Property for sale in Saint-Seurin, Bordeaux: a village in the city

Why I love this neighbourhood

Saint-Seurin has a village feel right in the middle of Bordeaux. I live just next door, at the Barrière du Médoc, and I’m here almost every day. You bump into people on the square, you say hello, and the shopkeepers know you. Place Gambetta is a five-minute walk away. A village in the heart of the city!

The neighbourhood has a history few people suspect. The Basilica of Saint-Seurin is one of the oldest places of worship in Bordeaux, and its crypt holds sarcophagi from the Gallo-Roman era. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela. A little further on, the ruins of the Palais Gallien, the old Roman amphitheatre, still stand among the apartment buildings.

The buyers I work with here are looking for a stone apartment with character, with generous space and high ceilings. They are often families, Bordeaux locals who want to move back to the centre, and people from Paris, Lyon, the United States…

The market here

Most of the market is apartments in 19th-century stone buildings, including some truly beautiful period apartments. Townhouses and échoppes (the traditional single-storey Bordeaux stone houses) do exist, but they are rare, and when one comes up, it doesn’t stay on the market for long.

The average price is around €5,500/m². For a tastefully renovated, bright property with a balcony or terrace, you are well above that. The same goes for a lift, and included parking is a rare find. On the other hand, a ground-floor apartment in need of updating sells for less. What sells quickly are properties that are well presented and priced right.

Living here

In the morning, pick up a brioche at Bombée & Briochée on Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance, then have a coffee across the way at Le P’tit Bar. It’s the neighbourhood café, with its terrace at the foot of the basilica, and at lunchtime you can eat simply and well. The square also hosts a farmers’ market, and in June the whole neighbourhood gets together there for the street dinner and the flea market.

On Sundays, Le Poulailler d’Augustin has become an institution! For wine, I go to Raisins & Copains on Rue de la Croix-de-Seguey, on my way home. For everything else, the shops on Rue Fondaudège cover your daily needs.

The Jardin Public is a few minutes away, and the Parc Bordelais a little further. There are private and state schools nearby.

You can do everything on foot. Tram line D runs along Rue Fondaudège and gets you to Les Quinconces in a few minutes.