Brittany or
Bretagne hugs the westernmost coastline of France, speaks the ancient language and has retained most of the olde worlde traditions of yester yore. They seem to march to their own drummer, a bit out of step with mainstream France which adds to their charm, bringing visitors in plenty year after year. Special occasions are still a reason to bring out the traditional Breton Costumes.
Brittany boasts of a long and rugged coastline going more than half way around the western tip of France. The coastline is home to wide estuaries, lighthouses, islets and islands, cliffs and coves protecting the birdlife of the area. The harbors are pretty and hold true, strong maritime traditions. The climate is mild but exposure to the Atlantic brings in wet windy and blustery cold winters.
Brittany is typically defined as the region of “two lands” - Argoat is the interior which signifies “land of the woods” and Armor is the “land of the sea”. The interiors exude an almost mysterious demeanor while the coastline is dotted with lots of beautiful sandy beaches and pretty coves allowing for some great swimming, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing and probably the best scuba diving in France. Head into the deep interiors and you can visit Heulgoat and its enchanting forests.
Brittany is best explored using the waterways.
Breton cuisine specializes in cotriade, an eel stew traditionally made with varied other fish, palourdes farcies which is baked clams with herbs, garlic and shallot, or pot au feu d'homard which marries lobster, scallop, mussel, shrimp and oyster in a delicious stew. Unlike the rest of France which prides itself on its wines, the drink of choice in this region is cider!
If you are looking for property, then be aware that anything near the coast is the most expensive. Head inland and you will get superb bargains. Rest assured that wherever you go in
Brittany the sea is always close by. At the Cotes d'Armor, property deals are easily found in small resorts near the beach. The less expensive property is more inland but not more than an hour away from the beach at any point and you will get a large variety to choose from. The priciest property is located in the triangle of
St Malo, Dinard and Dinan. England is easily accessed from these places.
For property the standard rule applies - the more inland you get, the cheaper the property gets. Finistère is the ideal place for bargains and properties up for renovation and they are quite affordable. Ille et Vilaine has two large cities in
St Malo and
Rennes where the properties is fairly expensive - central
Brittany is where most people buy their property as it is a better value. Morbihan is Breton for ‘little sea’, has a very nice climate with mild winters and warm summers courtesy the Gulf stream and it stretches to include middle to south
Brittany. North of the region is where the best property is to be found which is attracting a lot of interest but even if you travel away from the towns and more popular locations, you will find reasonably priced property and of course you are always so close to the sea.
