If peace and quiet, rolling countryside, and affordable properties are near the top of your list of priorities when it comes to deciding where to buy a home in France, then you should find everything you desire in the Saône-et-Loire.

The most southerly and densely populated of the four departments that make up the Burgundy region in the centre of France, the once often ignored Saône-et-Loire has slowly started to become more popular in recent years as Burgundy has steadily began to establish itself as a popular destination for British second home seekers.

Surrounded by three mountain ranges – the Jura, the Morvan and the Massif Central – the department is known for its diverse landscape. Much of the western half of the department is made up of flat plains, while the east is dominated by imposing mountainous peaks. The Morvan national park, consisting of lakes, woodland and canals, takes up much of the northern reaches, while the Rivers Saône and Loire – after which the department is named – both flow through the department, the Saône from north to south and the Loire in the opposite direction.

Alan Walkey of French property agency Simply Burgundy says that the Saône-et-Loire, although perhaps not the best known department in Burgundy – this would arguably be the region's main wine producing area, Côte'd Or – is certainly the one that attracts a majority of British purchasers. "The reasons that Brits tend to choose this department in preference to the other three departments in Burgundy is simply down to its charm", he says. "It boasts undulating countryside, market towns and villages with interesting architecture, and many rivers and canals with bridges that make it an artists' paradise. It is an area that is alive and served by major towns that are always within easy reach of one another", he adds.

Kris Adam, the membership secretary of Burgundy Friends, an association that helps expats appreciate the region, is in complete agreement with Walkey. "Saône-et-Loire is far more diverse than the other three Burgundy departments", he says. "From the Morvan in the north with its stunning forests and natural beauty to Cluny with all its history to Macon, the department's most southern town, where the architecture changes to that of Southern France, the Saône et Loire has great variety on offer. "Of our membership, over 50 per cent have a property in Saône-et-Loire and, of the new members joining, a majority are purchasing in the department", he adds. Adam also gives another reason as to why more Brits are beginning to discover the delights of the department. "Basically, the major reason we believe that British people choose Saône-et-Loire as a destination to purchase a property in is that the house prices are still, in comparison to other areas of France and certainly the UK, extremely reasonable. "Additionally, the department is not overpopulated [it is home to roughly 575,000 people] which brings with it a relaxed atmosphere in comparison with the UK. However, it does have good shopping in the major centres, with a variety of large supermarket chains, furniture stores and home/garden item stores", he adds.

A majority of British homebuying interest is concentrated in the areas that surround the department's larger towns and cities, including Saône-et-Loire's capital Macon, Autun, Cluny, Charolles and Tournis. So just how much can you expect to part with in order to purchase a home there? "Properties that cost up to £100,000 will probably need updating works and will be on the smaller side", says Walkey. "Typical stone-built property with beams and exposed stone are in great demand with French and Europeans alike, although in this price range newly built or recently built properties can offer good value." Up your budget just a little bit, though, and Walkey says that your property choices will be much improved. "Between £100,000 and £200,000 is a price range that will have a dream home for most Brits, a character property with land and views. This is the most common budget we deal with."

Currently a two-bedroom farmhouse with 85 square metres of living space and a 3,153-square-metre garden located close to Autun would set you back around £85,000, while a three-bedroom character house in the same area, with 240 square metres of living space, and a separate outbuilding with a further bedroom costs in the region of £190,000.

So, what kind of buyers are most attracted to Saône-et-Loire? "We tend to get two types of buyers here", answers Benjamin Haas of Burgundy4u. "One group is the 'get away from it all' people. These buyers will find plenty of houses/farms in the Morvan park and the Charollais areas in the western reaches of the department. The second types of buyers are those that 'want to be a part of French life'. This type of purchaser will find plenty of accommodation in small villages with basic shops, on the fringes of the wine area. Couches, with its magnificent castle, and St Genoux, which has a medieval town centre, are good examples of such areas. "The wine areas, like Givry and Macon, tend to be too expensive for the average British buyer. Here they compete with local workers and the international market wanting to live amongst the vines."

Saône-et-Loire, or indeed Burgundy in general, has yet to be blessed, or burdened depending on your stance, with the introduction of low-cost flights from the UK. But Haas believes that, if anything, this only adds to the department's charm for Brits. "The department is not yet overrun with British buyers and is lucky not too have a Ryanair or Easyjet spoil its true French countryside", he says. "It is French people that mostly live here, with a well balanced mix of foreigners." The lack of a direct low-cost air service does not mean the department is particularly problematic for Brits to get to. "Saône-et-Loire has good TGV connections to Paris and Lyon and the A6 brings good road connection to Paris, Lyon and Geneva", explains Adam. "People fly into any of these three cities and then either drive or take the TGV. "The alternative is Eurostar to Paris and then connection with the TGV, or for those who wish to drive, Calais is around a seven-hour drive away."

If you're still not sure whether the Saône-et-Loire will have that certain je ne sais quois you're searching for, then Walkey advises you to at least check out the region. "When one of our clients recently explained to us the kind of property she was looking for she told us it was a combination of factors that were too difficult to explain, but that when she sees it she'll know right away. She did find that property and today when asked what she liked about it she says she just fell in love with it and the department that it's in – the Saône-et-Loire!"

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For further information:
Simply Burgundy
Burgundy Friends
Burgundy4U

Read other articles about France:
Getting to know Aquitaine
How to obtain French planning permission
French property prices on the increase

Article published in September 2006