Real estate trends

There is a large disparity in the local real estate market. According to the scale prepared by La Vie immobilière, apartments can be had for around 3,000 € per m² in La Rochelle, 2,800 € in Royan, and just 1,650 € in Rochefort.

For the department overall, the average sales price of a house is about 180,000 € (135,000 € in Saintes, 220,000 € in Royan or La Rochelle). Chateaux and historical residences start at a million euros.

On the highly prized island of Ré, you'll have to pay at least 400,000 € if you're looking for a modest village house. Fine homes go for between one and two million euros.

Traditional housing

Charente-Maritime has a wide variety of architectures. Low houses with brightly colored shutters have earned the island of Ré its reputation. In Oléron, the village houses with their whitewashed walls cluster around "quereux," small courtyards with wells. Two-storey houses are flanked by an exterior staircase. Ovens adorn the facades… reminders of a life lived largely outdoors as a community.

Location

Crossed by the A10 highway, Charente-Maritime has daily air service from Lyon and London. La Rochelle is 3 hours from Paris by TGV.

Scenery and activities

Facing the Atlantic, prolonged by well-known islands (Re and its good life, or Oléron, the hub of oyster farming), Charente-Maritime is a constant celebration of the union of land and sea. More than 60 beaches line its shores. From La Rochelle to Rochefort, shipbuilding has provided a livelihood to part of its population. To the south, the Gironde estuary forms a natural boundary with its neighbor, Aquitaine. To the north, the Sèvre Niortaise flows into the Poitou marshes, that typical "green Venice." In the heart of the department, the nonchalant Charente widens into "flooded fields," a bird paradise.

Military architecture is omnipresent, a reminder that Charente-Maritime, a center of Protestantism, was long coveted. From the fortresses of La Rochelle to the famous Fort Boyard, the coast bristles with defensive structures.

Weather

Charente-Maritime is bathed by a maritime type climate: mild but rainy autumns and winters, moderately hot summers. Sea breezes cool the coasts, which have the most sunny days on the Atlantic coast.

In town

• La Rochelle: enjoying an exceptional location as the gateway to the island of Ré, the prefecture of Charente-Maritime is a dynamic city blessed with 75,000 inhabitants. Fortresses, arcaded streets and striking buildings adjoin 350 hectares of parks and gardens.
• Royan: appreciated back in the 19th Nineteenth Century for its gentle climate, the city is home to remarkable examples of Belle-Epoque seaside resort architecture. It remains a famous holiday spot, between the ocean and the Gironde estuary.