Cannes – it is somewhere in France, also Cannes is Film Festival. Palm trees grow in the city, that is why it is hot. It means that Cannes is located not just in France, but in the south of the country. The cognition of some people about Cannes is often limited by this information (or about Canna, what is still right?) But this group of people is getting smaller, and we are definitely not related to it at all. And today we will learn more about Cannes.
The portal ee24.com continues to publish a series of articles about the real estate on the Cote d'Azur resorts. We have already visited the Italian Liguria, told about the luxury houses of Nice, and visited the "smart city" Sophia-Antipolis, and now we continue our journey along the coast. Cannes is our next stop.
Thus, Cannes is located in the south-east of France, on the famous and prestigious Cote d'Azur. If you go one way – you will get to Saint-Tropez, then you will be in Toulon, and even in Marseille. And if you go in the other direction – you will immediately find yourself in Sophia-Antipolis, and in a couple of kilometers you will be in Nice. At the same time Cannes is not stepson of Nice, and it certainly is not the poor cousin. Cannes is rather a wealthy neighbor. Shopping in Cannes is considered to be the best on the Cote d'Azur, from Saint-Tropez to Monaco. And because of the influx of wealthy foreigners and the great popularity of this city, the prices on the most modest apartments in Cannes have already exceeded €225,000. But we will tell more about that later.
And now we are aiming to figure out where it is better – in Cannes or in Nice. Elena Andrieu, the expert of the portal ee24.com, the manager of the agency Monaco Properties, says that Nice is the administrative and cultural center, a university town, whereas Cannes is primarily a resort town, a place to stay, and a platform for carrying major activities as well.
"In terms of the availability of all necessary solely for recreation, both cities have equivalent potential, says Elena. – It happens that people commute to work from one city to another. Excellent transport links is established between cities: there are trains and buses. Cities are conveniently connected by means of motorway A8. But nevertheless people are compelled to spend much time on the road, especially during peak hours. Therefore, eventually, for the convenience the locals move closer to the city, where they work."
Cannes is the third largest city in the Alpes-Maritimes. According to official figures, there are around 70-75 thousand people in the city, but it is worth to mention that, to put it mildly, this data is not actually true. First of all, the French do not usually include the suburbs and towns in the boundaries of their cities, and secondly, from time to time the city's population tends to double and sometimes even to triple. The reason why it happens is because Cannes constantly carries out the most "cool" and large-scale conferences and exhibitions in the fields of real estate and telecommunications. In May, the city becomes a veritable star. At this time, residents of Cannes have all chances to face with celebrities on the streets, because the annual Cannes Film Festival is in full play. At that time, in May, the rich French and foreigners began to arrive to their summer houses.
By the way, there is one detail that is important to mention. In 2013, the Côte d'Azur took first place in the ranking of the most elite resort regions of the world, outperforming Italian Sardinia, American Aspen, Monaco, Barbados, Seychelles and other popular destinations for expensive vacation. Prime Enclave Index is calculated based on the cost of luxury real estate and the amount of its purchases, that is actually manifested interest.
"There are well maintained sandy beaches In Cannes (for comparison, beaches in Nice are pebble), superb dining in magnificent restaurants, equipped playgrounds, terraces for relaxation, a major port with yachts and pleasure boats. There is even an airport for small aircraft charter near Cannes", says Elena Andrieu.
Also there are many Russians in Cannes, including those who live permanently. There is a Russian shop with a very diverse range of products and Russian-language school as well in Cannes. Almost all luxury boutiques have Russian speaking staff, and restaurant menus and informative booklets of the beaches are translated into Russian language. Orthodox Church also works in Cannes, which has recently been conducting baptisms and wedding ceremonies very often.
Although the average cost per square meter of apartments in Cannes is "only" around €4,560, everything is not very simple. Let's go to the heavenly spot to the east of the city center, in a hilly area called La Californie. Narrow streets tend to meander like a serpentine here. Right at the bend, in the turn, the road, on which two cars can barely pass each other, goes down smoothly. What is further over there? A little bit further there are low stone fences or hedgerows which almost closely adjoin to the roadway. Behind them there are palm trees and cypresses; one can see the towering villas or bright home with elite apartments. Yes, isn’t it true California?
In the Table of Ranks La Californie is the second largest elite area of Cannes. La Croisette Beach is first, which is also called the boulevard or the promenade. By the way, in French, the promenade is a place for contemplative walks.
Elena Andrieu told us that if customers are aimed to buy an apartment or a villa in Cannes, but not in the city center, it is requested (and proposed) in the first place, exactly the area of La Californie. There are many transactions of buying and selling the real estate in this area, and they often occur.
There is everything In the French California: luxurious villas and sumptuous apartments, which are surrounded by parks with palm trees (people even cannot imagine a resort without palm trees, can they?), equipped swimming pools and tennis courts. There even runs a special shuttle for residents, to be exact; it is an express bus that goes from La Californie to the center of Cannes. Although if you want to walk to the city or to the beach, it will take you only 10-15 minutes to get there. Beautiful view is revealed right from the windows of the residents to the Mediterranean coast, the Lérins Islands, and in clear weather even the peninsula of Saint-Tropez can be seen, which is 40 km away.
Real Estate in La Californie is purchased primarily by wealthy foreigners, and the statistics for the last year eloquently testifies this fact. There were 70% of transactions made by foreign customers, while the share of the French customers was only 30%. Moreover , 80% of the customers planned to use the new property as a second home during summertime, and only 20% of that group wanted to use it as a primary residence.
However, many people are willing to pay a lot of money just to get a nice house or an apartment in Cannes. These buyers want to relax in excellent conditions today, without burdening themselves with concerns about the repair.
How expensive is such a pleasure – to live among the rich and famous, in a quiet respectable suburb, where rarely outsiders come, but which at the same time is close to the city center? California in Cannes is a district with apartments, and to a much lesser extent - with villas. Upper California is located on a hilltop where all neighborhoods are clearly visible. Lower California cannot always boast such views, but it is much closer to the beach. And the apartments and villas here are a symbol of luxury and success. Prices are appropriate.
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As we have already mentioned, in Cannes apartment cost an average of €4,560 per square meter. But this is only statistics. "The concepts of average cost per square meter in Cannes practically does not exist, - says Elena Andrieu. - Considering that the town itself is quite small, and the selection of real estate is not so great, the price of each object is determined by several parameters: uniqueness, location, views, condition, presence and size of the plot. In Cannes it is difficult to find a decent object cheaper €10,000 per sq.m."
In the district of La Californie, which is the second most expensive after the Croisette, you will have to pay from €8,000 to €14,000 for a square meter, depending on the location, condition of the building and the view from the windows. To buy an apartment you need at least €225,000. For this amount of money you will get a small one-room apartment of 30-35 square meters, and it is very likely that with a good panoramic view of the bay. Two-bedroom apartments already cost from €400,000, three-bedroom apartments cost from €500,000.
Spacious apartment of 120 square meters, located in La Californie, in a guarded residence with a swimming pool, a tennis court and a small park, cost €950,000. The apartment comprises of living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, terraces and balconies as well, where magnificent views to the park open, behind which warm sea shines placidly. Warm sea is cerulean, as it is expected, because the coast is azure. Three bedroom apartment with an area of 135 sq.m costs €45,000 more. The view from the windows is the same, but there are two swimming pools on the territory.
Luxurious penthouses located on the top of the hill are sold for more than €4 million. A huge area, postcard views of the sea, first-class repair, terraces, the pool and sauna, jacuzzi... The town is only a 10 minute walk, who wants to leave this house, which has actually everything?
Villas in Cannes, in La Californie, cost from €2 million, although most of the suggestions are in the range of €3 million to €5 million. Small villa built in 1960 with an area of 160 sq.m, overlooking the sea, with a swimming pool and a garage, can be bought for €2.19 million. Spacious (360 sq. m) and bright villa in Cannes is sold for €3.48 million. A luxury mansion with an area of 495 sq.m, with panoramic terraces, a swimming pool and a private garden, is worth €9.6 million. The territory is equipped with "smart home" system, air conditioning, alarm system, video surveillance; automatic watering system for gardens and other technical devices capable to protect vacationist hosts from everyday hassle.
In these places of France you can find the most exclusive properties. For example, the villa of Estee Lauder, the founder of the eponymous company for the production of cosmetics and perfumes, is for sale in La Californie for €9.85 million.
It is good to live in Cannes, and to live in the local California is even better. It offers a magnificent view of the town, the beach is within walking distance, and at the same time a pleasant feeling that you are in the suburbs does not leave you, where the landscape, nature and architecture, interacting with each other, veritably create a captivating fairy tale.
Text: Alexander Fetyukov, ee24.com