Gwyneth Perrier, 59, moved to France from San Francisco with her French husband and teenage daughter in August 2023, after running a restaurant in the city for more than a decade.
The pull of family and a more balanced life inspired the move.
“(Olivier) spent so much time away from France, and wanted to take care of his mom as she’s in her mid-80s, and actually have a social life, because running a restaurant you have little or no social life.”
The family settled near the village of Annonay, close to where Olivier grew up in Loire.
Uprooting a teenager from buzzing San Francisco to the more tranquil French countryside was initially not easy.
“It was quite challenging… Luckily, she did go to a French school in San Francisco so was already bilingual, but many things felt like they were a bit too set back in time for her,” Gwyneth said.
The solution was a school programme in Lyon, where Gwyneth and her daughter have been living during the week since July 2025, returning to Ardèche at weekends.
The move has been positive for both her daughter, who has a “thriving social life” and Gwyneth.
“It’s been quite life changing for me as well. I was able to join meet-ups, and get to know other international people as well as local French people. It’s been a really enriching experience.”
She loves the layout of the city, with its Parisian-like arrondissements and their distinct characters. And it’s easy to get around by foot, metro, bus or train.
Soaking up Lyon’s culture
“I got an annual Carte Culture for €38, so I have access to five museums that are free, as well as other museums and concerts at a discount.”
“I love to check out all the various cafes and the Musée des Beaux-Arts – a lot of people sit in the courtyard when the weather is nice, it’s free for anybody to go and enjoy, it’s like a little secret garden.”
With its magnificent cathedral and tranquil green spaces, Lyon is a delight to visitBearFotos/Shutterstock
On weekends, she enjoys a more rural life.
“It’s quite easy to get to Tournon-sur-Rhône and Tain l’Hermitage, really well-known wine areas (and) there are a lot of little hidden restaurants, the gastronomy… you can get quite incredible food and there are lots of little markets selling very local Ardéchois products.”
One of the main challenges for Gwyneth has been the language.
“I did study French and I can keep up a basic conversation, it’s mainly during more technical conversations, during an appointment where the doctor doesn’t speak English and I have to get my point across.”
What are the big differences between life in the US and France?
“I find people really take their downtime seriously.”
She recounts visiting a clothing atelier in a nearby village, but it was lunchtime.
“(The owner) was sitting eating with her husband and that was it. It was like, nope I’m not getting up to sell you anything, forget it.”
In the US, she says, the situation would be “I’m just going to take a break and sell something”.
“In San Francisco, at a lot of meet-ups the people were much younger than me, and here I feel like people socialise across different age groups much more which is really nice.”
In France, travel and culture are more on your doorstep.
“It’s been wonderful for us, it’s a huge difference. We can just take a three hour drive and go down to Montpellier, or three hours and we’re in Switzerland, it’s just incredible the amount of variety in such a short drive.”
