixed feelings about PAU. The older generation seem to love settling here and then there is us who seem to want a bit of pace. We are a couple in our 30s and 40s.

I personally find Pau to be too slow, but again I love my peace and quiet especially after a long day.
I think for children this is a lovely place to raise them, my 9yo did say she prefers Pau to Cape Town. We also have visited Toulouse and Bordeaux and my children again mentioned they prefer Pau. So I guess I lost the bet on this one.

Anyway besides the speed, which I find myself craving for😊, people here are friendly (obviously not 100%). I find the men know what "honour ladies" actually means, people greet each other, give way to each other and are more respectful.

Also there is so much outdoors activities around and I love that too about a city. I am not much of a planner so waking up and deciding we are going to the mountains or we are going to Spain now, has been a dream come true for me.

So out of 10 I would give Pau 8, obviously I still reserve the 2 for my big city life craving lol.

But all in all I love this city however I realised there are not many options for English speaking jobs, so if you are like me and need to get a job I suggest learning your French ASAP.

All the best with the move.

As to life in Pau, I have visited there both of the last two years. Spent two months there last summer, and I've met so many wonderful and interesting people. There is an active group of English speakers, the oldest golf club on the Continent, beautiful views of the Pyrenees, good weather, etc. I'll be there from May 16 to the end of June this summer and will be actively looking for a place to call home as I live in Texas at present. Strongly recommend this place.  Dennis McCuistion

@Dennis, If you need assistance from an estate agent to find a place to buy you can contact my husband who is very fluent in English. you can find his FB page named Leggett Immobilier Pau Bearn, there you will find all his contact details.

Hi Everyone,  my husband and I currently live in Grenoble France, the French Alps.  And are considering the Pau area for relocation.  @Dennis we raised our daughters in Dallas, Texas.  And my husband is a golfer. We considering Pau because we want a smaller, quieter city.  Grenoble’s crime rates trouble me.  We hope to make a trip to see the area for six weeks in August.  @Mrs. French what towns outside of Pau would you say are  “higher end”.  I want a nice scenic view, we are spoiled in Grenoble, our mountains are spectacular.

Hi Janette
I really like Jurançon, Serres Morlaas. I also like Nay although I wasnt there long enough to see the whole place.
My husband is an estate agent should you need further advise and his a Poloise, I will inbox you his email on request.

Thank you for your kind reply.  It’s too early to work with a realtor.  Just trying to get a feel for the area. I did find your husband’s Facebook page.

Hi Mrs French,
Ah, I thought I would be there in May...alas, this darn virus has interrupted my plans. Having said that, yes, please send me your husband's information. Hope to see you in the near future.  Dennis

Hi Janette,

MrsFrench had good suggestions. You won't get views like Grenoble, but try to find a panoramic view of the Pyrenees probably from a village north of Pau. The view is my number one consideration in a place to live there. I have spent my life in and around Dallas and am living in Plano for now. I sold my place on Lake Texoma in November. Hope to meet you and yours in August...

Dennis

Only a pleasure Janette. Alll the best

I've never lived in Pau but I did live in Biarritz for many years, which isn't all that far away. I am not suggesting living in Biarritz because it is an expensive place and that includes all the towns and villages in the region all the way down to Spain including Bayonne which I love.

However, I do have friends that are from Pau so visited there quite often and the really great thing about it are the views and the access to the ski slopes in the Pyrenees as well as those in Andorra, that is, if you enjoy skiing. We always considered the ski slopes of the Pyrenees as being shorter but more technical than those in the Alps.

It's also an easy drive to many beautiful places in the region, and you can also easily visit Les Landes and the Pays Basque and places across the border such as San Sebastian in Spain for Tapas or for sightseeing as it is just a two hour drive away from Pau.

So I give a definite thumbs up to living in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, although I myself would prefer somewhere a little further west. Pau, while not perhaps the most exciting place around is certainly well located for exploring the southwest of France.

@MrsFrench  Thank you for such a nice reply.

Hi We are also considering a move to the Pau area from England. Mainly want a rural location to live but within travel distance to international school or a good school that will support young son learning French as smoothly as possible. I have read that it is a rainy place though? Can anyone share their experience of the climate? Being English I'm keen to escape more rainy places!

well the proverb says : if you can see the Pyrenees, it's going to rain ; if you can't see them, it is actually raining

but for me no, very good climate, sunny, a bit wet during the winter maybe

you have very nice places around Pau

i wish you a good installation !

@MrsFrench Actually , I am travelling to Pau this May for a few days just to take a first look at this city. We are strongly considering to retire in PAU, so finding an appropriate residence is a task for us.

Thank you,

V.Daskal

@MrsFrench Hi Mrs French I am also from Cape Town well I see you are from Zimbabe. My husband studied in Pau and my daughter is 10.

It would be great to meet you. We moved here 6 months ago.

Megan

@MegMar hello we are planning on moving to Pau also, it would be great to make some friends beforehand in Pau, I am originally from the Caribbean.

Please inbox me!!

@Vadim Daskal hello apologies I did not get a notification for your message. Are you looking for a rental or to buy? My husband offers the service to expats to help you settle in Pau including admin, translations (not sworn), etc. You can email him on lazbasseterre@gmail.com his name is Olivier.

@MegMar Hello lovely to hear someone from cape town is in the area. We lived in cape town for over a decade before moving to France. I will inbox you

Hi everyone

We're from Malta and also considering moving to the Bearn area. At the moment we're looking at properties in the region, but one of my main concerns is my son's education. Does anyone here have young kids still going to school? I was looking at the International School of Bearn... anyone has any feedback to share?

Thanks

jos