My Personal top 10 places to rent property in France
The seventy million visitors to France every year have a choice of over 2 million private homes and villas where they can stay. In addition there are thousands of hotels, or apart-hotels, plus campsites and mobile homes.
To choose ten popular areas is a challenge, I have spent 18 years traveling around France looking for the "perfect" place, so I hope this will give you some ideas.
===
1. Nizas, Herault (34), Languedoc
I started a property rentals website ten years ago simply to advertise our own "perfect place" in the little village of Nizas http://nizas.com/nizas.html , although we sold the property after 10 happy years, you can still rent the apartments from the new owners.
Before moving to Nizas we lived just outside Lyon, in the Beaujolais. While there I spent the first 4 years exploring many of the 95 departments in France, often travelling by a SNCF rail pass, or plodding around in an ancient VW camper-van. France is a big country, but the variety of climates, geology and cultures make it a vast network of different "countries" to explore. Even the difference from one village to the next can be a big surprise. I still find some dialect words unique to a community of only a few hundred people, a village 2 km away has a different word for the same thing.
Finally, we zeroed in on Nizas as the perfect (for us) village in the perfect department (Herault 34) in the perfect region (Languedoc). The fact we could then buy a rambling 10th century ruin for the price of a new family car was also a deciding factor.
So, unashamedly I choose Nizas as my first destination.
===
2. Paris, Paris (75), Ile de France
By Paris I am really talking about the area inside the peripherique. This torque of concrete encircles Paris and the bit inside is divided into 20 "arrondissments" - the department is Number 75, outside is the banlieu (suburbs) which have department numbers 91 to 95 this is where the riots of 2005 flared up in soulless housing projects. However inside the peripherique ring-road not all arrondissments are equal. My personal favorite for a visit is St Germain in the 6th - preferably near or overlooking the Jardins de Luxembourg. But if I am staying longer (more than a month) I prefer the 17th, up from Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe). All the other stuff is best suited for a day visit. A car is a liability in Paris, walk everywhere if you can, it is les than three hours to walk from one side of the city to the other.
Paris is becoming more genteel. In 2001 I lived for 6 months in the center of the left bank directly over a sex club, I went back last week and it is now a posh tea room
===
3. Les Alberes, Pyrenees Orientale (66), Roussillon
Les Alberes are the mountains which are older than the Pyrenees and are the end bit which drops into the Mediterranean. The last villages in France nestle in the foothills, which are being punctured at the moment by a tunnel for the TGV from Nimes to Barcelona - sounds wonderful that a train can soon go from Paris to Barcelona in about 4 hours.
The region is actually Languedoc-Roussillon, or at least it was, but there is a big difference from the slightly sleepy Frenchness of Languedoc and the Catalan Spanish flavour of Roussillon, so I keep them separate.
When we moved from Lyon we first bought an old whip factory (I kid you not, whips for coach drivers are still made there from oiled and twisted twigs from local trees) in the village of Sorede (for the price of a secondhand family car) I worked for 4 years doing up our dream home, but we did not like the petty mentality of the local people, mostly Franco refugees, so we just rent this out now
But for a visitor the area is stunning, pop over the border for cheap booze and fags and a good Spanish meal, and back for pastis and a French supper. From Ceret to Colluire, Argeles and Perpignan all the towns and villages have interest and character.
Look for rentals in the villages between Ceret and Argeles, or along the coast around Canet
===
4. Nice, Alpes Maritimes (06), PACA
Right along to other end of the Mediterranean coast to Nice, about seven hours drive from Spain (with good traffic). I lived in Nice for 6 months working on a software project and had an apartment by the old harbour. Sitting in front of a computer all day I just get fatter and fatter but I explored Nice on foot and loved a long walk along the Promenade des Anglais every day. It was difficult to lose weight though as I would walk back through the old town, passing hundreds of different cafes, bars and restaurants (I always failed to pass them all)
Nice was part of Italy and the Italian influence is still very strong. By train you an quickly get to Antibes, Juan le Pins, Cannes, Menton, Grasse and many coastal resorts. Monaco is the next stop but, apart from the library, there is nothing there apart from sadness and paranoia.
There are many downtown rentals in private apartments, try to find an apartment not overlooking a main street but better into the courtyard, much quieter. This rule applies to most city rentals unless it is a very quiet street.
===
5. Marseilles, Bouche de Rhone (13) PACA
I love fish-stew, cous-cous and all types of wet food, so living in Marseilles is a real treat - sitting around the old port you can get a feel for Greek, Phocian and Roman shipping arriving. Today the rail station of St Charles is a great place to arrive and to then walk through the Arab quarter to the port is like visiting North Africa.
Like in Paris, the suburbs are depressing, but top marks to Marseilles for their Holocaust museum.
There are some downtown rentals, but you may need to look slightly outside Marseilles, Aix en Provence is only 20 minutes by train.
===
6. Montalbert, Haute Savoie (73), Rhone Alpes
Perched above the village of Longefoy, nestled around its baroque chapel, Montalbert is a place to go with all the family.
Imagine skiing through the forests between larch and pine trees or perhaps elsewhere in the Grande Plagne domain, with Paradiski awaiting as the ideal adventure!
The idea of falling off wet hills is not something I ever wish to do - but this very special village, with a view of Mont Blanc from a balcony, is just on the tree line and is one of the best places to visit in the summer. The ski piste are super walks or perfect for mountain bikes
===
7. Bergerac, Dordogne (24) Aquitaine
"The Dordogne" has been a bastion of Britishness for over 800 years. Interestingly I have swum more in the rivers and lakes in this region than I have been interested in swimming in the Mediterranean. There is something clean and refreshing about the greenery and coolness compared to the grit sand and cigarette ends of the beaches. Most villages will cater for foodies and the scenery is great.
===
8. Biarritz, Pyrenees Occidentale (65), Aquitaine
The Atlantic side of the Pyrenees, close enough to and far enough from Bordeaux or Lourdes. I have happy memories of Biarritz, Altlantic rollers coming in through the foggy weather, decaying decadence and good food. To the North is Landes, afforested sand dunes and reclaimed spooky wilderness. To the south, the Basque country of Spain.
===
9. Brittany
The Departments of this region, Finistere (56) Morbihan (22) Cots d'Amor (29) are very popular for tourism - I have not been there and have never felt the need to go, but it would be unfair not to list this as a recommended area to rent property as it is so much loved by people who go regularly. The combination of fresh Atlantic beaches and Celtic mythology could be irresistible, perhaps I should make a visit.
===
10. Corsica
From a place I have not been to and doubt I ever will, to a place I am very keen to visit. We have friends who lived there and hope soon to be able to discover some of the wonderful beaches and cool mountain villages
===
This is just my personal sample of ten places worth staying at and renting a property from a few days to a lifetime. France is a big country with hundreds of interesting and delightful corners. It really does have something for everyone, from the hedonistic nudist beaches at Cap D'Agde, to spiritual tourism at Lourdes, from the Gypsy pilgrimage at Saintes Maries de la Mer in May to reenactments of burning Cathar heretics at Carcassonne.
There are hundreds of places I have left out of this short list which I like, Grenoble, Foix, Albi, Limoges, La Rochelle, this should be called the top ten thousand places to rent property in France.
Mail me if you have any questions Tony@Nizas.com
===
Tony Tidswell lives in the South of France and writes about the property and travel business. He has created a number of very successful websites for real-estate and vacation rentals as well as a number of other Internet businesses.
These include work for the well established British estate agents on the Cote D'Azur Coast and Country and his new online business helping people find and create Fractional ownership opportunities Harmony Ownership
Write to him through his personal website, named after a village near the Mediterranean Nizas.com which has been the source of inspiration for people coming to the south of France since 1997.
To choose ten popular areas is a challenge, I have spent 18 years traveling around France looking for the "perfect" place, so I hope this will give you some ideas.
===
1. Nizas, Herault (34), Languedoc
I started a property rentals website ten years ago simply to advertise our own "perfect place" in the little village of Nizas http://nizas.com/nizas.html , although we sold the property after 10 happy years, you can still rent the apartments from the new owners.
Before moving to Nizas we lived just outside Lyon, in the Beaujolais. While there I spent the first 4 years exploring many of the 95 departments in France, often travelling by a SNCF rail pass, or plodding around in an ancient VW camper-van. France is a big country, but the variety of climates, geology and cultures make it a vast network of different "countries" to explore. Even the difference from one village to the next can be a big surprise. I still find some dialect words unique to a community of only a few hundred people, a village 2 km away has a different word for the same thing.
Finally, we zeroed in on Nizas as the perfect (for us) village in the perfect department (Herault 34) in the perfect region (Languedoc). The fact we could then buy a rambling 10th century ruin for the price of a new family car was also a deciding factor.
So, unashamedly I choose Nizas as my first destination.
===
2. Paris, Paris (75), Ile de France
By Paris I am really talking about the area inside the peripherique. This torque of concrete encircles Paris and the bit inside is divided into 20 "arrondissments" - the department is Number 75, outside is the banlieu (suburbs) which have department numbers 91 to 95 this is where the riots of 2005 flared up in soulless housing projects. However inside the peripherique ring-road not all arrondissments are equal. My personal favorite for a visit is St Germain in the 6th - preferably near or overlooking the Jardins de Luxembourg. But if I am staying longer (more than a month) I prefer the 17th, up from Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe). All the other stuff is best suited for a day visit. A car is a liability in Paris, walk everywhere if you can, it is les than three hours to walk from one side of the city to the other.
Paris is becoming more genteel. In 2001 I lived for 6 months in the center of the left bank directly over a sex club, I went back last week and it is now a posh tea room
===
3. Les Alberes, Pyrenees Orientale (66), Roussillon
Les Alberes are the mountains which are older than the Pyrenees and are the end bit which drops into the Mediterranean. The last villages in France nestle in the foothills, which are being punctured at the moment by a tunnel for the TGV from Nimes to Barcelona - sounds wonderful that a train can soon go from Paris to Barcelona in about 4 hours.
The region is actually Languedoc-Roussillon, or at least it was, but there is a big difference from the slightly sleepy Frenchness of Languedoc and the Catalan Spanish flavour of Roussillon, so I keep them separate.
When we moved from Lyon we first bought an old whip factory (I kid you not, whips for coach drivers are still made there from oiled and twisted twigs from local trees) in the village of Sorede (for the price of a secondhand family car) I worked for 4 years doing up our dream home, but we did not like the petty mentality of the local people, mostly Franco refugees, so we just rent this out now
But for a visitor the area is stunning, pop over the border for cheap booze and fags and a good Spanish meal, and back for pastis and a French supper. From Ceret to Colluire, Argeles and Perpignan all the towns and villages have interest and character.
Look for rentals in the villages between Ceret and Argeles, or along the coast around Canet
===
4. Nice, Alpes Maritimes (06), PACA
Right along to other end of the Mediterranean coast to Nice, about seven hours drive from Spain (with good traffic). I lived in Nice for 6 months working on a software project and had an apartment by the old harbour. Sitting in front of a computer all day I just get fatter and fatter but I explored Nice on foot and loved a long walk along the Promenade des Anglais every day. It was difficult to lose weight though as I would walk back through the old town, passing hundreds of different cafes, bars and restaurants (I always failed to pass them all)
Nice was part of Italy and the Italian influence is still very strong. By train you an quickly get to Antibes, Juan le Pins, Cannes, Menton, Grasse and many coastal resorts. Monaco is the next stop but, apart from the library, there is nothing there apart from sadness and paranoia.
There are many downtown rentals in private apartments, try to find an apartment not overlooking a main street but better into the courtyard, much quieter. This rule applies to most city rentals unless it is a very quiet street.
===
5. Marseilles, Bouche de Rhone (13) PACA
I love fish-stew, cous-cous and all types of wet food, so living in Marseilles is a real treat - sitting around the old port you can get a feel for Greek, Phocian and Roman shipping arriving. Today the rail station of St Charles is a great place to arrive and to then walk through the Arab quarter to the port is like visiting North Africa.
Like in Paris, the suburbs are depressing, but top marks to Marseilles for their Holocaust museum.
There are some downtown rentals, but you may need to look slightly outside Marseilles, Aix en Provence is only 20 minutes by train.
===
6. Montalbert, Haute Savoie (73), Rhone Alpes
Perched above the village of Longefoy, nestled around its baroque chapel, Montalbert is a place to go with all the family.
Imagine skiing through the forests between larch and pine trees or perhaps elsewhere in the Grande Plagne domain, with Paradiski awaiting as the ideal adventure!
The idea of falling off wet hills is not something I ever wish to do - but this very special village, with a view of Mont Blanc from a balcony, is just on the tree line and is one of the best places to visit in the summer. The ski piste are super walks or perfect for mountain bikes
===
7. Bergerac, Dordogne (24) Aquitaine
"The Dordogne" has been a bastion of Britishness for over 800 years. Interestingly I have swum more in the rivers and lakes in this region than I have been interested in swimming in the Mediterranean. There is something clean and refreshing about the greenery and coolness compared to the grit sand and cigarette ends of the beaches. Most villages will cater for foodies and the scenery is great.
===
8. Biarritz, Pyrenees Occidentale (65), Aquitaine
The Atlantic side of the Pyrenees, close enough to and far enough from Bordeaux or Lourdes. I have happy memories of Biarritz, Altlantic rollers coming in through the foggy weather, decaying decadence and good food. To the North is Landes, afforested sand dunes and reclaimed spooky wilderness. To the south, the Basque country of Spain.
===
9. Brittany
The Departments of this region, Finistere (56) Morbihan (22) Cots d'Amor (29) are very popular for tourism - I have not been there and have never felt the need to go, but it would be unfair not to list this as a recommended area to rent property as it is so much loved by people who go regularly. The combination of fresh Atlantic beaches and Celtic mythology could be irresistible, perhaps I should make a visit.
===
10. Corsica
From a place I have not been to and doubt I ever will, to a place I am very keen to visit. We have friends who lived there and hope soon to be able to discover some of the wonderful beaches and cool mountain villages
===
This is just my personal sample of ten places worth staying at and renting a property from a few days to a lifetime. France is a big country with hundreds of interesting and delightful corners. It really does have something for everyone, from the hedonistic nudist beaches at Cap D'Agde, to spiritual tourism at Lourdes, from the Gypsy pilgrimage at Saintes Maries de la Mer in May to reenactments of burning Cathar heretics at Carcassonne.
There are hundreds of places I have left out of this short list which I like, Grenoble, Foix, Albi, Limoges, La Rochelle, this should be called the top ten thousand places to rent property in France.
Mail me if you have any questions Tony@Nizas.com
===
Tony Tidswell lives in the South of France and writes about the property and travel business. He has created a number of very successful websites for real-estate and vacation rentals as well as a number of other Internet businesses.
These include work for the well established British estate agents on the Cote D'Azur Coast and Country and his new online business helping people find and create Fractional ownership opportunities Harmony Ownership
Write to him through his personal website, named after a village near the Mediterranean Nizas.com which has been the source of inspiration for people coming to the south of France since 1997.
posted by Harmony at 7:49 PM
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