Much like the landscape and culture, property prices vary hugely across the Aquitaine region. As a general rule, property becomes significantly cheaper the further inland you go, especially towards the northeast of the region. The west coast often commands extortionate prices, thanks to its booming tourism trade, beautiful coastline, clement weather, proximity to the Spanish border and good transport links.
For this reason, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department is the most expensive, with prices for apartments averaging out at €2,723 per square metre. House prices are slightly cheaper at €2,048 per square metre.
Along the coast, Biarritz is a tourist hotspot, but because of this it can feel slightly contrived, extremely busy and low-rent in places, despite its wide avenues, large squares and long beachfront. With more character, St-Jean-de- Luz is a delightful and more compact resort, with old stone houses, shops and restaurants aplenty and a calmer, more relaxed feel. Between the two resorts, beaches are virtually deserted and as yet not built-up and it’s easy to find an isolated spot to relax in. Both resorts come under Bayonne’s administration, hence the district’s hig h property prices – €2,773 – compared with the departmental average.
Bayonne boasts a TGV train link with Paris and various Spanish stations, as well as an airport serviced by low-cost carriers easyJet and Ryanair. Further inland, departmental capital Pau also boasts an airport as well as a funicular railway connecting the mountains with the valley below. The district is decidedly cheaper, with average property prices of €1,924 per square metre.
Neighbouring Landes offers marginally better value for money but, thanks to its popularity with surfers and families, also boasts a booming tourism trade. Property prices here average out at €1,974 per square metre, rising to €2,719 in Ondres, a small seaside resort in southern Landes with 2km of sandy beaches.
City slicker
Regional capital Bordeaux helps to keep property prices high in Gironde, to the east of Landes. The lively city has benefited from a number of initiatives to improve quality of life and transport in the city, most notably with its high-speed TGV lin k to Paris. Prices here average out at €2,115 per square metre, which is slightly higher than the departmental average of €1,914.
To the east, the Dordogne is one of Aquitaine’s cheapest departments, with property prices hitting an average of €1,449 per square metre. This rural department offers rolling green hills carpeted with forests as well as chalky plateaux coursing with rivers and is a confirmed favourite with Brits looking for a home from home. Stone properties requiring renovation still exist, but thanks to the resident British community, stocks are diminishing fast.
The region’s four international airports (Bergerac, Bordeaux, Biarritz and Pau) are well served by low-cost carriers, making access to the department quick and simple.
Périgueux is a delightful town, with narrow cobbled streets linking open squares and courtyards. Shops and restaurants range from the big chains to highly specialised artisans and a weekly market is held in the main square. The old white stone used in construction is typical of the Périgord Blanc’s limestone plateaux.
Around Périgueux, a series of pretty villages and towns are clustered along the Dordogne’s many rivers and streams, St-Jean-de-Cole and Brantôme are particularly picturesque. Lot-et-Garonne, the Aquitaine’s cheapest department property-wise, averaging €1,426 per square metre, is more rural still, with many acres dedicated to the department’s main economic activity: agriculture and food production. Villeneuve-sur-Lot, in particular, is known for its plum harvest and employment in this area centres around food preservation, such as tinning.
Prefecture town Agen is the prune capital and boasts one of France’s few churches with a double nave. At just an hour’s drive from both Toulouse and Bordeaux, property here offers good value for money with average prices of €1,516 per square metre.
With so much choice on offer in Aquitaine you’ll be hard pressed to decide where to buy, let alone what to buy. Still, whatever you decide, you can rest assured that the lifestyle and landscapes on offer in this beautiful region will keep you satisfied for many years yet.
Source: French Property Buying Guide 2010 / 2011
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