Hill-top villages in the Alpes-Maritimes

Yann Cohignac - 20 October 2015

A département with elevated reliefs plunging down to the sea, the Alpes-Maritimes can lay claim to numerous typical hill-top villages, some very close to the sea, such as La Turbie. Further back in the hinterland, Saint-Paul-de-Vence is another well-known example.

Nestling on the promontory of La Tête de Chien at an altitude of about 500 m, La Turbie is a picturesque village with almost 3,500 residents, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the Côte d’Azur from the Italian shoreline to the Estérel hills. Known for its surprising Trophy of the Alps (erected by the Romans in 7-6 B.C.), it proposes a pleasant life-style at the gateway to Monaco, a full range of amenities, and access to the A8 motorway linking it to Nice in only 20 minutes. “The local property market is now demonstrating relative liveliness, with numerous working tenants deciding to become home-owners. And for good reason: prices have undergone a downward adjustment allowing supply to equate more closely to demand,” explains Anne Rodelato, owner of the Agence Saint-Michel founded in 1964, handling both sales and rentals mainly in La Turbie, but also in Cap-d’Ail, Beausoleil, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Eze, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Peille, and the back-country near Monaco. “For a village house without an outdoor area, one can now expect to pay from 300,000 to 450,000 €, while villas near La Turbie range from 650,000 to 900,000 €. Larger properties between the Grande and Moyenne Corniches with sea views are priced from 1 to 1.7 M €. Prices of building plots with sea views, rare in this area, largely depend on their surface areas, potential for construction, orientation…” Finally, thanks to extensive development on the commune, new apartment residences post prices ranging from 4,500 to over 5,500 € per sq. metre.

On a rocky spur in the hinterland, at an average altitude of approx. 200 metres, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (with over 3,500 residents) also offers superb views in green and particularly quiet surroundings. Boasting a remarkable architectural heritage, this charming village is renowned for its many art-galleries, the Maeght Foundation, and the very famous hotel-restaurant, La Colombe d’Or, all making it one of the Côte d’Azur’s most visited tourist attractions. “Especially as it is only 15 minutes from Nice Airport,” notes Sébastien Verdoucq, sales agent for the Agence Burns, opened in 1991 and specializing in transactions in Saint-Paul but also covering the neighbouring areas (La Colle-sur-Loup, Vence, Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Roquefort-les-Pins), and even further afield in the case of prestige properties (Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, hills behind Cannes...). “More active than in the past few years thanks, in particular, to slightly more enthusiasm on the part of non-resident clients, the market Saint-Paul has already seen a decline in the prices posted. And bargaining is even tougher, ranging from 5 to over 20 % for the most expensive properties. As witnessed by a Provençal house of 240 m2 in need of modernization, in grounds of 3,000 m2, on the estate of Les Hauts de Saint-Paul, which recently found a taker at 1.2 M €. On the market two years ago at 2.2 M €, its price collapsed by 1.4 M € six months ago.” Properties priced from 500,000 € to 1 M € appeal to members of the local working population, as demonstrated by a house of 160 m2 with a garden of almost 1,000 m2, which sold for 620,000 €. “As for non-residents, they set their sights on fine properties at much higher prices, which can attain 20 M €. They are mainly comprised of German, English and Scandinavian buyers and others from Eastern Europe.” As for building land, for which demand outstrips supply, prices range from 340,000 to 500,000 € for plots of 2,000 to 4,000 m2.