Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me which is the most beautiful… city in the world. The teams at the British brokerage site Online Mortgage Advisor relied on science to answer this question, through their ranking of the “25 most beautiful cities in the world”, published in August 2022. To do this, they compared the architectural proportions of the emblematic buildings of several cities around the world and applied the logic of the golden ratio: a mathematical idea supposed to represent the ideal proportion. The first French city rises to 9th position in the overall ranking and, against all expectations, it is not Paris.
Ironically, this city that dethrones the capital has earned the nickname “Little Paris”, a nickname it owes, among other things, to its many Haussmannian facades and the many Parisians who have taken up residence there… “Being a former Parisian myself, I can confirm that this nickname is deserved.says Chloé Viguié, director of a local real estate agency. Just in terms of gastronomy, it is a city where you can find a lot of restaurants. There are even more than in Paris compared to the number of inhabitants (one restaurant for 285 inhabitants, compared to one restaurant for 410 inhabitants in the capital, editor’s note).” Another similarity is the number of historical monuments found there. According to figures from the Ministry of Culture, this city is home to nearly 377 listed buildings, making it the second largest French commune, just behind Paris and its 1,855 buildings. The two cities were also shaped by the same architects, including Gustave Eiffel, creator of a footbridge in this mysterious city.
But our nugget also has its own distinguishing factors. “There is a different way of life here, with people who are more cheerful, less anchored in a metro-work-sleep routinenotes our expert. It’s probably the climate that does that. For example, at 3 p.m., when the weather is nice, people stop working to go out on terraces.” It must be said that, in terms of climate, the prefecture of Gironde stands out for its mildness, influenced by the nearby ocean. “By car, we are located 45 minutes from the Atlantic and 2 hours from the Pyrenees”recalls Chloé Viguié. In terms of transport, the town has a TGV station that allows you to reach Paris in two hours and an international airport.It offers many destinations, mainly European, but there are also some long-haul destinations,” explains our expert.
As you will have understood, we are talking about Bordeaux. With the advent of teleworking, the city has seen a resurgence of interest at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s a city where prices have exploded during Covidremembers Chloé Viguié. With the generalization of teleworking, people have become more mobile and real estate prices in Bordeaux have attracted many workers.” With a median price of 4,832 euros per square meter, according to data from Le Figaro Immobilier, Bordeaux is more than half the price of Paris. With a budget of 550,000 euros, you can buy a house of 100 square meters there. “From this amount, you can move into a nice house located in a family neighborhood, with schools nearby, shops, cute little squares…”says the director of the Laforêt Bordeaux Capucins agency.
