By Alexander Garrett
June 2009
The hidden secrets of the Rhone Alpes
A huge region that stretches between Burgundy in the north and Provence in the south, Rhône-Alpes includes the cities of Lyon, Chambery, St Etienne and Grenoble, the remote area of the Ardeche, as well as the plum parts of the French Alps. It is composed of eight departments: Ain (01), Ardeche (07), Drome (26), Isere (38), Loire (42), Rhone (69), Savoie (73) and Haute Savoie (74).
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The hidden secrets of the Rhône-Alpes
Most of this region is neither particularly well-known to tourists nor much adopted by property buyers, as it is largely passed by en route to more popular destinations. The one real exception to this is the ski areas in Savoie and Haute Savoie which are together the most popular places in Europe for British owners to find ski apartments and chalets.
But Rhône-Alpes does have a great deal to offer, even if most of it is not particularly spectacular, and instead offers a pleasant slice of French life.
Rhône-Alpes has a population of just over 6m of which almost one third – 1.8m – live in France's second biggest city, Lyon. Lyon is a major business centre and the epicentre of French gastronomy, currently undergoing enormous regeneration and with a great deal to offer culturally, yet in honesty few people would look at it as a place to live unless they had to. St Etienne is a far less attractive city with an industrial background; Chambery, Grenoble and the smaller Annecy are all more appealing.
Geographically, the region is dominated by the Alps in the east, including Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc, but also by the Rhone and Saone rivers which converge at Lyon. Lakes Geneva and Annecy are also important features.
As well as a wide range of regional food which includes poultry dishes, saucisson and sausages, many famous cheeses and the Alpine raclette, Rhône-Alpes is famous for its wine, the best of which by a long way are Cotes du Rhone. So the region is particularly attractive to bon vivants who like to eat at Michelin-starred restaurants and enjoy the best food and drink on offer.
Outside the ski resorts, if you buy a property in this region you should expect to find few expats, especially Brits, close at hand, and to immerse yourself in French society, albeit a more sophisticated version than in the more rural regions. The Alpine ski resorts are a completely different matter. In resorts such as Courchevel, Meribel, Val d'Isere and Chamonix you can be rubbing shoulders with some of the wealthiest people on the planet, and prices reach stratospheric levels at the top of the market.
French ski property has become more expensive than its Swiss counterpart in recent years, but if you look carefully, especially outside the most fashionable resorts, there are still affordable apartments to be found. The key is to have a connection to the big ski areas like Paradiski and Les Trois Vallees. For a completely different perspective, Ardeche offers a degree of wilderness, similar to the Cevennes in nearby Lozere. It's a land of forests, steep hillsides and river gorges, where wild boar roam at will and hunting and fishing are among the main pursuits.
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Alexander Garrett is a freelance property writer who contributes regularly to The Observer and British Airways' Business Life.
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