Vibe South of France

Insider's guide

An insider's guide for our people in the South of France

Where to buy buckwheat, which doctor to see, where the nearest Orthodox church is and how to get document translations certified. Here you'll find methods that work in any city; for the specifics of your own town, check its guide and the chat.

Вступить — @vibe_montpellier

Groceries: where to find a taste of home

Not every town has a dedicated “Russian shop”, but you won’t be left without buckwheat or tvorog. Three approaches that work:

  1. Ordinary supermarkets — sarrasin (buckwheat), kéfir, fromage blanc (close to tvorog) and smetana turn up in the larger Carrefour/Auchan stores, and so do herring and rye bread.
  2. Eastern grocers — Turkish, Maghrebi and Balkan shops often stock the same things “our people” look for.
  3. Delivery across France — slavmarket.fr and similar; in the chat people chip in for group orders and trips to the nearest big city.

For specific shop addresses, see your city’s guide (where such shops actually exist) and the chat.

Doctors and health care in Russian

The universal method is Doctolib → language filter → Russe, plus the speciality and city you need. That’s how people find a GP (médecin traitant), a dentist, a gynaecologist, a paediatrician or a psychologist. How the sécu, médecin traitant and mutuelle work is covered in the Relocation section. We only publish doctors’ names with their consent.

Orthodox church

The South of France has parishes of various jurisdictions — the Moscow Patriarchate, ROCOR, Constantinople (the Archdiocese, rue Daru), and Romanian, Serbian and Greek ones. In the larger cities (Nice, Marseille) there are churches right in town; for smaller places, look up the nearest parish and the schedule of services in the city guide. The best known is St Nicholas Cathedral in Nice.

Children: Russian school and language

In several cities there are Russian weekend schools and cultural associations (in Nice and Toulouse, for example). Schedules and enrolment change, so check the current details in the city guide and the chat; there are online options too.

Documents: sworn translator and notary

For official paperwork you’ll need a traducteur assermenté (see the FAQ above). A notary (notaire) is required for property transactions and inheritance; have the apostille/legalisation put on documents from your country of origin before you move, if at all possible.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find a doctor who speaks Russian?
On Doctolib, under the «langues parlées» filter pick Russe along with the speciality you need, then narrow it down by city. This is a reliable way to find a médecin, dentist, gynaecologist or psychologist who speaks Russian. People share names they trust in the chat — but only with each doctor’s own consent.
Where do I buy Russian / Eastern European groceries if there's no shop in my town?
Many people order delivery across France (slavmarket.fr, for example) or chip in for group orders and trips to the nearest big city. Some staples (buckwheat-sarrasin, kefir, fromage blanc instead of tvorog, herring, rye bread) can also be found in ordinary supermarkets and in Turkish/Maghrebi grocers.
What is a sworn translator and where do I find one?
A traducteur assermenté is a translator sworn in before a Court of Appeal (Cour d’Appel). Only their translations of official documents are accepted by town halls and préfectures. You find one through the official list of experts at the relevant Cour d’Appel for the Russian↔French language pair.

This is your chat in the South of France

Questions about moving, housing, doctors, schools, where to buy buckwheat — and just good company. ~400 people in the chat answer in Russian every day. Free.

Open the Vibe South of France chat on Telegram @vibe_montpellier