While choosing a university that can offer you a good education and opportunities is high on the list of things to consider when choosing where to attend, it’s also important to take a look at the surrounding environment.
Evaluating if a city is a good match for your interests and personality can make your student experience so much better! These beautiful French cities are the best for student living.
Paris
Home to numerous renowned universities and educational institutions, Paris is the second most multicultural city in Europe, after London. People from all over the world work, live, and travel in Paris, meaning you can make connections with people from literally anywhere on Earth in this city. When you study in Paris, you're bound to have a monumental experience.
Scene: Paris is an undoubtedly lively city. While it subscribes to the sleepy mornings of most European cities, there is always a lot to do on any given day. Protesting is a national pastime in France, so you do need to be aware of when manifestations (protest marches) are occurring. These are typically rather safe demonstrations that happen at the République area along the metro line, but you want to make sure to be in the know so you can plan to either attend or avoid the area.
Nightlife: Perhaps the city wakes up late because it stays up so late! You can find numerous clubs, movies at the cinema, theatre productions, pubs and lounges, and music events happening all the time.
City-wide events like Fête de la Musique occur frequently meaning you can find free, open-air events at all hours all over the city.
Activities: Of course, Paris is known for its monuments, museums, gardens and parks, and shopping. In addition to these location-specific attractions, you can also find many average city amenities like fitness and yoga classes, mini-golf and other games, skateboarding, and fun workshops like dancing.
Food: There is something for every palette, preference, and dietary restriction in Paris. Dive into decadent Parisian and French cuisine, sample an international dish like Haitian or Japanese, find gluten-free pastries, and find vegan entrées at every turn. Another bonus is the multitude of cafes and bakeries that allow people to sit and work, so you can change your study scenery every day if you want to!
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Lyon
Lyon is the third-largest city in France, behind Paris and Marseille. It’s a beautiful city that has a high standard of living and quality of life, lots of access to nature, diverse culture, and is part of a hub of transportation options that can take you all over the country.
Scene: There is a pretty substantial hip scene in parts of Lyon that make it attractive to students, as there is always something interesting going on. There are many historic sites in the city, including a Roman Forum built in 43 BCE, making Lyon a UNESCO world heritage site. Two rivers flow through the city, and on a clear day, you can even see the French Alps and Mont Blanc from within the city. People who live in Lyon tend to describe it as a more-relaxed Paris.
Nightlife: Since it’s an exciting city, Lyon has plenty of pubs, dance clubs, comedy shows, dinner theatres, and even casinos! Wander down the streets and find plenty of art and fine wine to enjoy!
Activities: Check out the thriller-genre convention Quais du Polar, take a tour of the occultist history of the city, and visit grand basilicas and interesting museums. Tour the Roman ruins and La Confluence before relaxing in Parc de la Tête d’Or and then wandering through the old traboules in the city.
Food: Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France and even the world! There are 20 one, two, and three Michelin-star restaurants in Lyon, and while they may be a bit out of your student budget, you can still find plenty of amazing food at other fantastic restaurants. There are also many markets where you can buy fresh ingredients to prepare cuisine at home.
Grenoble
Although probably one of the less-known cities in France, Grenoble is a vibrant place for students. It’s a real university town with about 60,000 students (more than 10,000 international) living there each year! About ⅓ of the population are people under 25. Grenoble is often voted the best or second-best university city in France, tied with Toulouse. While students who stay there say the architecture is lacklustre compared to other French cities, the environment, activities, and vibrant student life more than makeup for it.
Scene: Grenoble is a bit more relaxed than cities like Paris and Lyon. It’s smaller with a population of about 533,000 people (in contrast, Paris has about 11.1 million and Lyon has 1.7 million). As such, the architecture is less grand and the general vibe is a little more small-town. However, there is plenty to do and the students who live there tend to enjoy the city very much.
Nightlife: The nightlife in Grenoble includes plenty of pubs, dance clubs, karaoke, and restaurants. There are also places to find comedy, theatre, large and small music venues, and movies.
Activities: Since the city is located right in the middle of four mountain chains, there are numerous opportunities for outdoor activities. Check out all the opportunities for skiing, sledging, ice skating, rock climbing, adventure parks, hiking and trail running, biking, and golf. There are even events such as forest baths, paddleboard yoga, and tours where you can learn about and pick edible wild plants!
Other activities include escape rooms, local markets, and sightseeing, including taking a cable car (the world’s first!) up to La Bastille.
Food: There are some local food and drink specialities to explore while in Grenoble, like Chartreuse, select wines, speciality cheeses, and Les ravioles du Royans.
Nice
Enjoy the French Alps and the Mediterranean Sea in this French Riviera city! The French Riviera (aka the Côte d’Azur) is the area along the Mediterranean Sea, generally accepted as stretching from Toulon to Menton. While the city is a tourist hotspot and the location of many celebrity vacation homes, it is also a great place for students to enjoy the best of French culture while basking in the sun.
Scene: The mild, Mediterranean climate of Nice means that the weather is warm and pleasant for most of the year. Even in the winter, there is very little snow, if any, and there are very few rainy days on average even in the “rainy season” months. There are some ancient sites, parks, and of course, plenty of beaches in Nice. Marseille is a few hours away by train, so you can take a day or weekend trip any time!
Nightlife: Much of the nightlife in Nice is limited to pubs and clubs, but there are quite a few different musical atmospheres to choose from, from punk to EDM to Latin to jazz! You could enjoy an opera performance, go salsa dancing, or simply sit on the beach for hours on end.
Activities: Check out Colline du Chateau, Promenade des Anglais, Vieux Nice, and Cours Saleya flower market. You can take hikes in the nearby mountains, visit small towns nearby like Villefranche-sur-Mer, tour museums and cathedrals, watch the Tour de France in July, swim in the Mediterranean, and find petroglyphs and ibexes in Parc National du Mercantour
Food: It’s no surprise that seafood is one of the main staples in Nice. Fish and shellfish are plentiful, so many dishes use these ingredients. There are also many Mediterranean-style dishes that incorporate greens, vegetables, and olives. Local foods to try include socca, Niçoise salad, pissaladière, ratatouille, and tapenade.
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Toulouse
This town is often voted the best or second-best university town in France (Grenoble and Toulouse tie in the ranking often). The weather tends to be rather temperate all year long, with not too many rainy days.
Scene: Sometimes called “La Ville Rose” (The Pink City) because of the pinkish hue of all the rooftops, Toulouse is overall a very pleasant place to live. It’s relatively close to both the sea and the mountains, as well as Spain, so a day trip to a fun location is very possible. You can walk in the town centre, casually shopping and enjoying the scenery in a rustic town.
Nightlife: Plenty of pubs, cocktail lounges, and dance clubs are available for after-dinner fun. You can also find bowling, musical performances, a casino, karaoke, comedy clubs, and even a board game pub!
Activities: Take a stroll in the old part of town and admire the antique architecture, visit the space museum Cité de l’Espace (Space City), tour the UNESCO world heritage site Basilica of Saint-Sernin meander through Pierre Baudis Japanese Garden, and go to the local market.
Food: There are many local restaurants to check out, and some places serve food influenced by Spanish culture. You can find charcuterie, traditional French pastries, and great dinners and places for apéro. Don’t miss out on trying the local signature dish, cassoulet!
Montpellier
Located close to other major French cities like Marseille, Montpellier is located along the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France. It is sunny and warm for most of the year, which means year-round beach hangouts.
Scene: Founded in the 10th century, medieval structures and architecture are easy to find around the city. The people in Montpellier tend to be warmer and friendlier than some other places in France. Many current and former students there say that Montpellier has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The city is evolving and becoming more interesting every year!
Nightlife: You can find many concerts, dance clubs, restaurants and events going on at all times of the year, but even more so in the Spring and Summer. Many themed bars offer unique atmospheres to try out.
Activities: The Mediterranean beaches are, of course, a wonderful attraction. There are also smaller towns nearby to explore and see the history. Take a day trip hiking the Pic Saint Loup or to beautiful Marseille. Take a walk on the famous Promenade du Peyrou and explore the oldest Botanical Garden in France, founded in 1593. And, if you can, attend the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier.
Food: As another Mediterranean location, seafood is a common fare. Since Montpellier is close to Spain, Spanish and Catalan cuisine has a presence. Some unique dishes include La fougasse aux fritons, La chichoumeille, and Les oreillettes. There are plenty of restaurants with other types of cuisine as well.
So, which city do you think you would love the most? There are exceptional universities in each of these locations, so take the programs and the whereabouts into consideration when choosing which French university you’d like to attend when you study abroad!
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