To say the region’s property market is expensive would be an understatement; it’s extortionate in places. That said, it is still possible to buy a reasonably priced pad if you veer off the beaten track. For seafront properties or those in or around the large tourist resorts, however, you won’t get any change from €1m.
Alpes-Maritimes is the priciest department, with apartment prices hitting €4,183 per square metre and houses at €4,226 per square metre – though this price doesn’t even begin to describe the upper limits of property in this area. Prices are highest in the town of Roquebrune-Cap- Martin, which lies between Monaco and Menton. Here prices hit an eye-watering €7,428 per square metre.
Elsewhere in the department sprawling Nice and its coastal neighbour Cannes are among the priciest districts – and no wonder given their proximity to the bustling Nice Côte d’Azur airport and thriving, year-round rental market. Temperatures here remain in the low 20s until late October and conference centres keep demand for hotel rooms high during the winter months.
Nice is the fifth-largest city in France, population-wise. Italian immigration in the 19th century and the influx of migrants from the surrounding countryside throughout the 20th century added to Nice’s weight, and now the city’s population is swelling once more, largely due no doubt to its favourable climate.
There is plenty to keep you occupied in Nice; its many squares are packed with great restaurants, shops and cafés, and concerts are held in the pedestrianised Place Masséna and Place du Palais during the long summer season.
Place Masséna is now pedestrianised thanks to the recent completion of Nice’s tramline, which has eased congestion throughout the city. Nice also has a busy central train station, with satellite stations serving districts on the city’s outskirts.
Despite Nice’s popularity with tourists, it still manages to cling to its status as a ‘proper city’. Cannes, on the other hand, feels distinctly like a film set in places.
Neighbouring Var has its fair share of glamour, with St-Tropez’s yachts bobbing alongside the pastel-coloured houses. However, St-Tropez doesn’t tell the whole tale of this department; over 50% is covered with forests and farmland, offering those with a less padded wallet a chance to snatch a tiny slice of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur among Var’s olive groves. Around Brignoles, prices drop to €2,462 per square metre, compared with the departmental average of €3,271.
Along the coast, Bouchesdu- Rhône is home to the regional capital, Marseille, the third largest city in France and the oldest. The city boasts great transportation and infrastructure, with Marseille Provence airport key to the department’s tourist trade. The city’s port is one of the main entry points into France, and consequently there’s a large immigrant population. This works in its favour to the extent that multi-culturalism has created a cosmopolitan vibe, with international cuisine and a rich cultural life – though unemployment and culture clashes have caused problems in the past.
The authorities have embarked on a huge revitalisation programme in Rue de la République and around the port area. Property prices in the city come in at €3,284 per square metre compared with the departmental average of €2,943. The traditional town of Aix-en-Provence is a more manageable size and its cobbled streets reveal a surprising number of international restaurants, cinemas and shops all fed by its large student population. But it is slightly pricier than Marseille with houses costing an average of €3,866 per square metre.
Inland, Vaucluse is cheaper, with prices averaging out at €2,284 per square metre; its lack of coastline doesn’t make it any less attractive to buyers drawn to traditional Provençal farmhouses, or mas.
Prefecture Avignon keeps Vaucluse’s population in entertainment, with markets, restaurants and wine cellars, as well as its many medieval buildings and the UNESCOlisted Gothic Pope’s Palace.
As if its coastline wasn’t popular enough, the region’s slice of the southern Alps includes the ski resorts of Serre Chevalier, Montgenèvre, Isola 2000 and Vars Risoul. Prices are relatively inexpensive by Alpine standards, thanks to the area’s lower altitudes – the highest télésiège at Serre Chevalier terminates at 2,760m above sea level. New apartments in the Hautes-Alpes department sell at an average of €2,573 per square metre and €2,028 in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Briançon in Haute-Alpes makes a good base for skiers who want a taste of Provençal life after hours.
Source: French Property Buying Guide 2010 / 2011
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