Day 1937 (Tuesday) 27th September 2022

It was seriously  hot this morning – 40 degrees but it was comfortable because there’s no humidity.

Huw worked most of the day with Gino and discovered that you are not allowed to make noise between 12 and 2 – we’ve been here how long and haven’t heard that one before.

Are these the most desirable places in France to have a second home?

For most French people, the ideal second home is by the sea. But which of the country's stunning coastal locations make the top of the list?

Published: 29 June 2017 13:28 CEST

Photo: AFP

The French have revealed the places they consider most desirable to own a second home and the top ten are all by the sea. 

Surveying around 1,200 web users, real estate website Explorimmo discovered where in France the French dream most of owning a second home. 

Top of the list was the Bassin d’Arcachon on the south west coast of France and just an hour from Bordeaux, with 21 percent of the people surveyed naming this as the place they most want to own a second home.  

(Graeme Churchard/Flickr)

 

(Bassin d'Arcachon. Photo: Twin Loc/Flickr)

Le bassin d’Arcachon. Photo:  JPC24M/Flickr 

 

After Arcachon the most popular place for a second home in France was the chic Normandy coastal resort of Deauville.

The fact it is roughly two hours from Paris by car and slightly less by train has meant Deauville has been hugely popular with the capital's posher residents for decades.

Just check out the number of designer stores in town.

Photo: Thegoodlifefrance/Wikicommons

 

Deauville beach. Photo: Pinpin/WikiCommons

 

Unsurprisingly a Mediterranean location featured high on the list with the fishing port of Cassis making it to third place. 

Cassis. Photo: Amanda Snyder/Flickr

 

In fourth place was Sainte Maxime (16,5%) which lies on the French Riviera in between Toulon and Cannes.

 

 (Saint-Maxime. Photo: Office de Tourisme Saint-Maxime/Facebook)

 

In fifth was the popular holiday island of Ile de Ré (16%) just off La Rochelle on the west coast of France.

Photo: Ile-de-Re. Giancarlo Foto4U/FLickr

 

Sixth was Biarritz (15%) – on the south west Basque Coast, which is home to some of the best beaches in the country.

Photo: Florian PépellinWikiCommons

 

Seventh was Quiberon (13%) a fairly wild peninsula on the southern coast of Brittany, which is also home to some stunning beaches.

(Photo: Peter Stenzel)

Then in eighth place was Saint-Jean de Luz (12,5%), not far from Biarritz on the south west Basque Coast.

Photo: Aslak Raanes/Flickr

 

The ninth most popular place was Ramatuelle (12%), near Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera.

Ramatuelle. Photo: PasabanaWikiCommons

 

And finally Porto-Vecchio (11%) in southern Corsica was the tenth most desirable place in France to have a holiday home.

(AFP)

Over the past 12 months, the market for second homes has started to bounce back since a dip that started when the financial crisis hit in 2008. 

The survey also revealed some other factors the French are taking into consideration when it comes to their second homes. 

Apparently most French people believe the ideal second residence would be an apartment rather than a house, and with one out of three of them aiming to buy a second home in the next three years for a maximum budget of €250,000, perhaps this makes sense. 

 

And of course, people want their second home to be easily accessible from their first. Of the people surveyed 41 percent of them said their ideal second residence would be less than three hours away from their main home by car.

The survey also showed that 38 percent of people would want to start renting it out quickly to make it profitable. 

 

In 2016, the French there were 3.3 million second homes in France, accounting for 9.4 percent of the country's total housing stock. 

French national statistics office Insee describing a second home as “housing used for weekends, hobbies and holidays”, including furnished homes rented out to tourists. 

Sadly these are the last of the autumnal photos

Chateau d’Aiguines, southern France

(Photo: Sam2907/Flickr)

La Cadièrema, southern France

(Photo: Marcovdz/Flickr)

 

Finally, the Eiffel Tower, Paris

(Photo: AFP)

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