Fields of lavender, the Côte d'Azur - from March, there will be direct flights from Dublin to Marseilles. Kate McMorrow on places to buy in Provence
From the end of March this year, Aer Lingus will be flying direct from Dublin to the French port of Marseilles, opening up west Provençe, Gard and the eastern part of the Languedoc to Irish property hunters.
This region is varied and hauntingly beautiful, with lavender and herb fields, forests, mountains and the Camargue beaches all within reach. From Marseilles airport, you can be on the bridge at Avignon in 20 minutes, or strolling through fields of wild sage and thyme in the mountain foothills in less than an hour.
Prices are not as cheap as the Limousin or Pyrenees Orientales, but this is Provençe after all and property is still less expensive than on the plush Cote d'Azur, an hour-and-a-half's drive away. From the wild horses of The Camargue to the mountains of the Lubéron and seaside towns, this is an area which will appeal to everyone.
Its an artist's paradise, where painters from all over the world come to walk in the footsteps of Cézanne and Picasso, who lived in the region.
City-lovers will enjoy the buzz of Marseilles, the seafood capital of Provençe and one of the oldest ports in France. The city is famous for its bouillabaisse, a hearty fish soup which is a meal in itself.
The Marseillaise was composed by Rouget de Lisle in 1792, to honour a band of 500 local volunteers who marched to Paris to join the revolution. The song became instantly popular when they marched through the streets of Paris singing in their Provençal accents.
Within easy reach of Marseilles via a good road network are Aix-En-Provençe, Avignon, Vaucluse and the very pretty village of Uzés. Lavender fields are plentiful near Gordes and east of Mont Ventoux on the Vaucluse plateau. Seaside resorts around Montpelier such as Cape d'Agde are just over an hour. Travelling west, coastal towns like Bandol and Toulon and the steep hill villages of the western Var are reachable by road.
Two new VEF offices have just opened in Gard and the Languedoc. Rhona and Andrew Booth opened VEF's Gard office in Vezenobres last July and already have a number of Irish clients on their books.
It's a good 1.5 hour's drive from Marseilles, but the journey could be worthwhile. Temperatures can reach 21 degrees in January this far south.
This agency includes all fees. Currently for sale in the Gard are a tiny two-bedroom cottage asking €65,680, a stone farmhouse on two hectares of woods for €493,160 and a beautiful five-bedroom village house for €406,450. A two-bedroom character farmhouse high up in the Drôme Provençale is priced at €176,220.
Also in this area is a restored blue-shuttered house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a guest studio asking €681,830. Another restored Drôme house with a pool costs €376,890.
Irish company HOK has a number of properties in the Marseilles catchment area in their portfolio, including a smart new leaseback apartment scheme in Cap d'Agde near Montpelier. Prices start at €37,800 for a very affordable studio and €83,974 for one-bed apartments. This is right on the beach, with an Olympic-sized pool and golf.
Another HOK leaseback project, Les Paradou, is about to start in Les Baux, 30 km from Avignon. This is on the slopes of Les Alpilles, a picturesque mountain chain and 40 minutes from the Mediterranean. A two-bedroom duplex apartment here costs around €370,000.
A few apartments are still available in the exclusive Provence Country Club in Vaucluse, priced from €173,813 for a one-bed unit with HOK. The residence is surrounded by some of France's most beautiful villages such as Gordes and Ménerbes, popular haunts of artists and wine connoisseurs.
Those with a lot of money to spend could strike lucky with Carlton International, a company specialising in the glorious villas and farmhouses associated with the Var. A magnificent nine-bedroom stone house with a pool and 55 hectares near the pretty village of Seillans will set you back €3.615 million, while a restored six-bedroom chateau in Seillans is a mere €1.9 million.
Aer Lingus flights to Marseilles will operate three days a week from 27th March to the 29th October.
