Looking for recreational land for sale in Haute-Savoie (74) means dealing with a high-mountain department under strong tourist pressure on land, between the Chablais, the Genevois, the Mont-Blanc massif and the Annecy basin: the non-constructible plots available are mostly sloped meadows, high-altitude woods and, more rarely, lakeside or stream-side land. On this page, ma-propriete.fr gathers the listings of recreational land for sale in Haute-Savoie: a mountain meadow, a wooded slope, a plot with an old alpine hut to restore.
You will find price benchmarks drawn from actual sales, an overview of the areas where these plots are concentrated, scarce in this department, and the points to check that are specific to a mountain territory under strong demand from both tourists and residents. First read our guide on how to turn agricultural land into recreational land: it explains what the local planning rules genuinely allow in an agricultural or natural zone.
There is no such thing as a "recreational land price" in the French notarial records: the DVF database records sales of agricultural land, woodland and ponds, and a recreational plot is priced against these three benchmarks, higher or lower depending on what it adds (vehicle access, a water point, fencing, an existing shelter, a village nearby). The table below gives, for each benchmark, the sales recorded in 2025 in Haute-Savoie (74), the median price and the range between the first decile (floor) and the ninth decile (ceiling), with the national figure for comparison.
| DVF 2025 benchmark | Sales | Median price | Range (P10 – P90) | France median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bare agricultural land (€/ha) * | 1,230 | €3,887/ha | €2,161/ha – €8,738/ha | €5,307/ha |
| Woodland (€/ha) | 49 | €4,393/ha | €1,906/ha – €10,449/ha | €4,934/ha |
| Pond (€/m²) * | 313 | €2.54/m² | €1.03/m² – €6.90/m² | €2.54/m² |
Bare agricultural land is well below the national median (€5,307/ha), with the median price moving +7.5% between 2020 and 2025. Woodland trades below the national benchmark (€4,934/ha), and a pond, a much rarer asset, is valued per square metre of water and banks. To compare a listing, bring everything back to the square metre: €3,887/ha of bare land is €0.39/m², against €2.54/m² for a pond. Recreational land, almost always classified as an agricultural or natural zone, generally sells slightly above bare agricultural land; but it usually remains subject to the SAFER land agency's right of pre-emption, and the SAFER may pre-empt with a downward price revision if the price is excessive compared with local land prices. These benchmarks therefore also help you avoid paying a price the SAFER would challenge.
Find the detail by department, plot size and year in our agricultural land price observatory and in the forest price observatory. Source: DVF (Demandes de valeurs foncières), 2025 sales, processed by ma-propriete.fr; medians published from 30 sales upwards. * Fewer than 30 sales in the department: the benchmark shown is the regional figure for "Bare agricultural land"; national figure for "Pond".
Haute-Savoie is above all a land of sloped meadows, often former alpine pastures or huts sold as non-constructible land, spread across the Chablais, the Genevois and the valleys around Mont-Blanc. These meadows, fragmented by family inheritance, are sought both for their residual farming use, grazing or hay, and for the setting they offer. The woods, mostly high-altitude spruce and larch, cover the least sunny slopes and are more often bought for their timber value than for a recreational project.
Water features remain exceptional: a few stream banks in the Chablais or the Faucigny, an occasional isolated pond, often linked to a former farming or hydraulic use. Lake Annecy and Lake Geneva, both highly sought after, leave virtually no non-constructible lakeside plot on the market: a buyer looking for a plot with a pond usually has to widen the search to other departments in the region.
The Chablais, to the north around Thonon-les-Bains and Evian, still has accessible meadows and wooded slopes, just away from the shore of Lake Geneva. The Genevois, around Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Annemasse, is under strong pressure due to its proximity to Geneva, which makes available plots scarce. The Faucigny, around Bonneville and Cluses, and the Mont-Blanc valleys, around Chamonix and Sallanches, hold mountain plots sought after for their setting, despite limited supply. The Annecy basin, in high demand, leaves little room for small agricultural or natural plots outside the higher ground.
The most affordable areas lie in the upper Chablais and Faucigny, away from the main tourist routes, where meadows and woods can still be found at a more moderate price level. Close to Lake Annecy, Lake Geneva and the major resorts, the few available plots sell well above the regional average.
Reading the local planning document (PLU) is essential here: almost all land outside built-up zones is classed agricultural (A) or natural (N), and a chalet, a light leisure dwelling or a mobile home cannot be installed there without authorisation, even on a former alpine pasture already fitted with a shelter. Strong tourist demand increases the risk of undeclared structures, which should always be checked before buying, along with genuine year-round access and exposure to rockfall risk at altitude.
On parcels classified as agricultural, SAFER may exercise its right of pre-emption, with the price revised downward if the amount strays from the local price of mountain farmland. The shores of Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy are also subject to lakeside protection rules that strongly limit any change to a plot. Finally, have the boundaries surveyed, as they are often imprecise on older alpine pasture land.
The listings of recreational land in Haute-Savoie published on ma-propriete.fr come from private sellers, estate agents and notaries. Filter by area, altitude and the presence of water, then set up an e-mail alert to be notified as soon as a mountain meadow, a wooded plot or a lakeside plot matching your criteria is listed, since such plots are scarce and can be snapped up quickly. You can also widen your search to recreational land for sale in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
