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All facilities are easily available and understanding life in Auvergne is not complicated. Here are some useful details.

Dailylife

Reasonable prices for real estate

In Auvergne, you will still find very reasonable prices for properties, houses and businesses. Clermont-Ferrand is one of the French cities with over 100,000 inhabitants where the sale prices for property are the lowest.

See below current available price/square metre in major French cities


Clermont-Ferrand 2.000 € Grenoble 2.900 €
Le Havre 2.600 € Strasbourg 3.000 €
Montpellier 2.700 € Toulouse 3.000 €
Lyon 2.700 € Paris 6.000 €
Nantes 2.800 €    

Averages for the departments in Auvergne: between 1.300 and 2.000 € per m².
National average: 3.197 € per m².


Finding child care in Auvergne

You want to come and live in Auvergne, and have young children (or plan to have children in the future). The region offers a network of care facilities of reasonable size, located very close to the various residential areas. There are also a large number of approved nannies who can take care of your children in the home.

The Department General Councils are responsible for all approvals of these different child care systems, and ensure that the premises and training of the carers are of the desired quality. Below you will find all the information you need to find the ideal child care system for you, according to where your future home is, and your choice of lifestyle.


Collective child-care

(public nurseries, family-run nurseries, stop-over centres ( = La halte garderie) and combined child care facilities (= le multi accueil)). Day nurseries take of children on a regular basis, from the age of 21/2 months to 3 years.

The different types of nursery:

  • Public nurseries are managed by the town authorities, the "Community" or the Department.
  • Parent-run nurseries are managed by a parents association with the help of child care professionals who are paid by the association. As a general rule, each parent has to undertake to be present one half-day per week.
  • Family nurseries, which are also called home nurseries in France, employ and pay approved child minders who care for 1 to 3 children in the child minder's home. They are organised and supported in their profession by qualified staff. Group activities are offered. The procedures (cost, enrolment) are similar to those for public nurseries. The difference concerns the care arrangements for the child, who goes to the home of a child minder paid by the town authorities (or by the "Community"). There is more flexibility in terms of timetables with this type of organisation.
  • Stop-over centres offer care on an occasional basis. The maximum is a few half-days per week.
  • Combined child-care facilities "Combined facilities" offer nursery care (on a regular basis) and also stop-over care (occasional use).

Child-care places for young children in Auvergne

(Websites in French)

Collective and family nurseries:


Family child-care

Some families (legally selected and approved) welcome to their home other children (aged 2 months to 6 years). Don't hesitate to contact several people and make a number of visits to be sure of finding the right nanny for you. You can apply to the social services territorial offices in the relevant district (department), who will give you a list of contacts in your area, or directly to your local town hall.


Telephone

In Auvergne, all the phone numbers start by 04 (ex: 04 73 31 81 59).

If you want to call a French telephone number from outside France, dial + (or the relevant international dialing code, usually 00) then 33 for France and then your number without the first 0 digit.
Which means you dial: 00 33 4 73 31 81 59 or + 33 4 73 31 81 59

To dial to another country, here are some useful examples:

  • Holland 00 31
  • UK 00 44
  • Ireland 00 353
  • Germany 00 49
  • Luxembourg 00 353
  • Switzerland 00 41

Whilst you are in France, it is possible to use a credit card in most of the telephone cabins. Finding a cabin which still accepts coins is very difficult.

Other useful numbers:

  • Police : 17
  • Fire : 18
  • Ambulance : 15
  • European emergency call 112
  • Telegram service 36 55
  • Reverse charge call in France 30 06

Looking for a company phone number? (website in French)


Looking for someone’s phone number?


French major telephone companies (Websites in French)


Major Mobile & cell phone operators in France (Websites in French)