Châlons-en-Champagne Property Insight

Châlons-en-Champagne is the prefecture of the Marne department and the Champagne Ardenne region. Surprisingly, Reims is not the administrative centre despite its political and economical influence. This choice to choose Chalons as the prefecture was done under the ancient régime because revolutionaries wanted to remove the historical influence of Reims, the town of coronations.

Overview

The town accounts for about 46,000 inhabitants called the Châlonnais. Its origins date back to the Gaul period. Châlons-en-Champagne has a rich history and many monuments testify its past. The town is labelled ‘town of Art and History’. Amongst the monuments not to be missed, we can quote the half-timbered houses: the maison de la petite juiverie, which houses today the tourism office, and the maison Clémangis where exhibitions are regularly held.

Chalons also received four flowers (the maximum) at the French competition ‘Villes Fleuries which rewards towns promoting green spaces such as parks, gardens, etc. The town is bordered by the Marne River to the west. Life is really pleasant in Châlons en Champagne. All kind of facilities are available (education, sport, culture, etc) to allow both locals and tourists blossoming as much as they can!

Chalons en Champagne Immobilier & Property Market Trends

In May 2009, the average price for a property to buy in Chalons en Champagne was €1,873 /square metre. An apartment cost about €1,949 /square metre at the same period and a house €1,818 /square metre. For those would would like to rent a property in Chalons, the price is about €8.74 /square metre /month, which is quite reasonable when comparing with the national average: €12.22 /sq m /month. In 2008, a 3-room apartment cost between €1,370 /sq m and €1,680 /sq m. As far as houses are concerned, price was comprised between €137,000 and €200,000.

More than 63% of the properties in Chalons-en-Champagne are apartments, houses representing only 33.5% of the total of dwellings. Moreover the majority of the inhabitants rent their property: 62.8% against only 34.2% of owners.

To get updated info about the property prices in Marne, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Chalons en Champagne

• Historical heritage: the town has an abundance of outstanding monuments and places of interest. The town hall (18th c., Classical style), Porte Saint-Croix (18th, gate built for Marie Antoinette as she arrived in France to marry Louis XVI of France), the circus (built in 1899, home to the national centre of circus), but also the church Notre-Dame-en-Vaux (listed in the world heritage of UNESCO), the Saint-Etienne cathedral (Gothic style), Saint-Alpin and Saint-Jean-Baptiste churches, Toussaints Abbey and two convents (couvent des Dames Régentes and couvent Sainte-Marie) amongst others. A beautiful synagogue and a Protestant temple can also be found in the town.

• Museums: Chalons is home to great museums which will delight history lovers… The Fine Arts and Archaeology Museum, the musée du cloître de Notre-Dame-en-Vaux (museum housing vestiges from the 12th-century cloister of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church), Schiller-Goethe Museum (collection of objects belonging to the famous writers), Garinet Museum (16th-century house presenting the inside of the house of a bourgeoise family in the 19th century.).

• Cultural life: there are different cultural events which happen in Chalons-en-Champagne all year round, the most important ones being the festival des Musiques d’Ici et d’Ailleurs (July-August) and Les Furies (June), respectively music and circus/theatre festivals. The town is home to a concert hall which is labelled scène nationale and where obviously many events are held.

• Location – transport links: Chalons is well-linked to the rest of France thanks to a train station and two major motorways which are situated in the proximity: the A4 and A26. There are regular trains to Paris which is reachable in about 1h45 with regional trains and 1h with TGV high speed trains. Buses allow people moving in the town centre. Being located only 50km from Reims, another option to reach the town is by plane to Reims and then by car or train. Chalons is 79km from Troyes (1h by car) and 152 km from Metz (1h30 by car).

• Return on investment: Chalons-en-Champagne is home to several centres of higher education such as the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, one of the most famous engineering institute. There is thus a sustained demand for properties in the area. So buying a property there and letting it should offer a good future return on investment. Chalons being an important tourist and economical centre, it is definitely worth investing in the town.

Property Styles and Architecture in Chalons en Champagne

• Apartments: as said above, more than 63% of the properties in Chalons are apartments. There are all kind of apartments in the town but many of them are parts of beautiful stone buildings of large dimensions. Apartments are good investments for buy-to-let as the demand is high in the town.

• Town houses: located close to all amenities, town houses are often attached and come with a small garden and a garage. Their features may change from a house to another.

• Villas: we can find many large villas in the surroundings of Châlons. They have big dimensions and many rooms as well as a large piece of land, a a garage, cellar, etc. Most of these properties were built recently. They have a great value and are perfect if you are looking for a holiday home.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Champagne Ardenne.