Mas Camps: an ideal house hunting base near Perpignan

Just about everyone loves France in the Summer, but if you're thinking of buying a house in France, you need to know what it's like here when the tourists go home. Is that cute village you saw in August still cute in October? All the shops seemed so busy in July, but are they even open in November? Those are among the reasons why you need to see here when it isn't the height of summer and why we think that the ideal time to visit is now.

OK, so it's a good time to visit France if you're hoping to buy a house here, but why buy in the Pyrenees Oriental? Well, if you've looked at the Côte d'Azur, you'll know that the price of property there is totally crazy but if you like the Mediterranean climate there, it's just the same here and the prices are much lower. Not only that but the ski resorts of the Pyrenees are quite close so in Winter we can often wear a t-shirt in the morning and snowboarding in the afternoon. Don't wait too long though as prices in the area rose 28% in 2004.

All the transport links in the world don't mean that a place will be worth going to but here we have just about everything. It's only 40 minutes or so to the Mediterranean beaches which in addition to offering you the usual range watersports in the Summer also include delightful resorts such as Collioure (right) which retains the charm it had in the days when Matisse was there. Just 90 minutes in the other direction and you will reach ski resorts. All around us are the remains of the Cathar legacy with their impressive castles.

What about the buying process and even living here? It's not so bad really and in many ways much simpler than in the UK. There's no gazumping for a start so once you find your ideal place, you can be sure of getting it (finance permitting, of course). Our Moving Abroad and Living in France pages cover the basics of what you need to know to actually live here. Once you've booked with us, we can point you in the direction of a number of english and english-speaking local estate agents to help you make the most of your time with us and when you get here, we're more than willing to talk through the issues with you.

Once you have bought your own place, it's often easier to drive down from England and the newly completed Millau bridge offers you the tollfree  A75 (apart from the bridge itself) from just south of Paris down to Beziers from where it's an easy one hour drive to the Perpignan area.

Taking in the local area, under an hour can take you to the Mediterranean beaches, numerous castles, canal trips, medieval villages such as Villefranche-de-Conflent and Castelnou, mountain railways (the Train Jaune), Roman roads in Narbonne, festivals such as Visa pour L'Image (the international photojournalism festival), kayaking, rafting and Spain. If you're on a motorbike, you can take advantage of our secure parking and enjoy all the twists and turns of the Pyrenees each day.

Within day-trip distance are sections of the Da Vinci Trail (Montsegur, Rennes le Chateau, etc.), Barcelona, the Salvador Dali haunts of Cadaques and Figures, the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, Andorra, ski resorts and numerous other attractions.

Or, in short, there is something to interest everyone.

Finally, for those of you just passing through on your way to or from Spain or Portugal we offer a peaceful break along the way in the heart of the Catalan countryside with its mix of French and Spanish cultures just 15 minutes from the A9 motorway exit at Perpignan. If you're flying in or out of Perpignan airport (PGF), we are a convenient place to start or end your holiday with free parking and an airport shuttle (plus the cheapest car hire in Perpignan via the link on our transport page).