Var, a Place to Call Home
Originally posted on & updated on 13th November, 2024
Embracing its status as the most popular tourist destination in the world, France is filled with historic towns and cities bursting with visitors who have come to discover the local flavours, but it’s when these visitors become locals that you discover the best places to live in France. Provence and its eternal reputation for living “the good life” isn’t just for the celebrities, you might have something in common with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt or David and Victoria Beckham as your search for a place to call home enters the Var. Offering peaceful surroundings, privacy and the most beautiful properties in Provence, it’s no wonder that life in the Var is so sought after, to the point the Telegraph listed in its short-haul “bucket list of 30 places in Europe you must see before you die”.
Draguignan is a large market town in Provence that sits inland, contently surrounded by the beauty of the Verdon Gorges and the famous scent of the lavender fields of Valensole. The local villages of Cotignac, Seillans and Fayence are filled with a unique blend of French and international locals who live here all year round. Residents enjoy weekly markets and excellent restaurants whilst being just a short drive from the neighbouring thriving cities.
A Typical Day in Var
We can’t talk about Draguignan without mentioning its everyday charms such as the rolling hills, ever green forests, olive groves and vineyards. Living in such a close proximity to the Bay of Saint Tropez and the Grand Canyon of Europe, otherwise known as Les Gorges De Verdon, allows you to venture into the larger cities to experience their delights but a typical day here is far more relaxed.
Choose to enjoy a breakfast at home or grab a bite to eat from your local boulangerie or delicatessen on your way to the shops at the centre of town. As you wander into the old town head towards the Place du Marché where on a Wednesday and Saturday you will be treated to sample the local offerings of delicious olive breads and famous cheeses. The weekly market will become a ritual as you’ll need to replenish the aroma of fresh bread and local delicacies that fill your home throughout the week. Walks amongst the boulevards never become tiresome as you spend your afternoons leisurely wandering through the labyrinth of narrow streets, squares and fountains.
Those of you who enjoy a round of golf can benefit from the plethora of excellent courses throughout this area, a round on 18 holes may quickly turn to 36 as you extend your afternoon in the sun. Draguignan benefits from a warm climate with average temperatures of 14°C reaching highs of 21°C during the summer months, enjoy evenings drinking wine on your terrace as you’ll often find the Indian summers last well into November. If you’re looking to venture outside of your home town for the day or even just the afternoon you will be pleasantly surprised just how close and accessible the larger cities are from your doorstep.
A Typical Varoise Home
To match your new Provencal lifestyle you will need an equally charming home that awakens your senses. The backdrop to your new French house will be blue skies with hints of purple lavender and shades of green from the swaying olive trees. A typical property can vary from modern villas to old stone houses as well as a few unique village countryside homes. You will notice that most new residents to this area are looking for properties in a certain condition, that’s to say they are looking for a home rather than just a house.
House prices have come down by 15-20% during the past few years and renovations have been replaced by large villas all close to the amenities essential to complete your life in Provence. New properties to our portfolio include 3 and 4 bedroom modern villas in the quaint town of Lorgues where the buildings flaunt the pastoral colours known to Provence all bathed in France’s glorious sunlight. Although the villages and towns within Draguignan are all different with their own personal charms, you can find a similar style of properties throughout each medieval village and market town. Flayosc, Seillans, Carces and Villecroze are all home to properties whose images dazzle your eyes before you’ve even looked inside. Imagine the brightest of blue skies, glistening aqua swimming pools and honeydew green landscapes.
When you are searching for your new home in France you may feel that stories, articles and conversations turn to the local sights and places you “must” visit but a home is so much more than that. Once you’ve taken in the history and visited the local church what remains must be a place to live in, to enjoy and to give your heart to. Find a place that you can call home in the beautiful area of the Var.
If you can tear yourself away from the abundance of attractions that surround your new home your adventures can continue into the rest of the Var. For traveling a little further afield the airports in Nice and Toulon are just an hour away, making it easy for your visitors to spend long weekends enjoying a glimpse of Provencal lifestyle.
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