We have now fully updated our popular guide for Paris (and France). After London, our Paris' guide has been fully reviewed and extended, and with 182 pages (PDF) of information you will read the most complete guide to prepare your expatriation to France and to Paris.

Paris has been on the lips of every dreamer, the mind of every romantic, and below the feet of almost every traveler. Stories of the "City of Lights" have reached past the point of hyperbole, but so much of the myth is true. The city has inspired poets, artists, and practically anyone who has tread it's cobbled streets and elegant terraces. To steal a kiss on a street on Montmartre, to see the cabaret of Moulon Rouge, to climb the many steps of the Eiffel Tower .... the city combines the magic of European mystique with the energy of a world city. Parisian's aloof reputation may be well-deserved as citizens of one of the most exciting cities in the world.

France is a major part of the Eurozone and of the EU single market. It has a mixed economy, combining private and state enterprise and the country ranks very high in productivity, low in hours worked (official time is 35 hours/week or compensated by additional holidays - read our article about which countries have the most and least vacation days), but low employment rates in comparison to other OECD countries.

Much of Paris economic activity takes place in central Hauts-de-Seine départements in a rough triangle between the Opéra Garnier, La Défense, and the Val de Seine. Many workers choose to commute from the suburbs to work in the city.

Cost of living in Paris has climbed higher and higher, ranking 7th in the most expensive cities, just after Zurich, in the "Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2013", a report published recently by The Economist Intelligence Unit. But this is also in the top ten countries offering the best quality of life according to both the OECD and the HSBC study in 2010, which is also confirmed in the International living report where it ranked first of the best place to live in 2010:

"France has won International Living's Quality of Life Index over and over. The country has one of the world's best health care, well priced properties and goods outside of the cities, and a relaxed and joyful way of life."

You will find the usual articles in our guide to prepare your expatriation to Paris and manage your life once in there: Overview, Job, Passport, Visa & Permits to go to France, International Removal Companies, Finding Accommodation in Paris, Work, Benefits and Tax, Moving in, Education in France, Health, Practical Life (banks, transport, shopping...), Entertainment...

You can also discuss and share experience in Paris and France in our forum.

Last but not least, you can download the full guide in PDF format, in order to read quietly and maybe to upload on your mobile or tablet PC/iPad.

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