The Côte Bleue, creeks and garrigue

From Martigues to the gateway to Marseille, the Côte Bleue consists of a coastal strip 25 km long offering well-preserved charm. Comprised of Ensuès-la-Redonne, Carry-le-Rouet, Sausset-les-Pins, La Couronne, Carro and Le Rove, this protected area is renowned for its idyllic creeks playing host to small picturesque harbours and white pebble beaches.

Starting west of Marseille, just after the neighbourhood of L’Estaque, the Côte Bleue is characterized by beautiful scenery harmoniously blending white rocks, an azure-blue sea, garrigue and dense pine-groves. Still very wild, the larger part of this region is, in fact, classified as a non-constructible wooded area. A very enticing argument for many people working in Aix and Marseille, in search of a peaceful lifestyle in the midst of enchanting landscapes.

“A house of 100 m2 offering a small garden and a view of the sea or proximity to the beaches is the type of property seeing the highest demand. A property which will be priced from 400,000 €,” says Jonathan Fouque of Immobilière Côte Bleue, an agency opened in 1988 in Sausset-les-Pins. “The market is very buoyant, we have seen clear improvement compared with 2015. Prices have been adjusted downwards and now correspond most of the time to buyers’ budgets. Supply and demand are relatively evenly balanced, and new properties also soon find their fans if they enjoy a good location,” explains this specialist, currently preparing to market three select developments in Caro-la Couronne. “70% of new apartments are ear-marked as permanant homes, 30% as holiday residences. A 1 bedroomed apartment offering quality appointments will be pegged at around 250,000 €. Old properties in need of renovation are also widely sought-after by young members of the working population, ready to undertake substantial work to acquire the home of their dreams.” Jonathan Fouque has just completed the sale of an old “mas” of 200 m2 on almost 7.5 acres of land in Saint-Pierre, set back from the coast. In need of total renovation, it found a taker at 450,000 €. “When a property with this kind of potential appears on the market, it sells very quickly.”

“Local buyers wanting to treat themselves to a pleasant villa on the Côte Bleue mostly dispose of budgets ranging from 400,000 to 600,000 €,” adds Philippe Abeto of the agency Les Toits de Marseille, specializing in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th arrondissements of Marseille, together with properties of charm on the Côte Bleue. Among his latest sales, he mentions an impeccable house of 140 m2 benefiting from a lovely garden with a pool. In Californian style, this property on a popular estate in Ensuès-la-Redonne was priced at 480,000 €. The Côte Bleue also boasts prestige properties such as substantial villas - usually on offer at around 1 million euros - on the residential estate of Barqueroute, a high-end address benefiting from a private creek, on the commune of Carry-le-Rouet. “Often from the Parisian region, clients here are looking for villas of charm with the potential to become their year-round homes when they retire. A few foreign buyers in search of holiday homes also appreciate these magnificent sites,” says our specialist, mentioning a Provençal villa of 160 m2, up for sale at 840,000 €. Facing due south, this property built of noble materials is set in grounds of approx. 1,000 m2 which could take a pool, offering an enchanting view of the sea and within walking distance of the beaches.