Cauterets Property Insight

Overview

Cauterets is a small yet elegant village located in the Pyrenees mountains. It is at the same time as a small city located in a lovely mountain setting and a true Pyrenean village. Nature is indeed all around, and the town even benefits from hot springs which made in years gone by its thermal reputation.

The peculiarity of Cauterets is that you never get bored there. This village indeed offers the pleasures of a town and holidaymakers as well as locals fond of ski often meet in the local bars, restaurants or nightclubs. Cauterets could then be described as an interesting spa and ski resort, which, along with the breathtaking environment around, explains why the main industry is tourism. The village also offers ice skating facilities.

Cauterets is easily accessible, which is crucial for its economy. Ryanair flies to Pau and Bmibaby flies to Toulouse, Perpignan and Manchester. You can travel by sea and take a ferry to Santander (Basque country). Motorways and high-speed trains (TGV) also allow a good access to Cauterets through Tarbes.

Sites around the village are just breathtaking such as the prestigious Lac de Gaube (Gaube lake) or the Vignemale peak (3298m). A paradise for sport and nature lovers within a stone’s throw from the UK.

Cauterets Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Cauterets is the clever choice if you want to buy property in a French ski resort at moderate prices. Compared with other French resorts, the village is inexpensive. This is mainly due to its being lesser-known than the classic ski towns of the Alps. However, Cauterets provides a preserved environment and high-quality skiing (or hiking) holidays.

In 2009 prices are increasing slightly as the village is becoming more famous. A good strategy to avoid this is not to buy in the village itself but to focus on properties in the countryside around.

Sale prices in Cauterets are on average around €2,000 /square metre. This is clearly more expensive than prices in the plain such as in Lourdes (€1,700) or in Tarbes (€1,624) but a great bargain if you consider prices in the famous Font-Romeu (€3,200) for instance. The national average is €3,197 per square metre.

If you plan to buy in Cauterets, you may find apartments available more easily than detached houses. Properties in the area are used as second homes by 84% of homeowners, this means that the rental market is thriving.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Cauterets

• Thermal town: Cauterets offers hot springs facilities. The area is also renowned for the thermal origins of the town. These waters are said to help heal ear, nose and throat problems. After a ski or hiking session, these waters are ideal to relax.

• Tourism – sights: Cauterets is located in the Pyrénées, a wonderful location for those of you who enjoy skiing and other mountain sports such as canyoning, rafting and walking. But there is more to Cauterets than only ski slopes. The town is a stone’s throw from the pilgrimage town of Lourdes and Spain as well as the Atlantic are within easy reach. In the area it is also possible to explore millenary caves.

• People: people in the area are very welcoming, as often in mountainous regions. This means that you will always feel at ease in the town and is good for holidaymakers potentially renting your property.

• Sport: sea and mountain activites are possible. Nature lovers will adore Cauterets as the village offers the following activities amongst others: skiing, yachting, surfing, trekking, climbing, hunting, horseriding, motor racing, fishing, bathing in lakes and the sea, etc. An old railway line has been converted into a Green Line (hiking path) of 30 kilometres connecting Cauterets with Lourdes and offering wonderful views.

• Rental opportunities and ROI: the area benefits from a high return on investment rate as properties are easy to rent in any season. Short-term lets are easier to obtain than long-term ones however. Property prices are quite high but investments are easily paid off too.

Property Styles and Architecture in Cauterets

Cauterets displays many traces of its past, especially through its typical architecture of the 19th century. In gone-by years, the thermal town was the place where bourgeois families gathered for thermal holidays. Many monumental buildings have been preserved and you can see them today. The village also has shepherd farms and chalets on offer, which are traditional Pyrenean properties.

• Village of character: most hotels in the town were built in the late 19th century. They are quite monumental and the hallmarks of this style are balconies, statues on the front, large lounges with pianos and luxurious candlelit dining halls. The ancient train station is also an evidence of the glorious past of the town.
• Shepherd farms: these properties, made of stone, have a quite massive appearance. They are built in length and generally comprise a ground floor only. Roofs are covered with flat tiles or slate, being often hipped. Walls have exposed stones. They were formerly shepherd houses and are perfect whe converted into a gite as they are the very traditional houses of the area.
• Chalets: chalets are very typical properties from the Pyrenees. Once again in Cauterets, they make ideal properties for buy-to-let investments but you can also live there all year long. Generally the view is stunning. They are made of wood and stone mainly, ith a steeply pitched roof coevred with slates or sometimes, lauze.

Click here for more info about the Architecture of Midi-Pyrenees.