Avignon and Montélimar, towns with lots of character on the banks of the Rhône
Yann Cohignac - 12 November 2013
Over 800 km long, the Rhône has played a significant role in the development of numerous towns which still maintain close ties with its flowing waters. Among them, Avignon and Montélimar : two very different cities, yet linked by the river.
On the left bank of the Rhône, Avignon is an agglomeration with 90,000 residents which can lay claim to a remarkable historic heritage. Very few French cities have succeeded in conserving their architecture to the same extent. The ramparts, of course, are essential viewing, together with the Popes’ Palace, the largest Gothic building dating back to the Middle Ages, a pontifical residence in the 14th century (to which Avignon also owes its nickname, “City of the Popes”). Not forgetting the famous “Pont d’Avignon”, the 12th-century bridge whose real name is “Pont Saint-Bénézet”.
“We also benefit from a Mediterranean climate with lots of sunshine, proximity to the sea, the mountains and Paris, just a 2 hr 30 ride away on the TGV,” points out Guillaume Laplaud, associate manager of the Agence du Centre Gauthier & Laplaud. Specializing in sales of properties intra-muros, near the ramparts, and on the neighbouring communes of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Les Angles, he describes a special market which has remained lively throughout the crunch : “In the area we cover, prices range from 1,700 to 3,200 € per sq. metre. An apartment or town house within the city walls costs on average 2,500 € per sq. metre. Setting aside addresses with exceptionally high prices such as Gordes, Avignon is the town with the most expensive real estate in the Vaucluse”. Inevitably with relatively substantial budgets, his clients are looking for properties in the centre with small gardens or terraces, and parking facilities. “Old buildings are particularly highly-prized,” adds Guillaume Laplaud, “though new homes can also be found, such as this conversion of a house intra-muros that we are proposing today”. His last three transactions consist of an entire building in need of renovation, priced at 500,000 €, a family apartment with a balcony, at 192,000 €, and a private mansion, at 605,000 €.
An hour’s drive from Avignon, one arrives at Montélimar, a tourist attraction with 35,000 residents on the banks of the Rhône in the Drôme Provençale. Known as the “Gateway to Provence”, it is famous for its nougat. The climate here is also Mediterranean, and in terms of heritage, it certainly holds its own : Montélimar in fact boasts about 15 monuments either listed or of historic interest, including the Château des Adhémar (or Château des Papes), the domain of Serre-de-Parc, the Saint-Martin gateway and Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Rose.
“Montélimar and its nearby villages offer a varied choice of properties,” says Christine Navarro-Gougne, manageress of Provence Immobilier, one of the town’s oldest estate agencies. “They range from apartments in residences costing under 80,000 € for small surface areas, to properties of character, Provençal “mas” or “bastides”, priced at 600,000 € or more. Between the two, medium-sized surfaces are available from 100,000 to 150,000 €, and high-quality apartments from 300,000 €.” In the case of houses, one can expect to pay from 190,000 € for a house on a suburban estate to 350,000-500,000 € for a more substantial home. “In high demand, stone properties to renovate fall into a wide price bracket, from 150,000 to 300,000 €,” adds Christine Navarro-Gougne. In her opinion : “The market here hasn’t declined, but rather undergone an adjustment following a long series of price rises”.