The “little Alpes’’ or to be more precise Les Alpilles has a very special attraction for thousands of people who enjoy its diverse, rugged beauty and all the advantages of a French rural aspect that’s well within easy striking distance of the Mediterranean, particularly, the Carmague. There are so many things that make it an ideal destination to put down your roots or to invest in a holiday home which, when you are not using it, could generate a significant year-round letting income.
Les Alpilles, with its jagged limestone peaks, is a much sought after part of Provence lying between Avignon and Arles where the Rhone slows down through its lower plain before it pours into the Med. To the west are Nîmes and, a little further on, Montpellier, while to the east are Salon-de-Provence and Aix-en-Provence.
One characteristic of the area is the old style farmhouses, called “mas” in France, with their prolific olive groves and small vineyards. They are much sought after because they are such very sound buildings providing so much potential for improvement and renovation. Indeed some have already been very successfully upgraded to provide ample living space with the very latest mod cons, as you can see all here.
There are many other property types and styles as well in Les Alpilles from new apartments to villas of all sizes and modest terraced houses, at prices to meet every budget. All of them ideally suited to providing a permanent home or a regular holiday-home income.
Les Alpilles’ moderate climate is just one of the big attractions of this exceptionally beautiful corner of France. It’s also steeped in history and has an abundance of ancient sites such as the most important Ligurian-Greco-Roman excavations in France – the ruins of Glanum at St Rémy de Provence. And, of course, this particular town provided the inspiration for 150 of Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces, which he painted in the surrounding countryside.
But leaving history behind, the area enjoys every aspect of modern day living with ample water sports facilities on the Rhone and many other leisure activities including golf, horse riding, cinema, theatre, local pageants and several festivals. Plus everywhere there are excellent local wines and gastronomy.
Not least of all of Les Alpilles’ many attributes is its close proximity to the Mediterranean which you can reach easily within 40 minutes. Indeed, fast roads can also take you to Marseille, Toulon, St Tropez and Cannes in the east and Montpellier, Narbonne and Perpignan in the west, where you can pick up the high-speed TGV train to Paris and Barcelona or aeroplanes to the rest of Europe and the world.
