Fresh from his tour of the medieval villages of Tarn-et-Garonne and the Dordogne, my scout Declan Aylward hit Bordeaux for Mission France.
I like the concept of “second cities,” those places where you can get all the amenities and excitement of a big city like Paris, but with less of the hassle or expense.
Let’s see if that’s what Declan has found in Bordeaux…
Own From €191,500 in Pocket-Sized Paris
By Declan Aylward
I must admit, I was a little bit shell-shocked when I arrived in Bordeaux.
After a week spent exploring the medieval villages and towns of Tarn-et-Garonne and the Dordogne, a part of me expected the same kind of sleepy, bucolic atmosphere in Bordeaux.
What I found instead was a thriving, vibrant city with all the hustle and bustle of a major tourist destination. And yet, unlike its big sister city Paris, Bordeaux retains an accessible feel. I found the center walkable, the crowds manageable, and the locals friendly (and more patient with my broken French than Parisians).
In fact, with its grand boulevards, chic bistros, and designer stores, Bordeaux feels like a pocket-sized Paris. Everything you get in Paris but on a smaller, friendlier scale.
Plus, the wine is of course fantastic. Bordeaux is famous for producing excellent wines, and I can tell you from experience that its reputation is well earned.
Bordeaux has plenty of cool neighborhoods to spend time in, from the central Grand Hommes-Le Triangle d’Or-Quinconces, where you’ll find all the designer stores and restaurants owned by celebrity chefs, and historic Vieux Bordeaux, with its old buildings and monuments, to Bassins à Flots, the modern part of the city full of shiny new buildings.
But for our purposes, we’ll focus on three neighborhoods where it makes sense to consider property: Saint Michel, Chartrons, and La Bastide. These are places where I found properties that seem to offer good value and have either an investment or lifestyle angle to them.
Saint Michel
The neighborhood of Saint Michel, just south of Bordeaux’s historic center, looks to be undergoing a process of gentrification. Walking the streets, I saw crowds of young hipsters with dyed hair and piercings lounging at craft beer bars, young professional types with laptops working with a coffee beside them at Starbucks, and Turkish markets selling fruit and veg to old ladies in shawls.
The area used to be considered a bit dangerous and dirty by locals but, since 2007, there has been a slow process of restoration that began with the neighborhood’s UNESCO listed buildings. This put Saint Michel on the tourist maps and started to bring some money into the area.
The craft beer bars and trendy restaurants followed, shouldering in beside dive bars and hookah lounges.
The process is by no means complete, though, and to my eyes there are still plenty of rough edges that gentrification hasn’t smoothed off yet.
It’s also super central, right by the Saint Jean train station, from which you can reach Paris on the LGV high-speed train in just over two hours.
It’s the kind of up-and-coming place that I would expect to become more popular, and more expensive, as time goes on.
There’s a typically compact 1-bed apartment close to the train station here listing for €191,500 ($208,517). With a living area of 430 sq. ft., it’s the kind of place you’d use as a city pad to sleep in while your days are spent out enjoying Bordeaux. It’s modern, boasts two balconies, and the building even has an elevator—all the conveniences you’d want in a pied-à-terre. See the full listing here.
For something a bit more spacious, there is a 2-bed apartment listing for €336,000 ($363,909). It’s on the second floor of one of Saint Michel’s classic stone buildings (the listing says first floor, but in Europe that means second floor as the bottom is the ground floor). The apartment was renovated in 2014 and sports a clean, white design throughout that helps it feel spacious. It also features a balcony for a little taste of the outdoors. View the listing here.
Chartrons
Chartrons, northeast along the river and about a 20-minute walk from the center of Bordeaux, has the look of a place where I expect Saint Michel to be in a decade.
Formerly a rough part of the city, it’s now fully gentrified and trendy.
I found the streets cleaner than Saint Michel, the people a little older and a little more monied.
As I explored, I saw traditional French bistros, artisanal boulangeries and antique stores sharing space with organic food stores, poke bowl restaurants, and funky bars. There were a few tourists, but many more locals walking dogs and families enjoying lunch on sunny terraces.
The neighborhood feels safe, residential, but still cool.
For a pure lifestyle play in Bordeaux, this is where I would want to buy.
This 1-bed, apartment on the third floor of a building in Chartrons is listing right now for €215,000 ($234,141). It’s a basic little place with an open plan kitchen/living area, but it does come with a balcony and—most importantly—a private parking space in the basement of the building. As any city dweller will tell you, private parking in a central neighborhood, especially one as desirable as Chartrons, can be hard to find. Check out the listing here.
On the higher end of the scale is this 3-bed, 2-bath villa on the eastern edge of Chartrons listing for €525,000 ($571,739). It’s light, airy and—importantly—spacious. The big selling point here is the large garden, another rarity in a central neighborhood like Chartrons. It’s a little bit farther from the center, but with Bordeaux’s tram system you still have easy access. View the listing for yourself here.
La Bastide
Head across the Pont de Pierre Bridge to the east bank of the Garonne River—it took me about ten minutes at a comfortable stroll—and you’ll find yourself face-to-face with a giant blue lion.
The sculpture is the symbol of the La Bastide and takes pride of place as you enter from the city.
La Bastide was an overlooked part of Bordeaux for a long while, due to it lying across the river from where all the action is. But, in my opinion, that’s its very appeal.
The streets here are wider, the feel much more residential, and the atmosphere a good deal more relaxed. Plus, there are plenty of green spaces to enjoy between the Darwin Ecosystem and the Botanic Gardens.
If you’re interested in living in Bordeaux and don’t want to live right in the busy city center, but still want easy access to it, then La Bastide is the place for you.
This ground floor 1-bed apartment is close to Place de Stalingrad (the main square just by the bridge) and lists for €212,900 ($230,584). It’s got an open plan living area and a wooden terrace reachable by double doors. Check it out here.
Taking advantage of the space available in La Bastide is this 2-bed house with a large garden listing for €382,000 ($413,730). It’s a single story house renovated in 2017 and features an open plan kitchen/living room, two decent-sized bedrooms, and a home office. The standout feature though is that large private garden. See for yourself here.
Ronan Says: Remember, in France foreigners can borrow up to 80% of the purchase price. You can lock in historically low interest rates and fix for 15 years at around 2%. This is the best inflation hedge I know. And, means you could buy a €300,000 home and find yourself with monthly mortgage costs of only €884.
Please note, we haven’t done any due diligence on the properties in this article—always conduct your own due diligence before considering any real estate purchase.
Your Daily Dream Home
Auch, Midi-Pyrénées, France
€77,000 ($83,165)
This charming little home is located just north of the Pyrenees mountains, and just an hour away from Toulouse. The house sits on 1.2 acres of land, and has an impressive garden space, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, as well as an outbuilding, capable of being turned into further living space or even a garage.
Remember, we don’t make money from any listing shared here in the Your Daily Dream Home section. We have no dog in the fight. We’re just sharing cool properties we’ve found.
I haven’t visited this property or done due diligence on it. If you’re interested in the listing, you should hire an attorney and do your own due diligence.