A Riviera Arrival service
Settling in
The first-month list, guide by guide.
"Settling in" isn't one task, it's about a dozen small ones, each with its own office, its own queue, and its own unwritten rules. Rather than repeat myself here, I've written the full walkthrough for each one separately, from my own experience going through it. This page is just the map — pick the one you're stuck on.
Visas & paperwork
Titre de séjour, OFII, the prefecture queue.
Bank & phone
Opening an account without a French address.
Healthcare
Carte Vitale, mutuelle, English-speaking doctors.
Getting around
Trains, the €1.70 bus, and when to skip the car.
Learning French
Classes, tandems and the words you need first.
Local businesses
The baker, the plumber, the tailor — vetted.
If you'd rather not do any of it alone, that's a service too — I sit beside people through the harder parts of this list more often than you'd think. Send me a note below and tell me where you're stuck.
Stuck on something specific?
Send Nathalie your question — the answer usually becomes a guide.