Best mountain locations to buy in France

When it comes to the perfect year-round mountain retreat for your family, Carolyn Reynier has a couple of top-notch suggestions…

Are you a snowbird or a summer swallow? Maybe you’re both. Let me take you on two very different migration routes. Both are Famille Plus destinations and are in spectacular settings.

First, we migrate south to the Val d’Allos in the upper Verdon valley in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. We’re in the southern Alps; the climate is Mediterranean; and the spectacular peaks are in the Mercantour National Park. We’ll look at property in the mountain village of Allos (1,400m) and its two ski resorts of Le Seignus (1,500m) and Val d’Allos – La Foux (1,800m). This is a landscape of runs and off-piste skiing through spruce forests in winter, 1,000km of sign-posted hiking trails, village fêtes, and chamois and marmots in summer. At 2,228m, Lac d’Allos is the largest natural lake at altitude in Europe, and Mont Pelat (3,052m) is the highest peak in the valley with golden eagles flying overhead. You fly into Nice, Toulon or Marseille.

Prefer a shorter migration route? Then cross the Channel and turn left to the Grand-Est region and Gérardmer (mer is pronounced may) in the upper Vosges. It nestles between its eponymous lake, the largest natural one in the Vosges, and majestic pine forests, lakes and waterfalls in the Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges. In summer, enjoy nautical activities on the lake, hiking, cycling and fishing. In winter, you have downhill runs: the Bas-Rupts Nordic resort, part of the largest Nordic ski domain in eastern France; and the small resort of Le Poli at Xonrupt-Longemer. By air, fly into Strasbourg or EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

“You’ll find all types of property in Allos village,” says Florence Redoux of Verdon Immobilier, including pre-1900 stone houses. Prices vary widely – she quotes a range of €100,000-€500,000 depending on whether they’ve been renovated. Some houses have been converted into apartments, and there are also small copropriétés (apartment blocks) Studios in larger residential buildings sell for €50,000-€60,000.

Walking distance from the village in Super-Allos, you’ll find small chalets typical of the area known as chalets pointus (at ground and first-floor level, with bedrooms under the eaves). Prices range from €150,000-€300,000 but can go higher. “We’ve just sold a very beautiful quality chalet for over €600,000,” says Florence.

Two kilometres away is the hamlet of Le Seignus and its purpose-built ski resort. Prices remain at a reasonable level. Expect to pay €50,000-€60,000 for a small studio – Florence is currently marketing a larger 28m² duplex for €70,000. “It’s a family resort, for ages 0-99,” she laughs.

Semi-detached chalets in Seignus Haut offer around 100m² of living space and sell for €170,000-€200,000, She has an entirely renovated 90m² one for €269,000. Florence tells me that the gondola lifts (les œufs) that take you down to the village, are due to be replaced by a shuttle bus (navette).

Up the valley, in the hamlet of La Foux, there are old family-owned village houses that rarely change hands – and little else. “Allos is the real village,” explains Florence. Further on, La Foux d’Allos ski resort is bigger than Le Seignus with large apartment blocks and good rental returns for investors. Upmarket chalets here are larger and more expensive and can change hands for over €1m. Generally, prices are around 30%-40% higher than at Le Seignus. Ski runs link up with those of Pra Loup offering 180km of slopes the Espace Lumière.

La Foux d’Allos may fit the bill for visits for a couple of summer months, but if you want to enjoy year-round mountain life, it’s all about Allos. “Shops are open every day, we have bars, restaurants, doctor,” says Florence, whereas in La Foux d’Allos, “there is very little life out of season”.

Be aware that the Col d’Allos is closed during winter, so you can’t drive north to subprefecture Barcelonnette with its Mexican influences until the snow melts. “We have the four seasons here and I sell less now to skiers and more to mountain lovers,” she says. They come to get away from it all; to breathe fresh, unpolluted air, enjoy cooler summers, and to be far from the crowds.

Florence hikes, and from an early age her children have accompanied her. For some treks you need to be physically fit and well-equipped, but a “normal family not too used to the mountain can go on some very beautiful walks. Children are safe, people are friendly. Yes, we have to travel a little further for healthcare, but apart from that, we have everything we need,” she says.

“Gérardmer was almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War by German bombing,” explains Cyril Galmiche of Agence Immo des Vallées. With few exceptions, all buildings are post-war. Prices for a well-renovated town-centre studio start at €70,000-€80,000. If you’re expecting lots of visitors, large 100m²-150m² apartments in recent or brand- new residences are priced at about €400,000. You can find similarly sized, older, partially renovated apartments for €200,000-€300,000. Lakeside properties include small houses and chalets. “Some maisons de maître survived the bombing, others have been rebuilt; you see some sandstone but facades are often granite,” says Cyril. Outside Gérardmer there is property available on two main hillsides (coteaux) around the lake. Prices for a pretty chalet on the sunny south-facing Coteau des Xettes, with lake and ski-slope views, start from €700,000-€800,000 and can exceed €1m-€2m. The Coteau de la Rayée, which rises to the ski slopes of the La Mauselaine resort, has lake and town views but less sunshine.

This hillside has seen much development in recent years with the construction of upmarket chalets, some with indoor pools. There are also a few small apartment buildings a short walk from the slopes; expect to pay around €60,000- €70,000 for a studio. Shuttle buses link the town and slopes.

For lovers of cross-country skiing, the Bas-Rupts Nordic domain is nearby. Here chalets tend to be older and prices lower, starting from about €300,000-€350,000. In Xonrupt-Longemer, the village adjoining Gérardmer, there are fewer apartments, but you can buy residential houses (often with 1,000m² gardens) and chalets. Prices are cheaper, there are two small lakes a short walk from the village, and the family ski resort Le Poli nearby.

You can still find older properties for renovation and if you fancy doing up an old farmstead (corps de ferme), you may find one in the surrounding countryside where prices are much lower than in Gérardmer. Leave the massif for places like Tendon or Corcieux, and prices can fall by a third or a quarter. “You can find farms for renovation for €150,000 to €200,000,” says Cyril.

The Vosges is popular with investors because the area attracts visitors year-round. Folk who look after their property can let it out all year and get a good rental return. Cyril tells me of clients who only rent out at weekends: “They rent 52 weeks a year.” He says you regularly hear people in Xonrupt or Gérardmer say they rent out 45 weeks per year.

“We’re an important catchment area,” he explains, “because we’re the first mountainous area for lots of people who live just a few hours away – all of northeastern France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.”

The Vosges is small, there are not that many ski resorts, and accommodation is limited compared with the number of people attracted to the area. “For people who look after their property, we certainly have an occupancy rate that is difficult to find elsewhere,” says Cyril. Attractions of Vosges living are many and varied: Alsace with its Route des Vins and Christmas markets, cycling and hiking routes, and inviting mountain trails that are accessible to many.

It’s lovely in springtime with all the different shades of green, and come the autumn when leaves turn to red or yellow “c’est super joli,” says Cyril. In summer the climate remains temperate, which is much appreciated by their Alsatian neighbours.

“Once the heat impregnates walls and roads, it becomes unbearable there,” Cyril says, “whereas here, temperatures drop at night so even if the day has been hot, we sleep well at night.” Fermes-auberges offer local dishes produced from wonderful homegrown food. “C’est rustique.”

There’s a sense of security here, “people help each other, there’s un esprit montagne”, says Cyril. Not so long ago, if there was heavy snow, one farmer’s wife made bread, another made this, another that, and they shared with each other. That mountain, countryside spirit of helping neighbours in need has remained in these parts. Lots of folk retire here for that reason, he says.

So, whether you snowbirds and summer swallows decide to nest in the Vosges or the southern Alps, I know you won’t be disappointed.

valdallos.com

mercantour-parcnational.fr

gerardmer.net

gerardmer-ski.com

parc-ballons-vosges.fr

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