If you are looking for oodles of charm, in the guise of half-timbered houses, stone cottages and views over vineyards, then you could do worse than Burgundy.
Burgundy already enjoys impressive transport links with the rest of France, with its numerous road and rail connections, and to the UK, via Calais or Paris, and the region is hoping to develop the airport at Dijon into a more passenger-focused service in the future. Indeed, Dijon’s chamber of commerce is keen to re-establish connections with London, which would bring the region within 70 minutes of the British capital.
This would provide a boost to Burgundy’s property market, which is particularly buoyant along the wine route in the department of Côte d’Or, not only because of the wealth that wine exports bring to the departments, or indeed the massive tourist interest that the vineyards generate, but also thanks to its well-developed transport network. The TGV crosses the region diagonally, linking to Paris, while the A6 provides access to Paris by road.
Gold rush
The Côte d’Or department is crossed from north-east to south-west by the Plateau de Langres – a chain of hills, planted with vineyards. In the west, the dense woods of the Châtillonais stretch towards Champagne, while the Saône valley is nestled in the east.
Property prices in Côte d’Or average €1,731 per square metre, rising to €2,201 around Dijon. The city’s pedestrianised streets, halftimbered houses, upmarket shops and full cultural calendar act as a substantial draw for tourists and permanent residents alike.
Meanwhile, wine capital Beaune’s multi-coloured tiled roofs, 15th-century architecture and well known restaurants provide a comparable lifestyle and are cheap at the price; averaging €1,823 per square metre.
In Yonne, proximity to Paris and the Chablis wine route has helped keep demand for property high, though prices in this area are still not as steep as those in Côte d’Or. There are many pretty towns and villages to choose from here. Medieval Joigny is at the top of the wine route on the banks of the Loire, while in central Yonne, Auxerre’s clock tower and half-timbered houses sit alongside its Gothic cathedral, replete with stained glass. The annual bric-a-brac festival in Mezilles provides ample opportunities to fill your home with antiques and second-hand gems.
For those looking for a more rural retreat, Nièvre encompasses the majority of Burgundy’s regional park, Parc Naturel Règional du Morvan, with its dense forests, rolling hills and lakes. The timber from these forests is used to make wine barrels, and the park attracts a number of outdoors enthusiasts, bringing a constant stream of tourists to the area. Pouilly fumé is the local tipple, from vineyards scattered throughout the west bank of the Loire valley. Villages here, such as Pouillysur- Loire, Boisgibault and Tracy-sur-Loire are known for their rich flora and fauna.
Property in the department is inexpensive, averaging €1,144 per square metre.
The Loire river trickles through from Nièvre into Saône-et-Loire, endowing the department with the latter half of its name. The Saône river naturally provides the department with its forename. The Canal du Centre links the two rivers together. The department’s industrial west contains the Le Creusot steelworks, while the more rural east borders onto Franche-Comté, linked by the Bresse Plain.
Despite its dense population, property is less expensive here than in the region’s northernmost departments. However, its proximity to the côte chalonnaise and maçonnais wine routes means that property prices are still slightly higher than those in neighbouring Nièvre; the department’s average of €1,361 per square metre rises to €1,650 around Maçon. Maçon’s red roofs come courtesy of its proximity to Rhône-Alpes and this busy town is hugely popular with tourists, attracting many Austrian and German visitors in particular.
Meanwhile, the Benedictine abbey at nearby Cluny is considered to be a masterpiece of Romanesque art. The department is sure to benefit should Dijon airport gain additional services to other destinations in the future.
Source: French Property Buying Guide 2010 / 2011
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