# Pezenas



## SeaWA

We are retired Brit/Americans who are planning to spend 2 years in France. We have lived in Montpellier nearly 30 years ago. Wondering if Pezenas would be good for us. We want to be in a small town with good access to Barcelona and the Rhone Valley where we have family. Any pros and cons appreciated.


----------



## Bevdeforges

I can't tell you much about that specific area, other than to assume that it probably has changed quite a bit since you last lived in Montpellier. (All of France has.)

Key things to consider: 
Availability of medical facilities - lots of areas of France are or are turning into so-called "medical deserts" due to the retirement of many medical practitioners and the gap before the first crop of new doctors not subject to the "numerus clausus" graduates in a few year. The government has been closing some public hospitals or cutting back services within the ones remaining, so consider whether there are private facilities available and how you would get to them if needed.

Climate change has brought all sorts of weird weather, especially to the south of France. Be sure to consider the potential for flash flooding wherever you decide to settle, particularly if you'll be located in proximity to a river or in a deep valley. 

Have you visited Pezenas to scope it out for yourselves recently? Might be a good idea to make a reconnaissance visit before settling on a specific town.


----------



## davegreen

SeaWA said:


> We are retired Brit/Americans who are planning to spend 2 years in France. We have lived in Montpellier nearly 30 years ago. Wondering if Pezenas would be good for us. We want to be in a small town with good access to Barcelona and the Rhone Valley where we have family. Any pros and cons appreciated.


Hello,
I have only been a couple of times for day trips. It's quite a touristy town, home of Moliere which attracts literature loving types, I also believe it's quite popular with expats. Lovely town on 1st impressions.


----------



## Poloss

Molière, Molière...
Home rather to the very impertinent singer and musician Boby Lapointe!
And not far from Béziers - a fair sized town with a rugby stadium, a cathedral, the pictoresque Canal du Midi and harsh winds that sweep along the northern foothills of the Pyrenees.

I've never lived there but I like Pezenas and surroundings.
Excellent wine just north at Neffies - Pierre-Louis Coudert if he's still alive.


----------



## Kid Charlemagne

I spent a few days in Pezenas a few years back - it is a tourist town but not too bad; there are a couple of reasons that might be a good or a bad thing for you. It's not on or really particularly near any rail lines (nearest is either Sete or Agde, probably 30 minutes away). So if you're going to have a car, you'll be in good shape, but rail etc is a little ways off. That probably limits the tourists a bit.

It's a decent sized town, with the usual small town French things, boulangeries and a weekly market, but large enough to have multiple large supermarkets and similar kinds of stores as well.

I've got no input on hospitals etc; its not something I was really considering at the time as I hadn't latched onto the idea of retiring the France yet in any serious manner.


----------



## Chrissippus

Poloss said:


> Molière, Molière...
> Home rather to the very impertinent singer and musician Boby Lapointe!


Ta Katie t'a quitté.


----------



## bdelancy

HI- sorry for the late response - just saw your post. I live in a town next to Pézenas, and being close to Pézenas was one of the primary factors for us. Pézenas is a wonderful town - there are plenty of activities, good food, great shopping, nice weekly market, easy autoroute access (MPL is 45 minutes; BCN is 3 hours by car), good train access, etc. If you ask others in the area what they like about their towns, they consistently say that being near Pézenas is a huge plus. I was concerned about actually living in Pézenas rather than just nearby, but people I have met who actually live there don't seem bothered by the crowds. In short, I highly recommend being in or near Pézenas. I am happy to talk directly if you would like.


----------

