France’s Property watch: Burgundy

REGIONAL CAPITAL: Dijon

DEPARTMENTS: Côte-d’Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Yonne

MAIN CITIES: Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Nevers, Auxerre, Beaune, Mâcon, Montceau-les-Mines, Prémery

Dijon, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is the capital of the historical Burgundy region, one of France’s principal wine-making areas. As well as its vineyards, it is known for its traditional mustard, rich gastronomy (think Boeuf Bourguignon and garlic snails) and building styles ranging from Gothic to Art Deco. The area is crossed by a network of canals and studded with imposing chateaux.

Ancient Burgundy now makes up half of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region following the redrawing of the map of France a few years ago. The region is bordered by the river Loire, in the west, and by the Franche-Comté and Champagne areas in the east – and ranges from rolling agricultural land in the northwestern Yonne department to the golden, vineyard-laden hills of the Côte-d’Or, and the foothills of the Jura in the east with the Saône-et-Loire department.

Not surprisingly, property prices are at their highest in historic Dijon, a city of 150,000 inhabitants just over an hour-and-a-half from Paris by TGV, where houses can command prices of €2,410/m2. The average property price is €226,000, noticeably higher than the regional average of €181,632.

Meanwhile, in Côte-d’Or, house prices are about €1,650/m2, and fall as low as €810/m2 in the less popular Nièvre, €1,110 in Saône-et-Loire and €1,030 in the heavily agricultural Yonne, which is sparsely populated despite bordering Ile-de-France.