The banks of the Garonne, a very popular area
By Laetitia Rossi - 23 September 2010
The Garonne river is about 647 km long with about 522 km on the French side, giving its name to three “départements”, including the Haute-Garonne. The Prefecture of Toulouse is crossed by this mighty river, as are Bordeaux and Agen. The riverbanks act like real magnets. As explained by our local estate agents...
In 2009, the fourth largest city in France, with 439,450 inhabitants, was rated by the magazine “L’Express” as the most dynamic in the country. The many high-tech industries, including Airbus, have given the City of Violets its status as a European technopolis. If the university capital looks to the future with serenity, it is fond of its historic heritage, its banks lined with brick buildings. “Moi, mon océan c’est une Garonne qui s’écoule comme un tapis roulant” sang Claude Nougaro… The years pass and the river continues its course, outlining typical neighbourhoods. As Daniel Maleville wrote : “My hand in the water, on the riverbanks where I go to rest, their stone serving as my throne, I day-dream gently while watching the water flowing by, in this landscape patiently fashioned by all of our predecessors before us”.
“Toulouse cultivates its very own life-style. An apartment on the Garonne, not overlooked and sometimes quiet, is certainly part of it,” note Bérengère Réglat and Marylène Prévéraud of M&B Immobilier. Near the Manufacture des Tabacs, the Faculties of Law, Economics and Social Sciences, Le Bazacle offers recent residences with terraces and elevators, scarce commodities along the river, although some complain of its eternal background noise. The Quai de Tounis and Quai Lombard are lined with the famous red brick houses, the ones in which Claude Nougaro and some French politicians once lived. With freshly renovated frontages, these historic buildings are among the most sought-after in the area. Quai Saint-Pierre is close to everything, but is also the centre of student nightlife. The municipality, bars and restaurants are trying to reduce the noise, but unfortunately fail to contain it completely. The advantage of the Quai de la Daurade lies in its leafy setting, a lovely picture composed of lawns, barges, the Pont Neuf and Pont Saint-Pierre. Finally, the Cours Dillon, well-known on account of the “Toulouse Plage” initiative, benefits like Le Bazacle from generous terraces. These central addresses post starting-prices of 3,200 €/m2 and can attain peaks over and beyond 4,000 €/m2. The clientele, composed of artists, doctors, dentists, company directors, executives and even students, is as diverse as the properties themselves. Due to their scarcity, the locality does well, even in times of crisis : the smallest terrace or garden causes prices to soar. Among their recent sales, our estate-agents mention a 3-bedroom apartment of 123 m2 extended by a terrace of 51 m2 in a top-notch residence with parking facilities in the basement, built in 2007 in Les Sept Deniers and sold for 540,000 € ; a 1-bedroom apartment of 42 m2 in the same residence, sold for 174,000 € ; and another 1 bedroom apartment of 40 m2, fully renovated, in a typical Toulousaine building on the Cours Dillon, for 136,000 €.
“When you live on the banks of the river, you automatically benefit from a view of the finest monuments in Toulouse : the Saint-Aubin Church, Saint-Etienne Cathedral, the Hôtel Dieu-Dôme de la Grave and the Basilica of Saint-Sernin,” says Catherine Abadie-Cretot of the Cabinet Bedin. Buyers from outside the region with consequent budgets are keen to have of a view of the Garonne, while locals tend to prefer Les Carmes or Saint-Etienne, offering pedestrian access to all amenities. The choice between one bank and the other is above all a question of life-style. At Saint-Cyprien, one opts, for example, for recent apartments and a picture postcard view while being further from Le Capitol, whereas the Hôtel de Ville is only a short walk from the old quaysides. For similar properties, the latter are considerably more expensive. Experts are unanimous : the “beautiful Garonne” lies between the Pont Saint-Michel and Pont des Catalans. Les Sept Deniers is a fall-back market, just like the canals. As for fans of individual houses, they set their sights on homes of about 130 m2 in grounds of 1,500 m2 on the Chemin des Etroits, priced from 500,000 to 600,000 €.
“Noise is a factor to be taken into account. Traffic naturally runs along the river, but as soon as a bridge crops up in the landscape, the level of noise increases. Furthermore, very busy areas are seeing much more mobility,” explain Nathalie Mouret and Sandrine Travere of L’Atelier de l’Immobilier. Some buyers are in fact keen to get away from the bustle of the centre : in so doing, they benefit from more attractive prices. Les Amidonniers, situated between the Garonne and the Allées de Brienne, crossed by the Canal du Midi, offers large apartments such as a 3-bedroom apartment of 115 m2, recently sold for 345,000 €. A little further on, the Sept Deniers neighbourhood has developed considerably since the turn of the century, hosting new shops, schools and apartment buildings on the river, from 2,500 €/m2. It is true that the area close to the Canal du Midi offers the appeal of lagoon-type villages. Formerly home to working-class families and market-gardeners, Les Minimes has its own special charm. Set back from the boulevard, Le Raisin also has its fans, happy to have a terrace thrown in for 2,800-3,000 €/m2. Finally, the neighbourhood of Les Ponts Jumeaux located at the entrance to the city near the ring road, offer no less than 1,500 new homes.