Many dream of moving to France for its vibrant culture, unparalleled cheese and wine pairings, charming streets lined with boutique shops and restaurants, and the exquisite landscape that ranges from the sandy beaches of the Riviera to the snow-capped mountains of the Alps, an additional perk to living in France is the country’s investment in green living.
France has long been committed to sustainable development, making it official in 2021 by passing a bill to phase out polluting vehicles, reducing plastic waste, encouraging plant-based diets in schools and scrapping domestic flights if train travel is less than 2.5 hours.
Read on to discover the best green destinations to live in France.
One of the greenest cities in France is Besançon, the capital of watchmaking. Located in Eastern France, Besançon has long been a desired tourist destination due to its rich heritage and unique architecture. Some of its most famous landmarks include the Porte Noir, a Gallo-Roman triumphal arch built under Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century and the Square Castan, a garden with archaeological remains from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The city’s fortifications, the Citadel of Besançon, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, are visited annually by a quarter of a million people.
For residents, the quality of life in Besançon is often praised for its sports offerings, from extensive running trails to local swimming pools. Getting around without a car is easy thanks to an excellent public transportation system. But what adds to Besançon’s sustainable lifestyle, besides the forested valley that surrounds the town and its 2,408 hectares of green space within city limits? It is their recent initiative to make their public transportation contactless. More than 200 buses and trams have a tap-to-pay, contactless payment method. So, now you can feel extra good about leaving your car parked to explore this historical city.
Voted the European Green Capital in 2013, the largest city of the Loire valley – and the second greenest city in France according to the Observatoire des Villes Vertes – Nantes continues to be vigil about sustainable living. Not only has the city developed its public transportation system to include extensive tram lines, bike rentals and car-sharing facilities. One of the largest redevelopment projects in the area, Ile de Nantes, has turned a former industrial shipyard into a multifunctional environmentally friendly river island, creating affordable housing and eco-neighborhoods in the process. Similar efforts have been made in other districts around Nantes.
With over 100 parks and gardens within city limits and no one in Nantes living further than 300 meters from a green space, the city of approximately 300,000 residents has been praised for its quality of life. The region also happens to be the largest producer of dry white wine in France. Those delicious grapes seem like another excellent reason to move to Nantes!
Located between Paris and Lyon, the historical capital of the Burgundy region recently reached the finals of the 2022 European Green Capital Award, which is no surprise considering 68% of the region is made up of agricultural and natural spaces.
The city of Dijon has always placed an emphasis on heritage. About 100 hectares of the city centre is protected by historical monument status and the centre of the city is pedestrianised. Now, their focus is on integrating ecological thinking into its gastronomy and viticulture, through the “Sustainable Food 2030” project, which seeks to allow the average consumer, to choose producers that favour shorter food chains through a local label, currently in development.
The city that takes pride in its world-famous mustard, also takes pride in its cultural offerings that rival that of the French capital, but with a lower cost of living. Add that to being one of the best green destinations to live in France, and you’ve reached French perfection.
Those who visit Lyon usually make the trek for its UNESCO heritage sites or the world-famous light show, Fête de Lumiere, but for the city’s 480,000 inhabitants Lyon’s charms go beyond the festivals, charming renaissance passageways, or the gastronomic scene consisting of 72 Michelin-starred chefs and traditional bouchons.
For decades, Lyon has made a firm commitment to more sustainable living. It was the first city in France to introduce bike sharing in 2005. Its airport has been carbon-neutral since 2017, and La Cité Internationale, where the city’s convention centre is located, has been praised for using recovered rainwater to maintain its gardens and achieve heating and cooling using underground seepage water.
The city’s environmental crown jewel is the Confluence district, an urban renewal project consisting of shops, restaurants and affordable housing in a formerly abandoned part of the city. The urbanisation project has doubled the size of the city, while green infrastructure, through innovative building techniques and the increase of local renewable energy production, aims not to increase the town’s greenhouse emissions.
In 2019, Lyon was named the European Capital of Smart Tourism, thanks to its transportation links to major European cities, environmentally friendly transportation within the city, and encouragement of its residents to consume local produce.
Moving away from its industrial past, Bordeaux has been inching towards becoming a green city since the 1990s, when the mayor turned the deserted riverbank into a pedestrian and bicyclist area.
The city’s commitment to sustainability can be seen through the tram system that runs through town, the city-wide bike-sharing system and a program that offers to loan every household a free bike for up to 10 months. Those looking for eco-events should head to Darwin on the right bank, a sociological experiment where former military barracks have been turned into an ecological village where one can work, eat organic food and participate in ecological events. There is even a skatepark.
Rumour has it that the city where the sun shines more than 300 days a year also has more solar panels than any other city in France. What we know for sure is that Marseille has an excellent public transportation network with trams, buses and the metro taking you wherever you want to go. That’s sustainable living with real-life perks.
In 2021, Marseille joined the GDS index, which means that the city’s efforts to become a sustainable destination will be benchmarked against rigorous environmental criteria. Marseille is currently aiming high in its sustainability efforts with plans for renewable energy, greywater recycling schemes, tree planting projects and bike paths. The most high-profile of these projects is the 480-hectare urban renewal project and a 15-hectare green corridor, the Parc des Aygalades.
Another reason to move to France’s second-largest city is not just the weather, but the harbour town’s cultural offerings and its prime position on the French Riviera. The infrastructural projects make for a thriving job market and make it a rising star where the cost of living is still relatively low compared to other major cities in France.
While known for its beautifully manicured parks, the capital has not traditionally been thought of as one of the greenest cities in France. But the City of Light is intent on being at the forefront of sustainable living in France. Since Anne Hidalgo became the mayor of Paris, green living has been the focus of her leadership.
Now, landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Notre Dame, can be easily enjoyed by bike, using the 900 miles of bike lanes that Hidalgo has implemented since coming into office. Locals and tourists alike can grab a Vélib and ride along the Seine, which has been completely shut off to traffic in the city centre.
Within the decade, the mayor has promised to make Paris even greener, with 50% of the city covered by planted areas. This ought to make Paris not just the most beautiful city in France to live in, complete with all its famous amenities, but one of the greenest cities to make your new home.
Angers ranks as one of the most eco-friendly city in France with its 630 acres of parks, and green space less than 500 meters from every inhabitant. A great example of the city’s efforts in sustainability is Avenue Jeanne d’Arc where a 600m path dedicated to walking and biking has been planted with trees and flowers. Angers dedicates 3.5% of their budget annually to creating new green spaces.
To keep Angers the greenest city in France, residents are encouraged to keep their city lush by adding to the flower pods already maintained by the local community. The city meanwhile is focusing on regenerating public places, adding to the 15,000 trees lining the roads and the 300 mini-gardens around town. All this is how Angers keeps its fantastic air quality.
As if that isn’t enough of a selling point, its 1.5 hours by train from Paris, has an affordable cost of living and a reputation for a perfect work-life balance, making Angers the perfect city for young professionals and families.
Strasbourg, the largest city of the Grand Est region, is an example of the first time UNESCO has declared an entire city centre a heritage site. From its magnificent cathedral with the famous glass-stained windows to the historic district of La Petite France, surrounded by canals, there is no shortage of charm in this city.
But let’s be honest, just as many people come to the birthplace of foie gras for the Alsatian food. Traditional dishes like tarte flambée – a pizza-like creation often topped with cream, bacon and onions, or choucroute – that delicious mix of sauerkraut and sausage, accompanied by a bottle of Gewürztraminer or Riesling are the culinary highlights for visitors and residents alike. Luckily it is not hard to work off those hearty meals thanks to the city’s 600 km (372 miles) of bike paths and an easy-access bike-share program.
Thethird greenest city in France also encourages walking, which is no chore through the fairytale centre where one can walk off these delicacies on the cobblestone streets that line the mediaeval, renaissance, romantic and art nouveau architecture.
For those living in Strasbourg, daily life is made easier by the six tram lines that traverse the city. The city also has rapid train connections to Paris and Frankfurt alike, as well as an international airport that makes Strasbourg an easy home base even when life takes you elsewhere.
As you can see, the heavy emphasis on green living in France makes it easy to choose eco-friendly living when deciding where to live in France. There is no need to sacrifice sustainability for culture and gastronomy in the greenest cities in France. Just pour yourself a glass of wine and watch the world get better.
