The French Estate Agent

 

Buying a House in France: Is Brittany the Best Region?

If you're thinking about buying a house in France, Brittany is probably one of the regions that has appeared on your radar.

For British buyers in particular, it has always been an obvious choice. It's relatively easy to reach, property can still be surprisingly affordable once you move away from the coast, and there's no shortage of beautiful countryside, historic towns and traditional stone houses.

But Brittany is a big region, and there's quite a difference between buying on the coast, 30 minutes inland or right in the middle of rural Brittany.

So, is Brittany actually one of the best places to buy a house in France?

I originally explored this question while wandering around Josselin, one of Brittany's prettiest small towns, in my video BUYING A HOUSE IN FRANCE - Is Brittany the best region?

Here’s a closer look.

Where exactly is Brittany?

Brittany, or Bretagne in French, is the large peninsula in the northwest of France which sticks out into the Atlantic below the UK.

The administrative region is divided into four departments:

• Ille-et-Vilaine

• Côtes-d'Armor

• Finistère

• Morbihan

And then we have Loire-Atlantique, including Nantes.

Administratively it isn't part of modern Brittany, although plenty of Bretons will happily explain why historically and culturally it should be. That's an argument for another day!

One of the defining features of Brittany is its coastline.

The region has around 2,470 kilometres of it, running from the English Channel around the peninsula and down towards the Bay of Biscay.

That relationship with the sea has shaped almost everything about Brittany, from its towns and architecture to its culture and, importantly for property buyers, its house prices.

Brittany has a very strong identity

Brittany is one of the Celtic nations and has much in common culturally with places such as Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and Ireland.

Bretons are extremely proud of that heritage.

You see it in the Breton flag, the traditional music, the festivals, the Breton language and the general sense that Brittany has an identity quite distinct from the rest of France.

It also has a reputation within France for knowing how to enjoy itself.

Some of France's biggest music festivals take place here, including Les Vieilles Charrues and the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, while Hellfest takes place just outside the modern administrative region in Loire-Atlantique.

Even rural Brittany tends to have rather more bars than many other rural parts of France.

That doesn't mean you're going to find nightclubs on every village corner. Rural France is still rural France. But Brittany often feels surprisingly lively.

Getting to Brittany

Accessibility is one of Brittany's major advantages, particularly if you're buying a second home or expect to travel regularly between France and the UK.

There are ferry connections through Saint-Malo and Roscoff, making it possible to bring your car straight across rather than having to drive down from Calais.

For air travel, Rennes and Nantes are the two main airports serving the region, with other airports including Brest and Lorient depending on routes and where you're travelling from.

And despite Brittany looking rather isolated on a map, it isn't an island. You can simply drive there.

Rennes also has excellent rail connections, including TGV services to Paris.

For somebody planning to live permanently in France, transport links may not be the first thing on the property wish list, but they become considerably more important if you're expecting regular visits from friends and family.

What sort of houses will you find in Brittany?

This is one of the reasons I particularly like the region.

Traditional Breton property has real character.

The classic rural house is the longère, literally a long house, usually constructed from local stone and traditionally roofed in slate.

Travel across Brittany and the architecture changes.

In western Brittany, particularly towards Finistère, you'll often find houses built from substantial blocks of granite. Move east and cob construction becomes increasingly common.

There are also plenty of what we call Neo-Breton houses.

These were particularly popular during the latter part of the 20th century and attempted to combine modern construction with traditional Breton features: steep slate roofs, stone detailing and often an L-shaped design.

Some can look slightly dated today, but many were extremely solidly built.

Personally, I'd rather have a slightly unfashionable but solid house than something that photographs beautifully and gives me nightmares every time the wind blows.

How expensive are houses in Brittany?

This is where location makes an enormous difference.

As a general rule, the closer you get to the coast, the more expensive Brittany becomes.

In some of the most desirable coastal areas, particularly around the Gulf of Morbihan and places such as Quiberon, prices can become very high indeed.

But drive half an hour inland and the picture changes considerably.

Move deeper into rural Brittany and prices can fall again.

That's why looking at an average property price for "Brittany" isn't particularly useful. A house overlooking the sea near Vannes and a farmhouse in rural central Brittany may technically be in the same region, but they're operating in completely different property markets.

For buyers looking for value, the trick is often not to abandon the coast completely, but to move just far enough away from it.

Which Breton department is best for property?

This depends enormously on what you're looking for.

Ille-et-Vilaine

Ille-et-Vilaine includes Rennes and Saint-Malo and is generally the most expensive of Brittany's four departments.

Rennes is a major economic and university centre with good employment and transport connections, while Saint-Malo is one of Brittany's best-known coastal destinations.

If you want good access to Paris, employment opportunities and a more urban lifestyle, Ille-et-Vilaine makes a lot of sense.

For somebody primarily looking for rural property and value for money, however, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Morbihan

Morbihan occupies much of Brittany's southern coastline and has some extremely desirable areas, particularly around Vannes and the Gulf of Morbihan.

It also happens to be my personal favourite.

You have the coast, attractive towns and villages, beautiful countryside and a generally milder climate.

Property close to the coast can be expensive, but move inland and there are still plenty of opportunities.

Finistère

Finistère occupies the western end of Brittany and has some of the region's most dramatic coastline.

The clue is in the name: Finistère comes from the idea of the "end of the earth".

It feels more exposed to the Atlantic than Morbihan, but southern Finistère in particular can offer a very attractive compromise between coastline, climate and property prices.

If I were searching outside Morbihan, southern Finistère would be high on my list.

Côtes-d'Armor

Côtes-d'Armor covers much of northern Brittany and is often one of the more affordable departments.

It has some spectacular coastal areas and a huge amount of beautiful countryside.

Move inland and property prices can become particularly attractive.

The climate tends to be a little cooler and wetter than southern Brittany, but if your priority is getting more house for your money, Côtes-d'Armor shouldn't be ignored.

What about the weather?

Mention Brittany to some British people and you'll inevitably hear:

"But doesn't it rain all the time?"

No.

It rains. It's Brittany, not the Sahara.

But the climate varies considerably across the region.

Southern Brittany, particularly Morbihan, generally benefits from a milder climate than the northern and western parts of the peninsula.

That is one of the reasons I personally favour Morbihan and southern Finistère.

You still get proper seasons and enough rainfall to keep the countryside green, but you can also get some excellent summers.

And with the increasingly hot summers we've experienced in France, Brittany's maritime climate is becoming an advantage for some buyers rather than a disadvantage.

Not everybody dreams of spending July and August hiding indoors from 40°C temperatures.

So where would I buy a house in Brittany?

If I were buying for myself, I'd start by drawing a line roughly 30 minutes inland from the coast.

Why?

Because that's often where you find the sweet spot.

You're still close enough to the coast to enjoy it regularly. You're reasonably close to larger towns and services. But you've moved away from the premium prices attached to coastal property.

I'd then concentrate particularly on Morbihan and southern Finistère.

For a normal family house in the €200,000 to €400,000 range, that can open up a very interesting selection of properties, depending of course on the exact location, condition and amount of land you're looking for.

Go further inland and lower budgets can still produce some surprisingly substantial properties.

Is Brittany the best region in France?

There isn't really a single "best" region in France.

Someone wanting Mediterranean sunshine and a villa with a pool isn't going to have the same priorities as someone looking for a granite farmhouse surrounded by green countryside.

But Brittany has a combination that is difficult to beat.

It has beautiful countryside, an enormous coastline, historic towns, distinctive architecture, strong local culture, relatively easy access from the UK and, once you move away from the expensive coastal hotspots, some very attractive property prices.

For buyers who want rural France without feeling completely isolated, it deserves serious consideration.

And if you want my personal choice?

Morbihan, around half an hour inland from the coast.

Close enough to head to the sea when the sun comes out, but far enough inland that buying the house doesn't necessarily require selling everything else you own.

You can also watch my video BUYING A HOUSE IN FRANCE - Is Brittany the best region?, where I explore Brittany while walking around Josselin and explain some of these differences in more detail.