Nîmes Property

Nîmes

What British investor could resist Nîmes, the “Rome” of France, a dream place in the sun? Only 5 hours from Waterloo and sandwiched between the Basses-Alpes and the Mediterranean - you will soon be savouring the scents of wild thyme, lavender and the salty coastal air. Situated east of the Camargue and the Cevennes, (where R.L.Stephenson walked with his donkey Modestine), west of the garden of Provence, and north-west of Marseilles, Nîmes is one of France’s most delightful cities.

Nîmes - ‘the city with an accent’ - has a beautiful Roman heritage and is famous as the place where the material denim was invented – although Gênes (Genoa) in Italy also claims this distinction. The asteroid 51 Nemausa is named after the city. Nîmes has plenty to offer Brits who are searching for a home in the South of France – there is a friendly ex-pat community in this, the capital city of the Gard Department (pop.145,000) which is just half-an-hour from Montpellier and convenient for access to both Italy and Spain. Located on the temperate coastal plains of the Languedoc region, summer temperatures are frequently in the eighties (30ºC +) and rarely drop to freezing in winter. Nîmes is accessible from the UK by Eurostar to Lille, connecting with the TGV services straight to Nîmes, or by plane with Ryanair flying from Liverpool, London, and East Midlands.

Nîmes is a medium sized city; small enough to have an intimate feel, and large enough to have good amenities; theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, sports and festivals. Shopping is best in the pedestrianised historic city centre or at the Coupole shopping centre. The star attraction is the Arenes, the best-preserved Roman amphitheatre in Europe, a smaller version of the Colosseum in Rome. It has fantastic views of the surrounding area and hosts displays of gladiators, bullfighting, and pop concerts. The Jardins de la Fontaine, France’s first public garden, conserves the natural spring around which the Romans built their city, on a site sacred to the Gauls. The Maison Carrée, a Roman temple, and the Carré d'Art, a modern art museum, are not far away.

There are many smart restaurants and bars in Nîmes throughout the city centre. Whether for coffee in the daytime, cocktails or late night drinks, there is always atmosphere and a real buzz about the city. The biggest annual event is the Feria de Nîmes, held over Pentecost (Whitsun) weekend, a celebration of Nîmes' greatest tradition: bullfighting. Outside Nîmes, La Gard Department has much to offer, with beaches on the Mediterranean close by, walking in the picturesque Cevennes, skiing at Mont Aigoual, and the charming villages of Provence within easy reach

In terms of property, Nîmes and the Gard have much to offer. In Nîmes itself, the choices are essentially as in any major city. There are one bedroom apartments from 130 000€, increasing to around 500 000€ and more for a large bourgeois apartment in a sought-after location, such as overlooking the Maison Carrée. Houses are to be found in the centre but obviously they are few and far between and so command higher prices, from around 300 000€ for something with a garden within walking distance of the centre. There is some exciting new modern architecture set in the city's famous Roman ruins and some great properties to buy especially on the outskirts where a 3-bedroom house with a garden starts at just over £160,000.

As you go north towards Alès and the Cévennes or west to Le Vigan prices are very good. A village house with an exterior (and there are more of these around than in, say, the Aude) can be found from around 140 000€. Alès offers very good value for money and with the new dual carriageway due for completion late in 2007 it will be only a 20-minute journey to Nîmes, and an hour to the coast.

Another popular town is Uzès, to the north west of Nîmes. A very old and historic market town it is well preserved (part of Cyrano de Bergerac was filmed there), and very beautiful; very much a Sunday trip type of place, it has a distinctly Provençal feel to it. Properties in Uzès itself are quite expensive and many don't have any exterior space, but better value is to be found in the surrounding villages.


It is fair to say that the Gard has been slower to 'boom' than other areas of the Languedoc, but if you are looking for a mixture of Languedoc and Provence, the climate and the pace of life of the south, with the buzz of a cosmopolitan city, then Nîmes could be for you. It's certainly worth a visit! Like the rest of Languedoc, property for sale in Nîmes has risen in value recently - a property hotspot in the South of France.

HOMEHUNTS specialise in finding properties throughout the South of France. Phillippa Bowman manages our team throughout the Languedoc Roussillon region. Phillippa lives and works in Nimes, and is happy to organise your trip to visit properties in Nimes, Le Gard or anywhere in Languedoc. Please check out our Nimes properties available on http://www.home-hunts.com , or contact us on info@home-hunts.com for more information about our property search services in the South of France.

Rumble Romagnoli
www.relevanceweb.com
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Monaco, Cannes, or St Tropez!

Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez; there are no better playgrounds for the rich and famous than these jewels in the crown of the Cote D’Azur. But how much do we really know about these places? With a choice of exquisite property in Monaco, attractive apartments in Cannes and luxury villas in St Tropez, we chat to the property consultants from Home Hunts working in the area to decide where Brits might buy.

Monaco’s notoriety as a tax haven has made the British elite some of the major players within this rich and cultural principality. Once favoured by the Russian Mafia, but now regarded as the safest travel destination in the world (with a ratio of one policeman to every 100 residents), Monaco’s insistence on tracing a person’s wealth back to legitimate origins has made the British wealthy enough to live there, favourites amongst the banks and property markets.

You need to be wealthy when buying a Monaco property; a three bedroom apartment in Monaco costs over 3 million euros. However, once installed, there are benefits of being here. The luxury lifestyle that this money affords means that British people in Monaco are amongst the happiest and healthiest in the world, with a life expectancy of a fraction off 80 years, and there can be no doubt that the first class cuisine at the luxury restaurants contribute to that longevity.
The breathtaking journey along the warm and varied Riviera coastline from Monaco brings you to Cannes. The bay is beautiful, with hills that provide a shelter against winds, the Frejus promontory overlooking the beach, and the two Isles of Lerins hugging and protecting the coast. Cannes suites a different type of property buyer, and is mainly recognized today for the International Film Festival. An event not to be missed if you are anyone of note within the film and entertainment industry, making property for sale in Cannes very sought after. The lure of the famous faces, (many owning apartments in Cannes ) and luxury living is too much to resist for most who can afford it, and the summer in Cannes is packed full of holidaymakers wanting to sample a taste of the movie-set glitz, the richer of whom often end up buying properties in Cannes.

As we move further westward along the coast we come to St Tropez. In the fifties, this charming little port became a favourite with the world’s artistic jet set, who started buying property in St Tropez. In the beginning, there was Pablo Picasso, now there’s Kate Moss; all drawn by the glorious weather and tranquil blue waters of the bay. The port is now filled with the grand luxury yachts of the rich and famous, making the summer months an idyllic time to sit in a café and watch the world go by.



For people looking for private property for sale, St Tropez has few equals. The true enchantment of the place takes hold in the less busy periods, with temperatures that allow you to enjoy the beach all year long and an “ambiance” that doesn’t leave when the bulk of the tourists do. The off season is a great time to own an apartment in St Tropez with more opportunity to enjoy the charming medieval architecture that dominates the old part of the town and attractions such as Place aux Herbes, the bustling and lively square at the centre of the town. There are regular markets and the converted chapel that is now the Musee de L’annonciade is the perfect place to enjoy peace of mind, and has a collection of paintings boasting Derain and Matisse. St Tropez is proven to successfully combine the jet set lifestyle with the charm of the area, illustrated well at the Place de Lices, where the stars with St Tropez properties, can be seen playing boules alongside the local faces.

Lavish boutiques, splendid boats, and luxury villas complimented by the finest food and natural beauty so great, that the Cote d’Azur is regarded in local legend as part of the paradise created in the story of creation. If these are the sorts of delights you enjoy, Monaco and the towns along the Cote d’Azur such as Cannes and St Tropez are going to be for you. Make an appointment to see Tim Swannie or one of the Home Hunts team, who offer a property search service for French property for sale on the Cote D’Azur, South of France.

Home Hunts consultants would be happy to send you information about properties in Monaco, Cannes, and St Tropez, and can organise holiday property visits for you on the Cote d’Azur. See their website http://www.home-hunts.com/, or blog http://homehunts.blogspot.com/

Alex Wood
www.relevanceweb.com
Web Optimisation South of France
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