Céret Property Insight
Céret is a village located 30km (18.6mi) south of Perpignan, a few kilometres from Spain. Its 7,500 inhabitants enjoy the sunny weather during the whole year thanks to the Mediterranean climate. Ceret is fortunately protected from the tramontana (northern winds) and benefits therefore from an outstanding microclimate. Its environment is beautiful and rich.
Indeed, we can find many various landscapes and vegetations in Ceret and its surroundings. The town lies on the river Tech, on the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. Let’s discover this nice village at the heart of the Catalonia region!
Overview
Ceret’s main assets are its good weather, its beautiful nature and its strategic location. Due to the Mediterranean climate, it is made possible to practise all the outdoor sports in this town all year round. As the nature is preserved, it is also pleasant to stroll around the area and admire the wonderful landscapes that the region has on offer. Ceret’s architecture is also interesting as the town was formerly surrounded with fortified walls and gates…
Ceret Immobilier & Property Market Trends
As in many towns of the Languedoc Roussillon region, property prices in Céret are pretty high. These prices have been increasing until 2008, but are now going down because of the financial crisis.
Buying an ancient apartment in the town’s surroundings cost about €2,460 / square metre and you should even spend €4,000 / square metre for a new one. So even if housing prices are decreasing, you still need to allow a big amount of money if you want to invest in a property there.
On the 4,134 properties that can be found in the town, almost 80% are main houses. There are very few studio flats (1.9%) and 2-room apartments (10%) in Ceret. Most properties there are 3-room houses / apartments or more.
To get updated info about the property prices in the Pyrenees Orientales departement, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.
5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Ceret
Since it is not located along the Mediterranean coast, Ceret is not as popular as Collioure or Argeles-sur-Mer. Nevertheless, this town is worth a visit. Below are some reasons why you should go to Ceret to spend your holidays.
Artistic heritage: Ceret has always been home for artists, in particular painters and poets. The town’s Museum of Modern Art is pretty renowned. It features many paintings by - amongst others - Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Herbin and Soutine, but also lots of Fauves’ paintings as well as sculptures and ceramics.
Geographical location: located only 7km (4.3mi) from the Languedocienne or the Catalane motorway (the A9: from Orange to Perthus, at the Spanish frontier), 250km (160ml) from Toulouse, 200km (120mi) from Montpellier and 180km (110mi) from Barcelona - Ceret has a good geographical situation and is easily accessible.
Gastronomy: Ceret’s surroundings are famous for their fruits and vegetables production, especially cherries which grow from April to May. Ceret is the French most important cherry producing town with more than 4,000 tons per year! The town organises a Cherry Festival every year during which many funny competitions are held (fastness of the stoning, stone belching out or clafoutis contests for example!). You will also find delicious olives (plain, marinated and dried ones), local cheese, and tasty red wines. We suggest you to go on Ceret’s market (on Saturdays), you will find on the stalls local products that will make a delicious meal!
Catalan traditions: as a part of the Catalonia region, many traditions are still kept such as an annual bull running festival known as the feria (young bulls are run through the streets…) or communal dances called sardanes (local amateurs or professionals dance in a ring).
Le Pont du Diable: the “Devil Bridge” is a World Heritage monument and was built during the 14th century under the reign of the King of Majorca. This monument is a real masterpiece of the medieval architecture. According to the legend, the devil built this bridge alone in one single night!
Property Styles and Architecture in Ceret
You will find in Ceret many typical properties, made of ancient stones, with visible beams and an authentical charm.
Ancient stone houses: given the abundance of stone in Languedoc Roussillon, many properties are built with this material in every department of this region. These strong character houses are usually made of granite stones (grey or beige) and their roof are made of slates found in the region’s river. The back of the houses usually lie against the mountain in order to be able to access it from outside the houses.
Multiple-storey houses: located on a hillside - with a gently sloping red-tiled roof, walls painted in bright colours and surrounded with many forests - these houses represent the real traditional lifestyle of the Languedoc Roussillon region. But the rustic characteristics of these properties do not prevent them from being modern inside.
Click here for more info about the Languedoc Roussillon Architecture.