In southeast France, near the Italian border and the dazzling Côte d’Azur you’ll find the area of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, generally known as ‘Haute-Provence’. This is a destination bursting with activities, from skiing and white-water rafting to strolling around historic towns or lazing in the southern sunshine. Find out more in our property guide to Haute-Alpes-de-Provence.
Property guide to Haute-Alpes-de-Provence
US-born Darlene Duterrier has lived in this region for six years and says the climate is one of the main attractions of Haute-Provence.
“We have four beautiful seasons here, with at least 300 days of sunshine a year; it’s not as dry and hot as it gets further south, yet not humid or cold like other parts of France. Only August tends to be really hot, with a warm springtime, and mellow autumn, and while winters are quite mild, ski enthusiasts will always find slopes in easy reach.
“People come here for the stunning natural landscapes, clean air and a sense of calm. It’s a paradise for hiking and climbing and of course cycling, which is a Sunday sport for all ages. As well as the winter sports of skiing and snowboarding, you have paragliding from the mountains, kayaking and rafting in the freshwater rivers, fishing and sailing.
“A showcase of our region is the Valley de l’Asse, one of the most beautiful valleys in the region, filled with lavender fields, olive trees and wild thyme. It has quaint little villages like Bras d’Asse, Estoublon, Mézel and Châteuredon, as well as the Gorges de Trévans, famous for its waterfalls, hiking areas and breathtaking views. Like the geopark, with its rare geology, the Haute-Provence landscapes are truly captivating: you have to be here, to breathe it in, to really understand.”
Properties in Haute-Provence
Since 2020 Darlene has worked as a real estate agent with Leggett Immobilier, and loving where she lives makes it easy to find the right home for her clients.
“People have started to discover Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and prices are slowly rising, but you’ll definitely get more for your budget here than further south,” she says. “One of the things I love is that you don’t get groups of identical buildings, each building is unique, from small holiday pads to family homes, beautiful Provençal farmhouses and Bastides with acres of land.
“Generally speaking, 200,000 € to 250,000 € will get you a two-bedroom home, while a three or four-bedroom home costs between 300,000 € to 400,000 € depending on how modern or renovated it is. If it needs any building work or renovation, you’ll have more room to negotiate.
“If you want the full package – a pool, enclosed garden, outbuildings and acres of land – you’ll probably be looking at properties between 400,000 € and 900,000 €, it really is great value for money here. I recently sold a fabulous 250m² riverside property with more than seven acres of land, its own lake, well and pond, plus terrain suitable for horses for about 600,000 €, which is half the price you’d pay further down south.
“We’ve always had buyers from big cities like Marseille or Nice, as well as international clients – mostly Dutch, Belgian, Irish and British – and we’ve seen a rise in Americans moving here. Even so, Haute-Provence continues to offer incredible value and its population density is a lot lower than the Côte-d’Azur, so you have a real sense of space.”
Where are the best spots to live in Haute-Alpes-de-Provence?
“If you’re moving here with children, I highly recommend Digne-les-Bains,” says Darlene, “about 130 km from Marseille and 145 km from Nice. It’s a lovely, family-friendly town with loads of activities for youngsters. It’s great for a good quality of life and the lack of traffic – the town is investing in cycle lanes and sports activities for all ages. You’re about an hour from luxury shopping and big malls, 50 km from the ski slopes, and it’s a popular area for hiking and paragliding. There are plenty of activities for all ages including free outdoor yoga in the summer, sport clubs, art school and theatre, all easy ways of getting to know the locals.
“If you prefer being away from it all and surrounded by the grandeur of nature, try the villages surrounding the Gorges du Verdon, nicknamed the European Grand Canyon. It is so beautiful that it takes your breath away, and the azure-blue lake Saint-Croix is a great starting point for the amazing nautical experience of canoeing in the waters between the gorges.
“Lake Sainte-Croix is only a few minutes away from Moustiers-Sainte-Maire, a spectacular village that’s famous for its beautiful architecture, faïence pottery and ceramics and has unsurprisingly been voted the most beautiful village in France.
“Equally picturesque is Valensole, famous for its plateau and seemingly endless fields of lavender that turn purple in mid-July. No words can describe it. The scent of harvested lavender flows in the valleys – it’s so relaxing!
“If accessibility is important to you, the up-and-coming town of Les Mées is near the motorway, 109 km from Marseille’s international airport and less than 99 km from Aix-en-Provence, where high-speed TGV trains take you to Paris in just 4 hours. If you’re thinking about running a B&B, this would be an ideal location as it’s not saturated with competition but is highly accessible and desirable. To give you an idea of the potential, there’s a gorgeous, stone-built Provençal house with 4 bedrooms currently on the market, offering 229m² of living space plus an apartment with its own entrance, set in 1.25 acres with an additional two barns, all beautifully presented and it’s priced at €399,899.
“If you’d rather take on an existing business, it’s worth noting that there’s a generational change happening in much of Haute-Provence as many owners who have been developing their B&B businesses over the last 20 years are retiring now, so that’s another opportunity.”
Are Haute-Provence properties that different?
“Very few properties in Provence are built by developers, they’re usually built by the owners or by locally hired builders,” Darlene explains. “That means you get one-off designs that arise from a property’s origin, construction and purpose, so each home is unique.
“When you buy a Provence property, you become its custodian until it is time to pass along the baton to a future owner and in turn you get a beautiful home. You also get everything else about Provence: the sun, homemade olive oil and honey, the scent of lavender on the breeze, the sound of cicadas, the lakes and mountains, the delicious fresh baguettes and local rosé, and of course the Provençal lifestyle.
“Whether you decide to buy a holiday house or to move to Haute-Provence permanently, it really is the good life here.”
See Darlene’s property portfolio here: frenchestateagents.com
