HELP GUIDES

Income Tax in France

Healthcare in France

Inheritance Law and Wills in France

Visas and residency cards for France

Occitanie

1.5cm hole in leg: Teenager bitten by ‘violin’ spider in south of France

The spiders are not thought to be aggressive. We look at where they are in France and the possible complications of a bite

Wooden statues stolen from French abbey 60 years ago are found

The statues were tracked down to two private homes. The 'owners' were unaware they had been stolen

Tourists hide €26m winning lottery ticket in dishes in south-west France

They had to wait until the end of their holiday before claiming the big EuroMillions prize

news

Dismay as court lowers payout over Franco-British man shot dead by hunter

‘Hunters have been given a blank cheque to kill with impunity’, says lawyer for the man’s brother

French town opens medical centre for those without a GP

The centre takes patients with or without appointments, amid the growing problem of 'medical deserts'

Toulouse home sells at half price as pool in view of thousands of people

The house, which is below a new cable car route, brings a whole new meaning to the word ‘overlooked’

Unmarked radar cars will be in more French regions soon

Three more regions are set to get the private cars from 2025

Rocamadour’s famous sword in the rock is missing, theft suspected

The sword was made famous by an epic of French literature

Tiger mosquitoes: dengue fever cases identified in south-west France

15 people have been infected but none caught the disease locally, say health authorities

Which French departments get the most rain?

Spoiler: They are not all in the northern half of the country

Franco-British man shot dead by hunters: €1.4m compensation claim

'By hitting each and every hunter in the wallet, we would make them all more responsible in future hunts,' lawyer tells French court

British man killed by falling branch at French music festival

Five other spectators were injured by the accident in Tarn

PHOTOS: €527,000 buys you ancient castle with a museum in west France

‘It may be little but it’s the real thing’

Pain au chocolat or chocolatine? The definitive map

Trying to settle a debate? Consult this official ‘chocolatine’ and ‘pain au chocolat’ map of France

More snow in south of France, but temperatures to rise nationwide

Several departments remain on alert due to the icy road conditions

French police investigate deaths of British chambre d’hôtes couple

The 65-year-old woman’s body was discovered near that of her husband, who appears to have committed suicide. A note at the scene spoke of financial troubles

Meet the artist behind France’s new Napoleon commemorative sculpture

‘Travel is my most important source of inspiration’, says Emmanuel Michel, whose full-length statue stands in a southern town in Occitanie

French land agency blocks land purchase by One Nation conspiracy group

Safer land agency has taken up its right to pre-empt the purchase of a 200-hectare plot in a small Lot village where One Nation planned to establish a hub for ‘emancipated human beings’

29C forecast for south-west France before autumn returns mid-week

Cooler temperatures and rain will follow on Wednesday (October 20)

Covid France: Cases rise in Lozère in south, health pass law discussed

The Occitanie department has seen a sharp rise in one week. It comes as the government discusses plans to extend national use of the health pass to July 31, 2022

Schools closed, roads underwater: the toll of Gard’s stormy weather

Parts of the southern French department had two months of rain in three hours yesterday, with people having to be airlifted to safety from flash flooding

Cars overturned, schools off-limits: storms batter southern France

Special water rescue teams on stand-by as two months of rain falls in just six hours in parts of the Gard. Red alert lifted but six departments remain on orange alert

Fire at metal plant in Ariège confines residents to their homes

Black smoke was seen coming from the Aubert & Duval factory this morning, prompting the prefecture to advise locals to stay indoors while firefighters dealt with the situation

Four orange storm alerts remain in France after 28 warnings lifted

Rain showers are now expected to move eastwards as clouds move in and temperatures start to drop around the country

Aude vulture watch station: What time of day is good to visit?

Visitors can access the Vulture Observatory free of charge all year round, and can observe these necrophagous birds of prey in their natural environment, at the foot of the Falconnière Cliff

Vulture saved from busy roadside in south west France

The bird of prey was spotted by several drivers, leading gendarmerie to mount a rescue with help from a local falconer

Tarn: France’s ‘little Tuscany’ in demand among domestic holidaymakers

Three other Occitanie departments were also included in an Airbnb list of trending summer destinations, reflecting a growing preference for holidays in the countryside in favour of city breaks

American blue crabs invading French coast are sent to Élysée Palace

The crustaceans are native to the United States but are causing problems for fishermen in France after becoming an invasive species in recent years

Occitanie: Alert as Covid hospital admissions increase tenfold in July

The region’s health agency is asking people to remain vigilant. It comes as data shows the region has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country

South west France and Covid case rises: ‘We must stay vigilant’

France’s government spokesperson said that there had been a noticeable increase in cases in certain parts of these regions, which should not be ignored

Cordes-sur-Ciel: The pretty French town in the clouds

A tour through time into the long history of one of southwest France’s earliest revolutionary ‘bastide’ towns

Secret history of France: Auch

Treasure and tragedy in Gascony’s historic capital: In her series revealing the history of France’s cities, art historian Julia Faiers reveals the cultural treasures tucked away in Gers capital, Auch

British artist inspires Chinese light show in France

Artist's work the inspiration for a scene at Chinese Festival des Lanternes in southwest France

Four departments on flood alert after storms

Death toll rises to three following heavy rain at the weekend

Storms cut major rail artery in south of France

With one department still on orange weather alert, the clean-up under way following major storms in south of France

Archive calls for new photos of old French communes

Photographers in the Haute-Garonne department (Occitanie) are invited to take part in a new project to document modern views of places seen in old postcards from the early 20th century.

French gilets jaunes burger made with ‘tear gas sauce’

A restaurant in Nîmes (Gard, Occitanie) has created a new hamburger inspired by the gilets jaunes movement, named “Gilles et John”, and served with “tear gas” and “CRS sauce”.

Flood-zone building row after Aude deaths

Questions are being raised over the wisdom of building on flood-risk areas following the deadly floods in the Aude.

Toulouse tops new list of best French hospitals

A list of the top 50 hospitals in France has been published, with the CHU of Toulouse in first place, followed by those of Bordeaux and Lille.

Hiker legs it, pursued by a bear

Holidaymaker recalls moment he faced adult and three cubs in Pyrénées

Forecasters warn of violent overnight storms

Thunderstorms to develop in Massif Central and Pyrénées on Friday afternoon and will last until early Saturday