Haute-Alpes: French Property Location Guide

Sunshine, skiing and a hint of the Med – Annaliza Davis looks at what the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes can offer for househunters…

Not far from the Italian border, the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence N is generally referred to as ‘Haute-Provence’, and neighbours the department of Hautes-Alpes. As their names suggest, they are synonymous with snow-topped mountains, skiing and crystal-clear lakes, but also have sunshine, historic towns and quaint villages.

If you appreciate distinct seasons and love the sunlight, this part of France enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year, so you can explore the hiking trails, cycle routes, river valleys and glorious Alpine lakes; in winter, you can head to the mountains for a spot of snowboarding or skiing. The main attraction of this region is that it puts you in reach of all the advantages of the Riviera without the sky-high prices: property here costs less than half (46%) of those in the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes, and that’s a saving you can’t ignore.

The latest figures from Se Loger show that properties in Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes currently cost an average of €2,477/m², which is a third cheaper than the average price across France (€3,137/m²), and in certain areas you’ll even find homes for €1,550/m². This means that you can buy a 50m² apartment for under €79,000, and a semi-detached family home of 80m² from €125,000 right here in southern France. In Haute-Provence, properties are most expensive in the southwest, and in the sought-after Pontis to the north, popular for its lakeside location on Lac de Serre-Ponçon. Here, the price per square metre shoots up to €3,452, meaning that a 50m² apartment will fetch around €173,000, and a semi-detached family home starts at €275,000.

Conversely, in Hautes-Alpes, the most expensive pockets are found in the northeast area around Briançon and along the Italian border, including Montgenèvre, La Salle-les-Alpes and Monêtier-les-Bains, where prices can soar to €5,064/m². At this higher end of the market, a 50m² apartment will cost you more than €250,000 and a modest family home starts at around €400,000.

Overall, population density is just 25 people per square kilometre in this area, compared to the average of 107/km² across France, so if you like the feeling of space, you could be right at home.

“Where I live in Haute-Provence, it’s still relatively unknown to British buyers,” says Lara Bahls, who moved here in 2014. “That’s mainly because there are no large cities or mass tourist attractions, which is precisely what makes it so charming: authentic villages, unspoilt landscapes and a truly relaxed way of life.”
Gap, two hours south of Grenoble, is the largest town in the area (population 40,656) and is famous for its outdoor activities. Picture terracotta rooftops set against a mountain backdrop, surrounded by valleys and forests. The centre includes historic properties and new-builds, with accommodation that’s primarily apartments (64%) at an average of €2,639/m², so a 50m² property comes in at €132,000, while a central studio is less than €60,000.

The walled town of Manosque (population 22,807) sits on the edge of the Luberon regional natural park. Its narrow streets feature old townhouses and fill with visitors during the Saturday-morning market. The property market is lively, too, with studios from €55,000, a larger range of apartments from €110,000, and three-bedroom houses from €235,000.

If you’re looking for a bit of hustle and bustle without sacrificing natural beauty, aim for Digne-les-Bains (population 17,500), popular for its accessibility. It sits between Marseille and Nice, within 50km of ski slopes, yet it isn’t overrun with traffic and is family-friendly with plenty of cultural activities. It has an historic centre, and is famous for its thermal spas and fragrant lavender. A town-centre 50m² apartment starts at €49,000, with a larger 80m² apartment at €80,000, while townhouses start around €165,000 making it an affordable choice.

For ski fans, Briançon (population 11,000) puts you on the Serre Chevalier runs, with a 28m² studio at the foot of the slopes costing €130,000. The most costly areas are towards the slopes rather than in the town centre, whose Unesco status includes historic fortifications and clusters of pretty buildings. From skiing to the summer Alpine activities of hiking and kayaking, Briançon offers year-round tourism and a great range of property styles.

Another good choice for accessibility is Les Mées, located between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. It’s possible to buy a house here from €80,000, although you’ll have a better choice at €150,000; €190,000 puts you in reach of a new-build project, and if you have €250,000 you can choose a single-storey villa with a swimming pool.

As for villages, there’s a huge variety here – from the perched village of Banon, where you’ll find detached houses for around €400,000, to the mountain community of Jausiers, where you’ll find mountain chalets from €160,000. In St-Véran, Europe’s highest village, you’ll find a six-bedroom traditional alpine house for €475,000 framed by pines and the Alps.

There’s no coast in this area, but you can head to its gorgeous lakesides, such as the popular village of Ste-Croix-du-Verdon to the south, where you’ll find a 50m² apartment for €150,000 and a three-bedroom house with lake views from €395,000. To the north, around Lac de Serre-Ponçon, you can buy a lake-view house for between €250,000 and €300,000, or in Savines-le-Lac, 36m² apartments from €165,000 offering direct access to the lake shore, a patio and a small garden or outdoor space.

Renovation projects start at around €30,000 for a small stone building or apartment, and €50,000 for a townhouse, but given that you can find habitable properties in this area for €65,000, you’d have to calculate that a full-scale renovation is worthwhile, based on location. Finally, if you have a €50,000 budget for a building plot, you could buy 3,000m² with utilities ready to connect, but cheaper building plots don’t often come up in this area, so you might have to be patient!

The nearest airport is Marseille-Provence, which is 90 minutes from Digne-les-Bains. By train, the TGV takes five-and-a-half hours from Paris to Briançon, as well as Digne-les-Bains, Manosque and Sisteron, while the TER railway connects to Marseille and Nice and the regional bus network, ZOU, links to all the main towns and most villages. Also look for Combineige, a combination of train and bus transport that takes you to the ski resorts of Val d’Allos, leaving from Nice and Digne-les-Bains.

The latest statistics from INSEE show that this region is not particularly industrial, and new businesses focus on the service industry, with wide use of seasonal contracts (14%) to match tourism requirements. Unemployment in Hautes-Alpes is representative of France as a whole, with 11% of working-age residents listed as unemployed, a little higher (13.2%) in Haute-Provence. Over three-quarters of workers (78%) are employees, but 12% are self-employed, well beyond the French average (7.7%), showing that an entrepreneurial spirit is supported here.

Over half (56%) of residents are aged 20 to 64 (compared to 54.8% across France), and 28% are aged 65+, making the population a little older than the national average of 22.9%. Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes remain an appealing destination, with more people moving here than leaving.

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