Rick & Ilse(35)

Ilse was heavily pregnant when we made the decision. We lived in a 50m² apartment in Leiden for €1,400 per month, without a garden, without prospects for anything bigger. Annecy — the Venice of the Alps — had been our dream destination since our honeymoon there. The lake, the mountains, the old town: everything fit. Two months after the birth of our son Lucas, we moved.

I'm an outdoor photographer and Ilse is a marketer. We both work as micro-entrepreneurs — the simplest business form. Registration via autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr, SIRET number in ten days, done. We continued serving our Dutch clients — the time difference is negligible and the internet connection in Annecy is excellent. URSSAF collects 21.1% social charges monthly on our revenue.

Annecy is more expensive than other parts of France, but comparable to Leiden. We rent a 65m² apartment in the suburb of Cran-Gevrier for €920 per month, with a view of La Tournette mountain. The crèche (daycare) for Lucas took months of searching — waiting lists are long. Through the mairie we eventually got a spot in a crèche municipale: €350 per month, income-based. In the Netherlands we paid double.

The CAF was a lifesaver. As a young family with one child we receive PAJE (prestation d'accueil du jeune enfant) — a monthly allowance of €184 for children up to three years. We also get a complément de libre choix du mode de garde for daycare costs. Total CAF benefits are about €300 per month. The application goes through caf.fr and requires an attestation de revenus and a certificat de naissance.

Life in Annecy with a baby is wonderful. The lake is clean enough to swim in — we go every summer afternoon with Lucas to the plage d'Albigny. Hiking trails start literally at our doorstep: the Semnoz, Parmelan, Tournette. In winter we ski at La Clusaz, 35 minutes' drive. Annecy also has an excellent marché: every Tuesday and Friday at Place Sainte-Claire, with Savoyard cheeses (reblochon, beaufort, tomme) and charcuterie.

Our advice to young families: do it early, before the children start school. Integration is easier when they're young. Arrange CPAM and the carte vitale immediately upon arrival — with a baby you want healthcare sorted. The PMI (Protection Maternelle et Infantile) is a free consultation service for children up to six — comparable to the Dutch consultation bureau but more thorough. And enjoy: life with a child in the French Alps is a privilege.