Where to Buy in France: Luberon

Pretty hill-top villages, landscapes of lavender fields and olive groves punctuated by stone farmhouses, and the bluest of skies – yes, we’re in the Luberon in Vaucluse and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It’s rich in history, its regional park offers a wonderful country retreat and over the years it has drawn many wishing to celebrate its beauty including Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. The Luberon is also very popular with Brits, who started coming here searching for their dream place in the sun in the 1990s, following the success of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence.

Getting here is relatively easy. Nearby Nice, Marseille and Avignon airports operate direct flights to the UK, as well as to Parisian airports. From Paris, the TGV will get you to Aix-en-Provence in under three hours.

House-hunters are spoilt for choice when it comes to quaint village locations to base their searches. Top of the list should be Plus Beaux Village Lourmarin, set among vineyards, olive groves and almond trees and boasting a Renaissance château. Another Beaux Village is artists’ favourite Gordes. Its well-kept white-stone houses and labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets sit below a fortified château. Then there’s beautiful Bonnieux, on a lofty plateau above the valley, with its 16th- and 17th-century stone dwellings.

Roussillon, with its striking ochre-coloured houses; Goult, not so well known but no less beautiful than other Luberon villages; and picturesqe Ménerbes, perched on a long mountain crest, are also worth investigating.

Property in the coveted Luberon is far more expensive than in other parts of rural France, and bargains are rare. A mas or bastide, will cost you €900,000 and above. Renovating a run-down village house is always an option though – you could get a doer-upper for around €300,000, or perhaps a villa with a pool (essential in the summer heat) for €500,000.

However, head just a few miles from the centre of the Luberon to the far north or east, and you will find yourself in much more affordable territory. Places such as Pertuis, Mirabeau or Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt offer the Provençal lifestyle with a lower price tag. Wherever you buy, you’ll be blessed with wonderful countryside and beautiful villages – what’s not to love about the Luberon?

With thanks to our partner agencies in the Luberon.

FURTHER INFORMATION
www.luberoncotesud.com
www.luberoncoeurdeprovence.com

Search our property for sale in the Vaucluse and property for sale in the Alpes de Haute Provence, or visit our Buying Property zone to find out more about buying in France.