At the time of writing France is under lockdown restrictions but that hasn’t stopped residents making the most of the outdoor space around them.

Likewise such restrictions have not dampened the spirit behind the Côte d’Azur garden festival. For the third year in a row, the Côte d’Azur is celebrating the “Festival des Jardins” from May the 9th, promoting the colour, scent and creativity of the garden with this year’s theme an “Artists’ gardens” sure to delight and surprise. The 13 gardens across six different locations, (Cap d’Antibes, Cannes, Grasse, Menton, Monaco and Nice) will be open to the public subject to the necessary and latest health restrictions.

Numerous reports extol the benefits of gardens for the environment and wildlife and there is an increasingly broad body of research as to the health benefits of gardening both physically and mentally. And we can not forget that alongside sough-dough, banana bread and zoom calls, the once humble houseplant has seen a surge of new fans since working from home became the norm.

Widely viewed as an impact of Covid-19, and backed up by the latest Savills sentiment survey, outside space is as highly prised as ever when looking for a new home; with large outdoor space ranking top three in the sought-after property features for French buyers (Savills Home buying Trends research April 2021).

On the French Riviera you witness rooftops which are a riot of colour, balconies which have become bountiful patches and some of the most exquisite gardens, which range from the contemporary to the wild and the more traditional, formal French garden. Monaco even boasts an extremely successful roof-to-market gardening scheme which puts a new spin on making the most of space in an urban environment.

So until you can travel once more and visit the stunning gardens of the Côte d’Azur in person, we invite you to travel through a selection of beautiful French gardens from the comfort of your own home with the selection of properties below, available via Savills..

Whether you are looking for a modern home with a chic rooftop garden or a country estate with rolling grounds, the dedicated multilingual team from Savills are here to assist. Think property. Think Savills.