Year-round residences in Bayonne

Radia Amar - 17 November 2015

At the confluence of the rivers Nive and Adour, 6 km from the ocean, the economic capital of the Basque country plays host to almost 46,000 residents. Close to Anglet and Biarritz, it contains many year-round homes owned by people working locally.

Bearing witness to its rich past, Bayonne’s heritage is comprised of its architecture, gastronomic specialities and traditional occasions such as the famous “Fêtes de Bayonne”, attended each summer by 1.3 to 1.5 million visitors. The commune is deeply attached to its traditions, including its “corridas”, Basque “pelota”, rugby and rowing. Built over an underground town whose origins date back to medieval times, Bayonne hosts the head office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a TGV station, biking paths along the Adour and Nive rivers, as well as many shops and schools. Its historic heart is shared out between the neighbourhoods of Saint-Esprit, Le Grand Bayonne with the town’s loveliest and most typical houses, and Le Petit Bayonne, a lively and popular area.

“The property market in Bayonne is mainly comprised of year-round homes and rental investments,” explains Anne Darrieux-Juson, manageress of Era Foch Immobilier. Its central neighbourhoods appeal to people working locally and a few retirees from the Basque country and Toulouse. “Saint-Esprit is highly-prized. Lively with its new movie theatres and Le Didam, a space for temporary exhibitions inaugurated in April 2015, it is undergoing lots of changes. It offers affordable prices of around 2,000 € per sqm., perfectly suited to first-time buyers and investors.” Le Grand Bayonne, where properties range from 2,500 to 3,000 € per sqm., is comprised of typical old buildings split into apartments with high ceilings and noble old features, as well as more recent blocks of apartments. Somewhat shunned, those built in the 1970’s win the least votes. Further back, the Foch/Arènes area enjoys a good reputation, quiet but with a number of shops. Its bourgeois houses, often split up, can attain 4,000 € per sqm., while authentic 1930’s Basque houses of 130 to 140 m2 are always in demand from an esthetic clientele searching for properties of charm. A single unit in this style never stays long on the market, and will cost from 500,000 to 800,000 € depending on its condition. Families looking for more comfortable and practical homes head for residential areas on the outskirts of town, where numerous residences built in the years 2000 propose apartments with terraces and parking facilities, pegged at around 3,000 € per sqm. “Bayonne is still an address offering good value for money,” comments Bénédicte Garos of the Elience Aelix agency in Anglet. “The prices posted correspond to the majority of budgets that can be raised by local families.” The target price is, in fact, 150,000-170,000 € for a perfectly adequate 2-bedroomed apartment in the centre. By way of example, Bénédicte Garos mentions the recent sale of a 2-bedroomed apartment of 67 m2 on the 3rd floor of a building in the centre, boasting a lift. In need of a lick of paint, it has just found a taker for 167,000 €. “Prices have declined over the past few years. There are now genuine bargains to be had on the market.” This trend is even more marked in areas on the outskirts such as Saint-Etienne and Sainte Croix, where families can set their sights on spacious homes at reasonable prices. Such as a 4-bedroomed apartment of 86 m2 which just sold for 147,000 €. As for investors, they are on the look-out for small surface areas in the town centre. A studio in a good location can be found for around 80,000 € and easily rented out at about 400 € per month to one of the 8,000 students in Bayonne.