LOCATION Local granite houses look
out over St-Malo‘s ramparts and its popular sandy beach
density of 123 people per square kilometre puts it on a par with North Dorset (compare this with 250/km2
in Paris). Family is a in
Alpes-Maritimes and 21,000/ km2
priority here: Bretons make time to have meals together around the table, and even those who develop a career further afield are drawn back to Brittany, either when they have families or retire.
LOCATION: WHERE TO FIND WHAT YOU WANT If you’re looking for a city- centre property, Rennes is the top choice with over 200,000 inhabitants. Home to the region’s political movers and shakers, Rennes also has a large student population and an average property price of €4,201/m2
. Apartments in the
city centre start at €175,000 or €86,000 for a 35m2
studio
flat, but there is a strong rental market for both professionals and students. Other cities to consider
and a better quality of life – particularly along the coast. This year, France’s average
property price has risen to €3,302/m2
but the market
has stabilised in Brittany, where the average remains a very reasonable €2,717/m2
.
There’s significant variation depending on location: some inland areas are just €1,463/m2
while the sought-after coastal spots near Dinard and St-Malo can reach €6,091/m2
. Brittany has great travel
links through the ports of Roscoff and St-Malo, four airports (Rennes, Lorient, Brest and Quimper), plus high-speed rail networks connecting Paris to Rennes in two hours or to Quimper in four. This further explains why this region has become so popular with people leaving the bigger urban areas. You certainly get more space here: Brittany’s population
,
are Brest (141,000 residents), Quimper (63,000), Lorient (57,000) and Vannes (53,000); each has a student population, international offices and shopping arcades. Brest and Lorient are mostly modern, having lost much of their traditional architecture during the wars, while Quimper and Vannes are picturesque cities popular with tourists. Vannes regularly tops the
list of desirable places to live and is a hotspot for tourism, thanks to its seaside location, medieval cobbled streets and quaint architecture. A 25m2 studio flat in picturesque Vannes costs around €80,000 and in the most sought-after spots, a tiny 15m2
studio will
fetch €96,000, but it’s hard to rent anywhere in Vannes for under €400 a month, so it could be a good investment. Other than Vannes and its
neighbour Sarzeau, Brittany’s seaside hotspots are Dinard and St-Malo to the north – where a seaview apartment can fetch €10,000/m2
– and
the terribly chic island of Belle-Île-en-Mer, where a 25m2 apartment can cost €190,000. Thankfully, there are more affordable seaside locations, such as the resort of
The delightful medieval town of Dinan is loved by tourists and locals alike
“Vannes regularly tops the list of desirable places to live and is a hotspot for tourism, thanks to its seaside location”
Beautiful Quimper in Finistère is the oldest city in Brittany
With its architectural gems and cultural dynamism, Rennes is the Breton capital
AT A GLANCE Capital city: Rennes Departmental capitals: St-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor), Quimper (Finistère), Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), Vannes (Morbihan) Popular towns: Auray, Bénodet, Brest, Cancale, Carnac, Dinan, Dinard, Concarneau, Josselin, Lorient, Paimpol, Paimpont, Ploumanac’h, Pont- Aven, Quiberon, Roscoff, St-Malo, St-Servan, Vannes Plus Beaux Villages in the region: Locronan, Moncontour, Rochefort- en-Terre and St-Suliac
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023 25
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
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