Vienna

The Lycée français de Vienne, directly managed by the AEFE, teaches around 1,800 pupils from nursery to final year, with the nursery in Grinzing and the rest in the 9th; enrolment is online on Eduka with the Meldezettel. Austrian state school is free, starts in the year a child turns 6 and often ends around noon, hence the importance of after-school care (Hort). Our detailed school fees: /en/cities/vienna/school-fees/.

Yes in the municipal Kindergärten, for children up to 6 whose parent has their main residence in Vienna: only the meals are billed monthly. They are open from 6:30 to 17:30, with full-day or half-day options, and the main enrolment takes place in November and December for the following September. The last year before school is compulsory.

First the Meldezettel: the whole household must register its address within three days of moving in, free of charge, at any Meldeservice, with the form signed by the landlord. Then the bank account, health insurance registration through the employer, the Kindergarten or school application, then the Anmeldebescheinigung at the MA 35 within four months and the consular register. Details on /en/cities/vienna/settling-in/.

No: public health insurance is tied to employment, a non-working spouse and the children are attached to it and everyone gets their own e-card. With a contracted doctor (Kassenarzt) there is no upfront payment; with a Wahlarzt you pay and the insurer refunds part. Some families add private insurance to go faster or choose a private maternity unit. It is all explained on /en/cities/vienna/health/.

In Austria, the community paediatrician is the first point of contact until 18, without going through a GP, but contracted practices are often full: start early. The French embassy publishes a list of French-speaking doctors, with several paediatricians, GPs, dentists and therapists in Vienna, which we reproduce on /en/cities/vienna/health/.

144 only for a life-threatening emergency. For everything else, 1450, free and open 24/7: a nurse assesses the symptoms and directs you to an on-duty pharmacy, the 141 out-of-hours doctor (nights 19:00 to 7:00, weekends and public holidays) or one of Vienna's six children's emergency departments, including the St. Anna Kinderspital and the AKH in the 9th.

French families follow the Lycée: Alsergrund (9th), then the leafy north-western districts, Döbling (19th) where the nursery is, Währing (18th) and Hietzing (13th). The 2nd, around the Prater and the Institut français, appeals to young families, and Donaustadt (22nd) to those at the Vienna International School. Our Settling in page reviews the neighbourhoods: /en/cities/vienna/settling-in/.

Almost everything goes through agencies, but the commission is paid by whoever commissioned the agent, so usually the landlord. Expect a deposit of about three months' rent, leases that are often fixed-term for three years, and beware of the Ablöse, the sum the outgoing tenant asks for the furniture. The City's MieterHilfe checks your lease free of charge.

Not until the day before their 6th birthday, and in Vienna until the start of compulsory school, with an adult. Up to 15, they pay half fare on weekdays but travel free on Sundays, public holidays and during Vienna's school holidays. From school age, the pupils' Top-Jugendticket covers all transport in the region from September to September.

Vienna's Kindergärten and schools are used to children arriving without German and provide language support, and little ones pick it up fast from the others. The real challenge then becomes keeping French: the Institut français children's classes, FLAM Vienne workshops and courses, French-speaking scouts, the médiathèque. Our addresses are on /en/cities/vienna/family-outings/.

Less than Paris or London: housing stays reasonable thanks to the weight of regulated rents, municipal Kindergarten is free, children often travel free and the federal museums are free before 19. On the other side, the Lycée français charges fees, the tick vaccine and a few vaccines are not covered, and every household pays a broadcasting fee. The budget line by line: /en/cities/vienna/settling-in/.

Vienne Accueil runs a welcome coffee on Thursday mornings at the 'Vivre à Vienne' premises in the 1st district, organises a monthly drinks evening and family outings, and runs WhatsApp mutual-help groups. The Lycée school gates, the Institut français children's classes, FLAM Vienne and the French-speaking Catholic community do the rest, and lepetitjournal.com Vienne lists the week's events.