Burgundy Property For Sale

In the heart of France there is a region which is a meeting place of art, beauty, history, culture, good food and fine wine; a region which typifies perhaps more than any other ‘l’art de vivre à la Française’ – Burgundy.

Yet, despite the many delights of this rural haven (including the wines of the Côte d’Or), Burgundy property has been somewhat overlooked by British buyers. Perhaps this is because of the cold ‘continental’ winters or the fact that there are no longer any direct flights to the region. Neither is reason enough! It’s high time that this green and pleasant land regained its rightful place in our affections – after all it is only a TGV ride away from the airports of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lyon Saint Exupéry and there is a TGV station in the basement of both!

Côte d’Or property is the most expensive in the region as this is home to the tourist hot spots of Dijon (the capital), Beaune (the centre of the local wine trade) and the world famous vineyards of Nuits St George, Clos Vougeot, Gevrey Chambertin, Romanée-Conti, Pommard, Mersault and Montrachet.

Dijon property is highly sought after as it is perhaps here that French quality of life reaches its apogee; this small but perfectly formed ancient city has so many national monuments that it feels like an open-air museum, yet it is surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside a mere ten minutes away in every direction. Add sublime dining and wonderful wines to this cornucopia of delights and you could think you’d died and gone to heaven.

While property in Beaune and Dijon is expensive, it guarantees good tourist rental income over a seven-month season as September and November are packed with various wine festivals and auctions.

To the south, Saône-et-Loire is a profoundly rural area and is home to more cattle than people (Charolles is home to the famous Charollais cattle). Without the same tourist rental potential as the Côte d’Or, Saône-et-Loire property is better value for money – especially if you’re just looking for a rural retreat for personal use.

Some Saône-et-Loire property could, however, have some rental potential: Macon property would make a good base for exploring the wines of Beaujolais to the south; and Cluny property could cater to visitors of world-famous Cluny Abbey and to local students at the elite educational institution ‘La Grande École des Ingénieurs’.

Chalon-sur-Saône property offers excellent value for money; this is a pleasant town with a delightful pedestrianised square of streets where you can lose yourself for a day without seeing or hearing a car. It is well situated between the vineyards of the Côte d’Or and the Beaujolais and is next to the Canal de Bourgogne.

In the Yonne department, Auxerre property is sought after by Parisians because of its close proximity and good transport links to the capital. Buying to let however, would need to be geared to long-term local rentals - with the exception of Chablis property, which could target international wine lovers.

The cheapest Burgundy property is to be found in the Nièvre department towards the border with the Centre region. Nièvre property is too far from the wine-growing areas to be of interest to tourists and too distant from the capital to suffer from the price hike that follows in the wake of the Parisians. If you are just looking for a peaceful, rural retreat and don’t need to consider transport links or rental income, then Nièvre property could cut the mustard.

The Morvan Regional Park in the centre of Burgundy is one of France’s least populated areas - which means it can feel isolated in winter. But on the plus side, Morvan property is less expensive than most areas of Burgundy and its forests, hills and lakes make it a perfect buy for nature lovers on a budget. It’s also worth noting that this is a busy holiday area from April to September when it offers countless outdoor pursuits including canoeing, mountain-biking and potholing. The regional park is also within easy reach of the pretty walled town of Vézelay and of Saulieu – home to one of France’s most celebrated restaurants ‘La Côte d’Or’. So, canny Morvan property owners should be able to generate some summer income to help eek out the long lonely winters.