LOCATION
“Bordeaux is the biggest Unesco city in the world”
age homage to Bordeaux’s winemakers; the outstanding Bassins des Lumières digital art centre, housed in vast, water- fi lled manmade caverns that once sheltered German U-boats; and two temples to cutting- edge art, the Musée d’Art Contemporain and the Frac- MECA contemporary art centre. The Pont de Pierre, opened in 1821, spans the Garonne, linking La Bastide on the right bank with the city centre. Four tram lines radiate to
all points of the compass from Quinconces, the city’s central public transport hub, with Line A linking the city centre with Bordeaux-Mérignac airport in 35 minutes, thanks to an extension opened last year. South of the city centre,
Centrepiece of the city, the Place de la Bourse, with its refl ecting Miroir d’Eau
temperatures of 15°C aren’t unusual as early as March and top 20°C from June to September, reaching around 27°C in July and August. On the downside, Bordeaux gets 130 rainy days per year. With some of the world’s
greatest vineyards on its doorstep and 10 Michelin- starred restaurants in and around the city, it’s a happy hunting ground for gourmands.
GOLDEN AGE Bordeaux sits complacently on the west (left) bank of the Garonne, the navigable estuary that made the city’s fortune. The quays along the river are lined with elegant reminders of the city’s 18th-century golden age when, as France’s biggest entrepôt, it traded in luxuries like coff ee, cocoa, sugar, indigo and cotton, and played a shameful role in the slave trade. The centrepiece is the
Place de la Bourse, which includes the Miroir d’Eau, a
vast refl ecting pool built in 2006. To the north, the grand Esplanade des Quinconces is the acknowledged heart of the city. Behind the Place de la Bourse, the funky St-Pierre quarter is fi lled with boutiques and café-bars. Dotted along the curving
riverside, more landmarks include the gleaming tower of the Cité du Vin, a space-
On the market La Cité du Vin is a cultural centre dedicated to the heritage of wine FIND MORE PROPERTIES ON
FRENCHENTREE.COM
the once somewhat seedy area around Gare St-Jean is undergoing a metamorphosis, with stylish modernist apartment blocks going up on former freight yards and along the river. Right now, that means it’s one big building site. Beyond the city stretch
vineyards and châteaux that
resonate with legendary names like Médoc, St-Émilion, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Latour. To the south, the shores of the oyster- fi lled Bassin d’Arcachon are dotted with luxury villas that wouldn’t be out of place on the Côte d’Azur, many with seven- fi gure price tags to match. Around an hour’s drive
brings you to La Teste-de-Buch and a string of beaches starting at Le Petit Nice, near Arcachon bay, and some 14km of sandy strands either side of the purpose-built Lacanau Océan resort on the Médoc coast.
PROPERTY HOTSPOTS “Bordeaux sits behind Paris, Nice and Lyon in terms of prices per square metre,” says Simon Liddiard, of Leggett’s Bordeaux offi ce. “We fi nd many buyers moving to France or moving back to France tend to put Bordeaux on top of their list, along with cities such as Nantes and Montpellier.” The current stagnant French
property market means there is still a gap between asking
4
€446,000,Hourtin: Contemporary one-storey three-bedroom house with south-facing terrace and garage in Hourtinclose to the seaside (
leggettfrance.com)
€265,000,Gradignan: Quirky one-bedroom new-build apartment with private garden within a renovated château, 9km from the city centre in Gradignan (
leggettfrance.com)
€498,000, Bordeaux: Located on the outskirts of Bordeaux, near a tram stop, this three-bedroom house has outbuildings, woods and vineyards (
sextantproperties.com)
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 202471
© CYRIL COSSON – DRONIRYC;XTU ARCHITECTS
© TEDDY VERNEUIL - LEZBROS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
