Your property in Bouches-du-Rhône
Provençal charm is part of every property in Bouches-du-Rhône, whether it’s a rural bastide, a contemporary villa or a spacious house set amid landscaped gardens.
The area offers some fantastic renovation opportunities as well as large properties that could be turned into a business opportunity, such as a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel.
Inside Bouches-du-Rhône
From mountains to sea and everything in between, the Bouches-du-Rhône département is an exceptionally popular area.
Those who prefer urban living will be captivated by Aix-en-Provence, the buzzing university city that is the birthplace of famed painter Paul Cézanne, while picturesque medieval villages such as Saint-Rémy-de-Provence offer sedate living in stunning surroundings.
The area’s captivating coastline encompasses popular beaches and busy ports but has vast expanses of undisturbed beauty, such as Beauduc nature reserve.
Landscape
The diverse département sees its topography become steeper the further inland from its Mediterranean coast you travel.
Its low-lying coastal areas give way to modestly elevated towns and cities, such as Aix-en-Provence, which is overlooked by the limestone mountain Sainte-Victoire, and Salon-de-Provence.
Further inland, rural communities nestled on hilltops, like Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Eygalières and Fontvieille surround the wide open Alpilles regional park.
Education
The département benefits from a host of popular international schools, with Aix-en-Provence a popular option.
The main further education institution is Aix-Marseille University, which ranks in the top 10 universities in the country. It traces its roots back to 1409 and offers roughly 600 courses across a multitude of disciplines.
Activities and Entertainment
The area is packed with exceptional historical monuments, ranging from Europe’s oldest archaeological site, the Comptoir de Glanum, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the stunning 15th Century château in Tarascon, and the Monastère St-Paul de Mausole, a monastery that became an asylum and housed famed painter Vincent Van Gogh.
Whether it’s a large town or small village, there are always exceptional boutiques, including those dedicated to fashion, art and interior design, while the area’s café, bistro and restaurant culture is extremely vibrant.
And few départements have such a wealth of natural beauty to explore, with its beaches acting as hubs for all forms of water sports and its natural parks perfect for walking, cycling, horse riding and rafting.
Art and Culture
Bouches-du-Rhône has a lively arts scene, with some outstanding galleries and captivating museums located across its larger conurbations as well as its smaller towns and villages.
Markets are a mainstay in the département, ranging from those that showcase the area’s bountiful produce to those that offer arts, crafts and trinkets.
And Bouches-du-Rhône has a bursting events calendar, with festivals celebrating music, dance, theatre and art, while communities such as Saint-Rémy-de-Provence hold annual festivals complete with processions, food and fireworks.
Food and Drink
The varied landscape of Bouches-du-Rhône is visible in its gastronomy, with delightful seafood, bountiful produce, and locally-reared meat.
Dishes particular to the region include soupe de poisson à la rouille, a fish soup similar to bouillabaisse, which is also popular in the region, and gardiane de boeuf, a traditional dish that comes from Camargue. Meanwhile, cheese, olive oil and cured meats are widely produced in the area and used in the region’s exceptional restaurants, such as the three-Michelin-starred L’Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence.
Wines from the area are also particularly sought-after, with various AOCs, which govern the quality of a wine produced in an area, in Les Baux-de-Provence, Cassis and Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence.
Accessibility
Accessing the region is most easily done in Marseille, with its Marseille Provence Airport serving domestic and international destinations, while the smaller Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome, known as Aix les Milles Airport, is also a convenient option.
The country’s high-speed TGV railway network serves Marseille and Aix-en-Provence too.
The département is well-connected by road too, with several major autoroutes traversing the area.