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Best places to buy a second home in the French Alps
These two Alpine resorts are offering excellent property investment opportunities
With 55 million visitors a year, the French Alps are one of France’s most widely-visited locations. As the ski season starts across the Alps, Chamonix and Megève are two resorts that Home Hunts are highly recommending to international buyers.
“There have been huge investments made in Chamonix and Megève, both of which are easy to reach from Geneva airport,” says Tim Swannie, Director of Home Hunts. “The property markets here are stable, offer year-round rental income and provide that dream Alpine lifestyle in every season.”
Find a “coup de Coeur” in Chamonix
Ski and snowboard fans can now hit the slopes in Chamonix, which opened on 8 December. Positioned below Western Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, Chamonix is in the Haute-Savoie department and was the first town to host the Winter Olympics in 1924.
Chamonix Valley caters for all abilities and ages and the Ski Mont-Blanc Unlimited lift pass includes the resorts of Megève, Saint-Gervais, Les Contamines, Courmayeur in Italy, as well as a 50% reduction to Verbier Les 4 Vallées in Switzerland.
New developments for this winter in Chamonix include a €10 million investment in the Grands Montets ski area, which replaces two old chairlifts and a dedicated area for beginners.
Chamonix offers so much to do away from the slopes and has many new attractions for the winter season. A new spa has opened, QC Terme, which offers massages, steam rooms and an outdoor infinity pool, and the Grand Palace of Savoy is now the Folie Douce hotel, which offers live entertainment, three restaurants and direct access to the slopes.
“Chamonix is in a beautiful location with terrain that appeals to everyone,” says Tim. “The traffic-free centre, with its lovely galleries, boutiques and excellent après-ski scene, are ingredients for an extremely pleasurable lifestyle both on and off the slopes.”
Those who wish to come but aren’t so keen on whizzing down the slopes, could try ice climbing, paragliding, showshoeing, take in a few galleries or enjoy some wine tasting at Albert 1er Hotel, one of the most highly-rated hotels in Chamonix.
“Chamonix offers an active lifestyle and the chance to be part of an entrepreneurial, international and cosmopolitan community, which is highly attractive to our overseas clients,” says Tim. “Another reason people come specifically to this resort is because you can experience the heights of the mountains through the lifts and cable cars even if you’re not an experienced climber.”
The 20-minute cable car ride up towards the summit of the Aiguille du Midi – which serves up spectacular 360° panoramas of the Mont-Blanc massif – welcomes around half a million visitors each year. View highlights include Mont Blanc’s peaks at 4,810 metres and Grand Combin, a 4,314-metre mountain in the western Pennine Alps of Switzerland.
Buy a chic chalet in magical Megève
Megève, a resort conceived by the Rothschilds in the 1920s to rival those in Switzerland, is just an hour from Geneva airport. Parts of the town date back to the 13th century when it was a peaceful farming market town. Today it is one of the chicest resorts in the Alps, with a charming historic centre and quaint cobblestone streets.
The first skiing competition was held here in 1914 and the variety of the terrain – from the wide-open spaces to forested slopes – keeps visitors coming back for more year after year.
Development in the town means that property here is more sought after than ever, with the one-year-old Four Seasons hotel – owned by the Rothschilds – attracting international crowds, particularly those from Russia, China and the Middle East.
Over €200 million has been invested in new ski cannons, lifts and a sports centre, making the resort even more attractive. More development, in hotels and ski facilities is planned for the near future.
Megève has three main ski zones: Rochebrune, Mont d’Arbois and Le Jaillet which provide 325km of pistes.
“A few changes have brought more skiers and buyers into Megève,” says Tim. “Investments in the resort’s lift system has made a big difference and it is a year-round favourite, so those looking for properties with a rental income will find some interesting opportunities here.”
Discover luxury properties for sale in Chamonix and Megève here at www.home-hunts.com, but to speak to a Home Hunts’ consultant about your criteria, off-market properties and investment requirements, call +33 (0)970 44 66 43. Home Hunts are here to help you to find your dream home. If you would like to speak to one of the team to discuss your needs or just to have a chat about the market, you can call us on +33 970 44 66 43 or send us a mail to info@home-hunts.com. If you just want to browse through thousands of beautiful French homes, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
