France’s ‘Land’s End’: Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor

On the far northwest coast, both Finistere and Cotes-d’Armor ofter a great quality of life and affordable properties. Having lived in France’s ‘Land’s end’ for 20 years, Annaliza Davis is keen to share its appeal.

One of the most accessible locations for British buyers, Brittany is authentic and largely unspoilt, with fabulous coastlines, heritage towns and a timeless appeal. The departments of Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor are in the northwest of Brittany, sitting just under the south coast of England. Many visitors find that this area has a similar feel to Cornwall and a slower pace of life that reminds you of days gone by. This isn’t a place to rush; it’s a place to savour.

Exploring is a breeze as there are no toll roads and few traffic issues, making it easy to discover the area’s historic cities with their colourful timbered buildings, and stroll the cobbled streets of ancient market towns. Both Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor are also famous for their natural beauty; as well as sandy beaches, rocky creeks, canals and rushing rivers, there’s a lot of greenery and the low horizons mean that the sky feels endless. As with some other regions of France, this area feels surprisingly spacious, with a population density of just 137 people per square kilometres in Finistère (comparable to the Isles of Scilly) and only 88/km² in Côtes-d’Armor (fewer than in the Derbyshire Dales). This part of northwest Brittany is a popular tourist destination with all the attractions of the coast, which you might compare to Devon (432/km²), Dorset (540/km²) or Cornwall (390/km²), so you get a lot more space to move freely and you’re also likely to get a lot more room for your housebuying budget.

Househunters are drawn here for all of these reasons and more. Whether you’re looking for a coastal hideaway, a family home with lots of land or a city-centre pied à terre, both Finistère and Côtes- d’Armor offer some of the most affordable properties in France.

Based on sales over the past 12 months, the average property price across France currently stands at €3,118/m², yet those in Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor stand at €2,174/m² and €2,244/m² respectively. This represents great value for money for anyone hoping to buy property in France, as prices here are nearly 30% below the national average.

During and immediately following the Covid pandemic, prices soared in Brittany – particularly in seaside destinations as city dwellers came in search of space and pleasant environments. Thankfully, that period has passed; prices have now returned to the reasonable levels we’d normally expect in northwest Brittany and during 2024 property sales slowed down by around 19%, so it’s a great time to buy.

The biggest city in this area is Brest, with 139,619 residents -equivalent to the population of York. Brest was heavily bombed during the war, destroying most of the medieval buildings you’d expect to see in a Breton town, and although it still has some historical sites, overall the city feels contemporary. The 31,000 students here also ensure it feels lively and there are plenty of year-round rental opportunities as well as holiday lets, because Brest is coastal and home to a popular tourist site, the Oceanopolis aquarium. You can buy a studio flat in Brest for under €60,000, with rental expectations of around €330 a month; while €170,000 will give you a few houses to choose from. For a more typical Breton city, Quimper (63,642 residents) has an iconic twin-spired cathedral, cobbled streets, colourful timbered buildings and a pretty river running through its centre. A 17m² studio here costs from €35,000 and would rent out for around €340 a month, although an apartment is closer to €100,000 and houses start at €150,000.

If an historic town appeals, over the border in Côtes-d’Armor you’ll find Lannion (20,525 residents), with picturesque timbered houses, a former convent and cloister. There are fewer properties available to buy here, but for €150,000 you can find a central apartment or townhouse, and monthly rentals start at €375. Historically known for its telecoms industry and more recently for its Technopole Anticipa technology park, Lannion is also a tourism hub, attracting over four million visitors a year thanks to its location near the Pink Granite Coast.

Also coastal and in Côtes-d’Armor, St-Brieuc (44,607 residents), is another gem of half-timbered houses clustered around a cathedral, soaring viaducts and modern frescoes contrasting with the Art Deco structures. Most apartments cost around €60,000 (monthly rentals from €340) with houses from €140,000, but it’s also a popular tourist spot due to its accessibility: a one-hour drive from St-Malo and two to three hours from Paris by train. Concarneau (20,607 residents) has a market-town feel, famous for its ancient walled centre and coastal fishing. It features seaside promenades leading to sandy beaches, a Thalasso spa and year-round tourism, but also has a strong shipbuilding industry. A central apartment starts at €120,000 while a semi-detached family home costs from €200,000.

If you’re looking for a renovation opportunity, you’ll be spoilt for choice across Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor, seeing properties with 1,000m² of land for under €50,000 although these will usually require extensive (and expensive) work. That said, if you have the skills and the contacts, you can still find fantastic properties here to which you can add a lot of value; or liveable, semi-detached homes for under €100,000 if you look inland. Finally, a €50,000 budget will buy you a building plot of 1,800m² in Carhaix-Plouguer (one hour southeast of Roscoff port); 1,500m² in Lanfains, 25 minutes south of St-Brieuc; or 2,800m² in Plouguernével (one hour southwest of St-Brieuc).

As both Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor are in northwest Brittany, they’re easily accessible from the UK via the ferries to Roscoff (one hour from Brest and Lannion, 90 minutes from Quimper) or St-Malo (30 minutes from Dinan and an hour from St-Brieuc).

Thanks to high-speed TGV trains, Paris is within easy reach: St-Brieuc is two to three hours away, while even the far-west cities of Quimper and Brest are only a four-hour train trip from Paris. If you’re driving, the roads in Brittany are toll-free and generally clear; traffic jams are a rarity here, and tend to happen only near big cities at rush hour or on a peak holiday weekend.

Despite being largely rural and with a lot of seasonal work, unemployment rates in Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor are lower than the national average (around 10% compared to 12%). There is a higher-than-average proportion of retirees here (8.5% in Finistère and 9.1% in Côtes-d’Armor, compared to 6% nationally) but this is hardly surprising given the appeal of retiring by the sea.

The French statistics institute, INSEE, also reports that while agriculture represents just 4.8% of activity throughout France, it’s doubly important here: 9.7% in Finistère and 12.1% in Côtes-d’Armor. Other sectors are fairly representative of the national picture, with a slightly lower proportion of service-industry workers, and a higher proportion of manual workers in the Côtes-d’Armor, including in the construction industry.

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