Granville Property Insight

Granville is a French town of the Manche department, in the Basse Normandie region of France. It is 288km to the west of Paris, at the edge of the English Channel. Its 13,022 inhabitants are called the Granvillais. Furthermore, it is only 50km from the Mont Saint Michel, a renowned tourist attraction.

Overview

Granville is a touristy location of Basse Normandie. Some sites seduce each year many tourists: the upper town with its ramparts, Grande Porte, Porte Saint Jean and Notre Dame church. The latter is part of the French heritage. Some museums will let you know more about the commune: Vieux Granville museum, modern art museum and Christian Dior museum – Granville being the birthplace of the famous dress designer.

The town boasts a fishing harbour and a marina. Strolling around Granville will allow you to admire all its gems. It is the fifth harbour of France in terms of tonnage. A must-visit is the Chausey isles, but the Anglo-Norman isles are also worth seeing. The town became a famous seaside resort during the 14th century: it holds a golf and racecourse. Nowadays, tourism plays an important role in the local’s economy. An ideal for nature lovers!

Granville Immobilier & Property Market Trends

A property in France is sold €3,197 /sq m in 2009. In the Manche department and in Granville, the property price is €2,030 /sq m on average. Considering the average of this country, buying a property in Granville should be a good investment. Indeed, many other touristy locations are much more expensive, and property prices are often above the France’s average.

Granville offers good rental opportunities, with almost 54% of tenants in the town. Furthermore, 17.5% of the dwellings are second homes (about 10% in France on average), which means that the town is very touristy and attracts many people each year. Thus, it should be profitable to invest there for those who are looking for a buy-to-let. The most sought-after properties are 3,4 and 5-room dwellings.

To get updated info about property prices in Manche, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in Granville

• Historical heritage: Granville’s history is closely linked to the one of Great Britain. During the 14th century, the English conquered Normandy. Sir Thomas Scalles built a fortified surrounding wall and dug a trench in the cliff, making Granville a larger isle than the Mont Saint Michel. The English were chased in 1442.in 1695, the English bombarded the town.

• Activities: the town is a great location for sport lovers who can practise football, rugby, athletics judo, horse riding, parachuting, cycling and so on. Furthermore, many water sports may be practised such as swimming, sailing, catamaran… thanks to the closeness with the Channel.

• Location – transport links: Granville railway station allows an easy access to Paris, a hub in terms of transport links. It also possesses several bus routes which will let you travel in the area. Caen airport is the closest and flies to Manchester, Paris, Lyon and many other European destinations. Granville harbour also travels the Chausey and Anglo-Norman isles.

Property Styles and Architecture in Granville

• Apartments: 54.1% of the dwellings in Granville are apartments. They are located in the town centre all will let you access easily to all amenities i.e. shops, schools, bus stops… Apartments are the perfect kind of investment for those who are looking for a buy-to-let or a holiday home.

• Stone houses: a large number of houses in Granville are constructed with stones, which make these properties very charming dwellings. Sometimes, you can find bricks all over the openings, and shed dormers on the roof. They may be detached houses or town houses.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Basse Normandie.