France Property Investment Opportunities. Real Estate France.

£50,000 / $99,000 *

New Developments in France

France has beaches on the English Channel, the North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. It is a country of contrasts, of mountains and meadows, the exquisite valleys of the Loire, the Garonne, the Seine and the Rhône, the Pyrenees and Alps for skiing (with Mont Blanc the highest point in western Europe), ancient castles, churches and bustling markets, and with a population of only around 64 million, plenty of space. Chateaux and farm houses are available at very low rates. It is in a temperate zone, but its climate varies as much as its landscapes – from Mediterranean in the east to more rain, mild winters and cool summers in the west and extremes of heat and cold inland. In the Alps, almost half the year has snow cover for skiing.

Indeed, France is the most popular tourist destination in the world, receiving 78 million foreign visitors in 2006 raising tourism revenue to €35 billion. About 56% of the French population has a foreign background, which adds to the diversity of the society and its culture, as do the regional differences in the famous French cuisine and the huge variety of wines and cheeses that accompany it. The meal is still a family event and as much a part of the culture as Marcel Marceau, Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot, or artists like Renoir, Monet and Rodin, philosophers such as Descartes and Pascal and writers like Rimbaud, Moliere, Anouilh and Becket. In the capital, Paris, the Louvre attracts 7.6 million visitors, the Eiffel Tower 6.4 million, the Pompidou Centre and Versailles 3.3 million.

France also hosts the annual Tour de France and Le Mans. It boasts the most extensive railway network in Europe, with high speed trains and rail connections to other neighbouring countries as well as intra-urban connections, underground services, trams and buses. Motorway tolls take the place of road tax. 478 airports, ten major ports and over 9,000 miles of waterways mean that France’s mainly private enterprise economy (nearly 2.5 million registered companies) is booming. The government majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunications, but has relaxed control since the early 1990s and is selling off holdings in France Télécom, Air France and insurance, banking, and defence.

It has the fastest average internet connection speed and the healthcare system is ranked first worldwide and is almost entirely free for those with chronic diseases. It is a democratic republic with two main parties, the left-wing French Socialist Party and the UMP, with a parliament, an elected President and a government led by an appointed Prime Minister. The regions, departments and communes have local assemblies.

• Official Language: French
• Currency: Euro
• View France on the World Map

New Developments in France

France Property     * currency exchange rates subject to fluctuation.