The average price per m² in Bellevaux is 3 036 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 23 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Bellevaux, a village in the Brevon valley set against the Chablais massif, in Haute-Savoie.
The average price recorded in Bellevaux stands at 3 036 €/m². This average covers a mountain housing stock dominated by detached houses and chalets, spread between the chief town, the high-altitude hamlets and the surroundings of the Hirmentaz and La Chèvrerie resorts. Apartments, often tied to tourist activity, are concentrated in a few complexes close to the lifts. The gaps around this average come mainly from the type of property, its floor area, altitude, view and proximity to the slopes or to Lake Vallon. The high share of second homes, typical of winter-sports municipalities, also weighs on price levels. These figures come from the DVF database (the French record of notarised property sales), which lists the sales actually signed before notaries, and give a municipal benchmark to be refined property by property.
Prices from the DVF file (Demandes de valeurs foncières, published by the DGFiP), transactions actually recorded at the notary at municipality level. Cross-referenced with the Notaires de France - INSEE indices. Learn more about our methodology.
The Bellevaux market rests on its dual status as a mountain village lived in year-round and a tourist municipality of the Haut-Chablais. Demand comes both from local families and workers looking for a house within reasonable distance of Thonon-les-Bains and Lake Geneva, and from second-home buyers drawn by the Hirmentaz and La Chèvrerie resorts, Lake Vallon and the Alpine setting. The unspoilt character of the Brevon valley, away from the main routes, reinforces this appeal. Demand therefore focuses above all on houses and chalets, which make up the bulk of the available stock.
Supply remains constrained by the mountain geography, which limits building land, and by the scattering of buildings between the chief town and the high-altitude hamlets. On the resale market, the energy performance of chalets and houses has become a negotiation criterion, especially for older properties exposed to the mid-mountain climate. Buyers weigh up altitude, view, proximity to the slopes and the intended use, main residence or holiday pied-à-terre. The strong presence of second homes keeps up competition for the best-located properties, which supports the prices of chalets close to the resorts and the lake.
In the Brevon valley, Bellevaux sits above Cluses, in the Arve valley, but below Saint-Jean-d'Aulps, its neighbour in the Val d'Aulps, and well below a highly rated resort such as Les Gets.
Bellevaux takes its name from the Latin bella vallis, the beautiful valley, and appears in texts in the form Bellavalle around 1138 then Bellavauz in 1275. The site, at the heart of the Brevon valley in the Chablais, is structured around old religious foundations. In 1136, three monks from the Saint-Jean priory in Geneva settled at the request of the lords of Ballaison, Langin and Cervens and founded the priory of Bellevaux. As early as 1138, these same lords donated the upper valley to the Carthusian order, who established the charterhouse of Vallon. This monastic settlement left a lasting mark on the territory and its farming and forestry economy.
Long tied to the States of Savoy, the municipality became definitively French only with the annexation of Savoy to France in 1860. The traditional economy rested on mountain farming, livestock rearing and cheese making in the fruitière (the local cooperative dairy), supplemented by forestry and woodworking crafts. The built heritage keeps the trace of this history, with the church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, the Saint-Bruno chapel built in 1651, the Pont Couvert restored in 2003 and a cross listed as a historic monument by decree of 11 May 1932.
On the night of 11 to 12 March 1943, a vast landslide came down on the hamlet of Vallonnet and blocked the course of the Brevon, swallowing chalets and a sawmill without any casualties: this is how Lake Vallon was born, today a walking spot. In the 20th century, Bellevaux turned to mountain tourism with the development of the Hirmentaz and La Chèvrerie resorts, linked to the Espace Roc d'Enfer, and the cross-country ski areas. Part of the Thonon-les-Bains arrondissement and the Haut-Chablais community of municipalities, the commune now combines farming, winter tourism and a mid-mountain quality of life.
Bellevaux has around 1 450 inhabitants according to INSEE. The municipality has the residential profile of a mountain village, where detached houses and chalets form the vast majority of the stock, while apartments remain a minority and are often tied to tourism. As in many winter-sports municipalities of the Chablais, the share of second homes is high, part of the stock serving as holiday accommodation or seasonal rental. Main residences are largely owner-occupied. This profile attracts two types of buyer: local families and workers looking for a house to live in year-round, within reasonable distance of Thonon-les-Bains, and second-home buyers drawn by the closeness of the slopes, Lake Vallon and the mountain pastures.
The average price recorded in Bellevaux stands at 3 036 €/m², according to sales registered with notaries and published in the DVF database. This figure brings together varied properties, very largely houses and chalets. The type of property, floor area, altitude, aspect, view and proximity to the slopes explain most of the gaps around this average. For a reliable valuation, it is better to rely on sales of comparable properties than on the municipal average alone.
Bellevaux lies in the Brevon valley, about thirty kilometres south of Thonon-les-Bains, on which it depends for its arrondissement. Access is by road from Thonon and Lake Geneva, then up the valley to the chief town and the high-altitude hamlets. The municipality is not served by rail, the nearest station remaining that of Thonon-les-Bains. This mid-mountain position, away from the main routes, contributes to the unspoilt character of the village.
Bellevaux is a mountain village of the Chablais, overlooked by the Roc d'Enfer and surrounded by mountain pastures and forests. Lake Vallon, formed in 1943 by a landslide that blocked the Brevon, offers a popular walking spot, as do the Hirmentaz and La Chèvrerie resorts linked to the Espace Roc d'Enfer. The municipality keeps an old heritage, with its church, the Saint-Bruno chapel of 1651 and the Pont Couvert. This natural setting and this offer of winter and summer leisure weigh on the residential appeal of the municipality.
The Bellevaux market is very largely made up of houses and chalets, with detached housing forming the vast majority of the stock. Buying a house therefore matches the dominant profile of the municipality, with land and direct access to the mountains. Apartments are rarer and are often found in resort-linked complexes, suited to use as a second home or seasonal rental. Your choice will depend on your budget, your need for space and the intended use, main residence or holiday pied-à-terre.
Bellevaux is organised around its chief town, in the Brevon valley, then extends into numerous hamlets scattered on the slopes and at altitude. The surroundings of the Hirmentaz and La Chèvrerie resorts concentrate part of the tourist housing and second homes. The areas near Lake Vallon and the mountain pastures offer a setting sought after for the view and nature. Each area has its own characteristics of altitude, aspect and building, to look at closely depending on your project.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).