A few months ago we wrote about an organization that helps people who currently live in a city but think that they want to move to the countryside. Rural homeowners welcome overnight guests, introduce them to other residents, and show first-hand what life can be like closer to nature. This association, Mes Nouveaux Voisins, sometimes joins up with the Paris-based group “Paris, je te quitte” (Paris, I’m leaving you) to participate in events that might interest potential movers. I counted 5 magazines that deal with this general subject—including country house decorating, gardening, etc.—with one occasional issue from news source L’Express that could translate to “Leaving Paris: the keys to success”. So, what if you don’t want to live in the capital city but you still don’t want to be far away?

The group “Paris, je te quitte” is dedicated to helping capital city dwellers through their decision to move, and then to find the right location, a job, housing, and settling in. One of their online articles contains a list of 10 cities that are between 45 and 90 minutes by train from Paris and why you might want to consider each one.

To the east:

• Troyes—1h 25m by train, medieval city, Champagne country, lakes and forests
• Reims—46m, affordable, parks, restaurants, easily navigated on foot or bicycle

To the north:

• Beauvais—1h 15m, city of art and history, countryside, forests, rivers, lakes
• Amiens—1h 5m, city of employment, tourist attractions and leisure activities
• Arras—49m, cobbled streets, squares, nature, cafés, local breweries

To the west:

• Le Mans—54m, multitude of forests, major highway crossroads
• Vendôme—42m, image of refinement and luxury, beautiful villages nearby

To the south:

• Tours—1h 5m, affordable, growing, in the middle of châteaux country
• Orléans—1h 4m, affordable, safe, leisure and sports activities
• Sens—1h, peaceful, social interaction, parks, gardens, shops, markets

We’ve been to most of these cities as a tourist and enjoyed every one. Living there, of course, would be totally different but worth considering if we wanted to be only about an hour from Paris. Here in Carcassonne we’re approximately 5 ½ hours from the capital and that suits us well.

Paris, je te quitte website: https://paris-jetequitte.com/

Photo notes: The featured photo across the top of today’s blog post, looking back at Paris, was taken at the rooftop restaurant, French Kiss in Porte de Versailles. In the first paragraph is the owl of Orléans.