Nothing is more difficult than to determine in which location in France you are going to invest. After all, buying a second home in France means a structural change in your life. If you choose just the wrong location, you will end up with a villa or flat that is not in the best place.
We know the stories of the beautiful villas in the Gulf of Saint Tropez where owners go crazy during the summer months because of roaring motorbikes that celebrate their peak of the summer tour somewhere in the harbour of Saint Tropez or Sainte Maxime. Buying a second home in France needs good preparation.
Where will your second home in France be located?
Your newly built apartment on the top floor after completion suddenly looks out on a cemetery. It is quiet and you see beautiful flowers, but still; if only you had known. This kind of information can be prevented in advance if you know the address of the location and check where the roads run. And above all, what is hidden around the corner. If it’s the baker’s, then, of course, you have nothing to complain about!
In which region to buy a villa or apartment in France
The biggest question that many prospective buyers wrestle with is in what region you are going to buy. Will it be the Var, also known as zone 83 with its long vineyards and winding dirt roads? Or will it be the Alpes Maritimes, the 06 region where you will find much more dynamism (and most golf courses).
If you like beach life and want to enjoy it all year round, then in the 06 region everything is open all year round for your second home in France. In January, you can ‘just’ enjoy a delicious lunch at a table or sunbed in Juan Les Pins. In the Var, the beach season only starts in May and ends in September. Then, in the summer months, things really take off in luxury beach restaurants that pull out all the stops for an unforgettable afternoon or evening. Champagne!
Priorities in Paris
In Paris, the priorities are different; besides sufficient floor space, they also want a small outdoor terrace. Or a nearby park where you can seek out nature. A metro station counts and, for many buyers, a flat with a view of the Eiffel Tower is most important.
And the price of a flat in Paris with or without the Eiffel Tower can be two million less. Welcome to Paris, which is fast becoming the most expensive city in London. With our Paris Property Buying guide, you will learn the different arrondissements and what the average price per square metre is (without a view of the Eiffel Tower).
What to do in France
Buying a second home is radical for the whole family. You will end up going to La Douce more often to enjoy your investment and of course, you hope that your children will have the same love for life at the Mediterranean Sea. Strolling through a French market where just the smell of fresh fruit gives you a healthy feeling is something you have to experience for yourself.
The art of enjoyment is one that you can only master by practising a lot. In a society where work emails can easily follow you and you are always available to everyone, a second home in France is the perfect excuse to be out of reach for a while. In France, you will find yourself again.
Mobile or book
Despite the construction of fibre optics in the smallest villages, even in Monaco mobile reception is lousy and you’ll be lucky if you have 3G here. And even in the mountains, your phone remains silent because there is no network. Once you have experienced how nice it is to be out of reach for a while, you can take a book out of your suitcase and enjoy the silence.
In many streets and beaches, more and more free book exchange cabinets are appearing. The principle is simple; you take a book and put it back the week after use. You can also donate books; many are in French, of course, but there are also many English books among them. And you meet people who think reading is important for the mind. Enchanté.
Go on a voyage of discovery
Of course, we enjoy guiding your search for the perfect house or flat. But the choice of a region and a village is personal, you have to walk through it yourself first. Use the Tourist Office to discover the hidden sides. You can do that online with handy links.
Villeneuve Loubet is such an example of a village that people never think about. Located between Nice and Antibes, it has a medieval centre, a castle, a huge nature reserve with hiking trails, a beach promenade with restaurants and one of the most beautiful bays with a view of Nice and the Cap d’Antibes.
Read this article about the nicest towns in the south of France; it will give you a first impression of the atmosphere, the size of each village and town.
Generalising the area for your second home in France
If we had to classify the coastline, there are several areas. Between Menton and Nice is the region where you feel history and aristocracy the most; the winding roads along the coast take you to the time of Grace Kelly. The proximity of Monaco makes villa prices more expensive than in the region between Nice and Cannes.
Between Nice and Cannes, you will find charming villages such as Biot, Vence and Valbonne. This is the region where people work and life goes on all year round. And between Cannes and Theoule sur Mer, you will find the most expensive villas and the most beautiful flats, because the glamour of Cannes simply has a magical attraction.
The area between Theoule sur Mer and Saint Raphael is very suitable for nature lovers and hikers. Here you will also find relatively more campsites for people who like to stay close to nature.
And from Les Issambres, you slowly enter the Gulf of Saint Tropez; stylish villas on the beach or a bastide in the middle of the vineyards, if you do not have to work anymore, this might be your paradise. Unfortunately, paradise attracts many people in the summer months who also want to enjoy ‘your paradise’.
There is always something to complain about!
What we have learned over the years is that with your second home in France, everything is never perfect. Even for ten million, you are not guaranteed a sea view in Ramatuelle. It is therefore important that you set priorities; what is really important? Space and quiet with an open view? Or a sea view, over other people’s roofs if necessary?
If you want to be able to live safely on your own, a domain is important. And if you insist on walking to buy a croissant in the nearby village, you may have to risk your life on a motorway, because the French take the car for everything. And the closer you get to a village, the more noise you will experience. Reading tip! An article about Buy a house in Ramatuelle Saint Tropez and enjoy the best beacheshttps://www.livingonthecotedazur.com/existing-property-for-sale/french-riviera-var-greater-saint-tropez-area/.
So there is always something. But do not despair, there is a suitable home for everyone!
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