Béziers is a great place to be looking for property for sale. Béziers sits perched above the river Orb about 10km from the sea and has been settled since the Neolithic era. It was an important centre in Roman times along the roman Via Domitia, traces of which can be seen in many places close to the coast. Perhaps the most well known and gruesome historical event was the bloody massacre of the Cathars who were sheltering there on July 22nd 1209 when the cathedral of St Nazaire and the church of the Madeleine were burnt to the ground and all those inside slaughtered. Happier times came to Béziers towards the end of the 19th century when the local Languedoc wine trade produced great riches for the town which resulted in the fine buildings in the historical centre and the many châteaux which dominate the landscape around the town.
The opening of the airport to international traffic with low cost flights from London, Bristol, Dusseldorf, Odense and others to follow, and the investment that is taking place in the new Béziers West development, with commercial properties, living accommodation and a new multiplex cinema all point to a renaissance for Béziers, not forgetting the traditional features that have always been a part of Béziers life, the covered market, the flower market along the Allées Paul Ricquet on Fridays, and of course the great bullfighting feria in August. Béziers is a vibrant city full of cafés and restaurants for which life in France is so renowned. This all combines to make Béziers' property market one of the hottest in Languedoc and the south of France.
The wine trade is still a very important element in the local Béziers economy. With the opening of Languedoc-Roussillon shops in New York, London and Shanghai, important new markets for the local high quality wines have been accessed and in the first quarter of 2009 the sales to China of regional wines tripled compared with the same period the previous year. Under the marketing umbrella ”Sud de France” 90,000 bottles have been bought each month because of their excellent quality and value. There has also been a significant increase in sales to the United States. Although sales of wine have fallen in France in recent years export markets are being developed with energy and enthusiasm, and ex-pats do their utmost to support the local vignerons!
With regard to property for sale in the Béziers region, there is plenty of choice both within the town itself and in the surrounding villages. Two bedroom apartments in the old town can be bought for €80,000+; town houses are available for €240,000+; and new villas with a pool on the outskirts sell for €220,000 upwards. There are many old established Languedoc villages within 20 minutes of Béziers, some of them being “circulades” built on hilltops for protection and surrounded by magnificent stone walls. Village houses within these sell for €80,000 upwards in the current property market and many of the villages have modern villas within walking distance of the village centre which are on the market for €200,000+.
Most villages have a baker, a general store, and café, and there are supermarkets outside some of them so it is not necessary to go into Béziers to buy food. In most villages there are active social clubs and associations and almost all have one or more “fêtes” during the summer to celebrate some local event or produce, or just to celebrate!
Life in this area of France is relaxed and very agreeable and even if you only have the time to spend week-ends and holidays here, cheap flights from many UK airports make this an enviable and relatively inexpensive way of enjoying life in the South of France. All this combines to make property for sale in Béziers one of the best buys in Languedoc and the south of France.
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