Alsace is one of France's most storied regions, triangulated between Germany, Switzerland and
Franche-Comté in the exact geographic center of Europe. Surprisingly, the average property prices have remained close to the overall French average, belying the much higher values that should accompany such a spectacular natural area. With the newly implemented real estate incentives, property values should increase in
Alsace at an even greater rate than the rest of the country, thus setting the region up as a great place for foreign investment as
Alsace has not yet positioned itself in the bullseye of international property investors.
This region is definitely one to strongly consider for a French property purchase, as with its TGV links to
Paris in just two hours,
Strasbourg is readily accessible from anywhere in the continent. Transport connections are available not only by train, but also from the region's two international airports:
Strasbourg in Entzheim, and the EuroAirport Basel-
Mulhouse-Freiburg, which is France's seventh busiest. One of Europe's largest airports, Frankfurt Main is only two hours away.
The region is split up into the Upper Rhine and the Lower Rhine, each with its own very distinct property profile. Although land values in both regions are virtually identical, general property prices are considerably higher in the Lower Rhine for both apartments and houses by approximately 20%. The housing stock is almost 50% greater in the Lower Rhine than in the Upper Rhine, which is more rural and benefits from greater open spaces than the more urbanized Lower Rhine.
Alsace is both the smallest and the third most densely populated region in continental France, forming part of the Rhine river plain, and is heavily forested although it tends to be drier than most of France as it lies in the rain shadow of the Vosges Mountains. The sunny microclimate found along the Alsatian Wine Route is ideal for the typical Alsatian wine which is reminiscent of the fine dry white wines typical of nearby Germany. Alsatian wineries are also unique in France as they are the only ones to produce primarily varietal wines, mostly from German grapes such as gewurztraminer.
Alsace is the primary beer production center of the country due to the significant concentration of breweries in the
Strasbourg area, including Heineken, Kronenbourg, Fischer, Kasteel Cru, Météor and Kanterbrau.
Alsace is a generally a politically conservative region with a widely varied economic activity which over and above viticulture, hop harvesting and beer brewing, includes mining and forestry development. The
Alsace Biovalley is one of Europe's leading concentrations of life science research, and the Peugeot factory in
Mulhouse is the largest employer in the region.
Tourism is an important part of the region's economy and visitors from around the world flock to the area to enjoy the typical Alsatian cuisine and its gastronomic icon, Sauerkraut or Choucroute, served alongside
Strasbourg or Montbeliard sausages and Alsatian dumplings. Some of the main attractions of this region include the 12th century Chateau du Haut Koenigsbourg castle, the automotive museum in
Mulhouse, the North Vosges natural park, and the humanist library in Selestat which is one of the most ancient public libraries to be found anywhere on Earth.
Alsace is also a holiday wonderland and tourists flock from around the globe to the Christmas Markets in
Strasbourg,
Mulhouse, Kaysersberg and
Colmar.
