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French Riviera: the trendy French destination

The Cote d’Azur is located on the Mediterranean in the far south-eastern corner of France, near Italy. Bordered as it is by the Med to the south and the Alps to the north, it enjoys both sea and mountain views as in the Pyrenees-Orientales. It attracts house hunters from all over the world in spite of its high prices. You can find all sorts of French properties in departments such as the Bouches du Rhone, the Var or the Alpes Maritimes where there are very famous towns (Cannes, Nice, Antibes, St Raphael, St Tropez, La Ciotat…) , considered some of the top destinations of the country . The PACA region – as it is called by French people (Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur) – is the place to see and be seen,with its wide range of luxury hotels, private beaches, yachts and array of nightlife.

The climate:

With its mild climate, and an average temperature of 28 C in summer and 6 C in winter, fog, frosty days, rain and snow are rare!.  The main weather occurrence to watch out for is the wind, the Mistral, which  with gusts up to 120 miles per hour. It blows a little in the Alpes Maritimes, and though the Var it is slightly warmer, sunnier and dryer, it is less sheltered from the wind.

Why is it trendy?

During the first half of the 20^th century, the bright colours of the coast attracted artists and writers such as Picasso, Matisse or Somerset Maugham. Wealthy Americans and Europeans also began to visit. As Saint Tropez was hardly damaged during WWII, mass tourism arrived shortly after on the Riviera. Today, it has turned into an international tourist destination particularly for the ‘jet set’, a new class of wealthy travellers.

The Cannes Film festival is the most famous film festival  in the world. It takes places in May, attracts stars from around the world.

What about properties?

It will obviously come as no surprise to hear that property on the Cote d’Azur is much sought after and hence pricey. Indeed, this is where some of France’s most expensive houses are located, especially those with sea views.Consider the average price of properties below:

If you are  about to buy a property on the French Riviera, now really is the time as prices rise each year! However we’re in a buyers’ market at the moment so it is possible to buy a house at a lower price due to a decrease in demand. Act fast.