Briançon Property Insight

Overview

Briançon is a town of 11,500 inhabitants, part of the Hautes Alpes department and Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region of France. The French commune has many different facets which make its unique profile. It is the highest town in Europe, with 1,200m.

Located at the very heart of the southern Alps mountain range, Briançon is at the crossroads of 5 valleys, namely the Durance, Cerveyrette, Ayes, Guisane and Clarée ones. The location is thus exceptional as the town benefits from a micro climate. Briançon has 300 sunny days per year, the equivalent of towns located on the French Riviera such as Nice and Toulon.

Thanks to these natural assets the town is renowned for the absolute purity of the air and is a centre for asthma as well as breath and lung diseases. The sky is limpid and nature around has been preserved thus any kind of sport can be practised. Briançon is accordingly a ski resort, part of the Serre Chevalier network.

Briançon Immobilier & Property Market Trends

In 2009, the average value of property in France is €3,197 /square metre and property for rent costs €12.22 /square metre /month. Briançon offers cheap property prices as property costs €2,760 /square metre. Choosing the French commune is thus quite sound financially as tourists are numerous in any season. Thus the area is a fantastic buy-to-let market. The global trend for property prices in the area is a slight decrease (-2% this year) which may continue until the end of the real estate crisis in France.

Apartment prices in Briançon are of strategic importance if you have a rental or buy-to-let project. Indeed most holidaymakers are interested in renting ski properties in Briançon, being apartments. A studio flat in the French town costs €2,870 /square metre on average. 1 and 2-bedroom apartments cost around €2,800 /square metre while figures tend to show that 3-bedroom apartments are cheaper, with €2,500 /square metre. The average price of an apartment in Briançon is €2,770 /square metre.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Briançon

• Historical heritage: the strategical location of the French commune explains why it has always been a garrison town. The strong presence of castles in the zone show wonderful samples of mountainous warfare architecture. Summer is definitely the best period to visit the town, especially the ancient centre.

• Tourism – sights: the place and its environment are simply stunning. The Alps in all their splendour. If you are looking for a town where you can rest but also practise sport and be a culture lover, Briançon is an excellent choice. A great ski resort too.

• Quality of the air: the purity of the air in this town and the region is internationally renowned. If you wish to flee the British gloom or are in need of quality air for medical purposes, why not buy or rent property in the Hautes Alpes? You will not be disappointed.

• Architectural style: Briançon offers great architecture such as medieval castles and convents. Besides, houses generally have a typical aspect which form a unity with the whole village. Around the town, several places must be visited: they are part of the town’s fortifications which were recently listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.

• Transport links: the development of tourism is eased by the very good network of transport links in the area. The town has very strong links with the towns of Grenoble and Turin, each being less than 100km away. Diverse motorways serve the town from Dijon (Burgundy), Chambéry, Aix en Provence and Lyon. Briançon is served by high speed trains stopping in Grenoble. By plane, you can land in Marseille, Lyon or Turin, with many budget airlines available.

Property Styles and Architecture in Briançon

The town sits on a green hill and is surrounded with impressive peaks. A most lovely setting. The town offers mainly provence-style town houses with the classic painted walls and shutters. As in many mountainous towns, streets are generally sloping. Many exposed stones can be seen on the walls, for decoration purposes. Some stone houses can also be spotted, generally they are scattered in the countryside around Briançon.

Click here for more info about the Architecture of Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur.

Take a closer look at the Hautes Alpes property market:
Embrun Property Information	Gap Property Information
Laragne Montéglin Information	Risoul Property Information
Serre Chevalier Property Information