Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, a quality life-style

Sylvie Mouton - 21 March 2016

In a remarkable heritage site at the heart of the Drôme Provençale, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux offers its residents the quietness of village life, the practicality of its public amenities, the vitality of its clubs and associations, and easy access to the region’s economic hubs.

With its medieval town centre, ramparts and 12th-C. cathedral, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux naturally attracts tourists who come to enjoy the Mediterranean climate and the region’s gastronomic specialities. The Christine Miranda Immobilier agency welcomes buyers from Belgium, Switzerland, Paris and Lyon, looking here for holiday homes in order to “benefit from the sun, lovely old stone and lavender, while being in the village, a stone’s throw from all amenities”. Though for Christine Miranda, who opened her agency in 1991, “Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux is also a large and very lively address”. The colourful marketplace, local shops, schools, many sports and cultural activities also appeal to employees working for firms in Pierrelatte and Grignan. The agency is currently proposing a magnificent restored “mas” of 464 m2 set in 9,000 m2 of wooded, landscaped and partly enclosed grounds with a swimming pool. This perfectly maintained property offering high-end appointments is on offer at 990,000 €. Also up for sale, a charming house of 130 m2 within easy walking distance of the village, benefiting from a terrace of 300 m2 and an enclosed leafy garden, priced at 300,000 €. Backed by her extensive knowledge of the area, Christine Miranda is optimistic about the year to come.

Jean-Fabrice Bonnardel, director of the four Province Immobilier agencies in Drôme Provençale , deals with a wide range of clients. “Large companies based in Le Tricastin have long drawn senior employees and their families, who appreciate the quality living conditions offered by Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (jazz festival, gymnasium, auditorium etc.).” He also stresses the village’s convenient location : “An hour-and-a-half from Lyon or Montpellier, three hours from Paris or Geneva, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux offers the residents of these large cities the possibility of a holiday home in a pretty setting, quiet and well-preserved”. According to Jean-Fabrice Bonnardel, there are opportunities for all kinds of budgets. “Some of our clients are looking for villas priced between 200,000 and 300,000 €, others a village house or stone property, from 450,000 to 600,000 €. The most well-off set their sights on substantial properties with large grounds and pools, worth 600,000 to 1,200,000 €.” He is currently handling the sale, as sole agent, of an old mill of 600 m2 in quiet wooded grounds with a stream. Rare in the southern part of the Drôme Provençale, this lovely building is up for sale at 582,000 €. Possibly even more appealing, five minutes from Grignan, a magnificent stone “mas” of 400 m2 has been treated to tasteful restoration. In a landscaped park of 7,600 m2 with a pool, vineyard and olive-grove, this family residence could be yours for 995,000 €.