Property in Brittany

For many people, the first attraction of Brittany is the coastal area. Its mild weather, long beaches and extensive visitor facilities have made it the second most popular holiday destination in France (the first being the Mediterranean). In addition to all the typical attractions of France (such as architecture and restaurants), the many local bicycle trails have made it particularly suitable for cycling.

For similar reasons, Brittany is also a very popular destination for people buying property in France, either as secondary homes or as permanent homes abroad. This is particularly true for the British, who find the excellent ferry and airplane connections make commuting to and from the UK more affordable in terms of time and money than for most other regions of France.

As one moves inland from the coast, the cost of property drops rapidly. This is due not only to the coastal area being more popular, but also due to it being more populated and having more employment opportunities. In the centre, Brittany is one of the most affordable areas of France, both in terms of land and in terms of houses.

In additional to modern housing, Brittany has many houses of traditional construction. These traditional houses are often stone-built (typically granite stone). With both traditional and new houses, it is reasonably common to have slate roofs. One also often finds the Brittany ‘long-house’, known locally as a longère, which is long rather than square in shape (thus it’s name) and offers substantial space. In many cases a longère was originally a combination of house and stabling, but the ones for sale have generally been renovated, with the old stabling areas converted to living space.

Many British ex-pats have setup small businesses in Brittany (see Directory France & French Property for more info), so in many areas one can find English-speaking tradesmen for building and renovation work. Of course, you may prefer to use the locals (especially for traditional construction work), but if your French isn’t very good the presence of English-speaking professionals can make things much simpler.