Morbihan Property Insight

Morbihan is one of the four departments which constitute the amazing region of Bretagne. Morbihan, situated in the northwest of France, is surrounded with the departments of Finistère, Cotes-d’Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine. It is named like this because of the sea that forms a gulf (Morbihan means “small sea” in the Breton language). The department accounts for many islands, often very small and private.

The specific culture of the Brittany region is very strong, and you will find signs of it almost everywhere (language, music, gastronomy, dance, etc…).

Overview

Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Morbihan has several islands, of which four are bigger and inhabited. The best-known is Belle-Ile-en-Mer, because of its tourism interest. Also renowned, Quiberon is a peninsula which offers some of the most beautiful beaches, with a very fine and white sand.

Many tourists like to go in Bretagne for holidays, even if it’s along the Atlantic coast, whose water rarely exceeds 20°C. This is due to the amazing landscapes that the wild coast offers: cliffs, raging waters or otherwise sandy beaches with calm water.

Being a Celts area during a long time and thanks to the surprising vestiges they left (megaliths and menhirs principally), the Morbihan offers you a plunge in the fascinating myths and legends of King Arthur, Morgan le Fay and Merlin or other myths about druids and knights. Moreover, the most surprising site in Morbihan is undoubtedly the amazing alignment of 3,000 prehistoric standing stones in Carnac.

Morbihan accounts for 700,000 inhabitants, the majority of which lives along the coast or in the two main cities of the department, Lorient and Vannes.

Morbihan Immobilier & Property Market Trends

The Morbihan department benefits from an exceptional weather, 1000km of indented coasts and is close to two big cities (Rennes and Nantes). It is not surprising that it is the most sought-after department of the region, and also the most expensive.

If the price in the area of Lorient (€1,500/ s qm) or in the area of Vannes (€2,300/ s qm) remains reasonable, it reaches a peak at €4,000/ s qm in the peninsula of Quiberon.

However, several Longères awaiting renovation are available at gentle prices (around €100,000), but if you approach the coast, the price of new houses increases until € 500,000. The exceptional properties with a view on the Morbihan gulf frequently exceed the million.

Hopefully, the prices have stopped increasing since the middle of the year 2006 and became really decent in comparison to the national average.

82% of the properties in the Morbihan are main houses and more than 12% are second houses, which is quite a big proportion. This really shows the interest of some people for the region. 76% of the properties are houses, and a good majority of them are big properties with 4 bedrooms at least.

To get updated info about housing prices in the Dordogne, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Morbihan

Brittany is appreciated for its strong culture, which makes everyone wish they were Breton, to feel soaked in its myths, its music, its wild landscapes or its gastronomy.

• Historical heritage: a Celt nation, Brittany and the Morbihan still have signs of their rich past which explains why the culture is still very deep. Lots of remains (Megaliths, menhirs, castles but also legends) are present on the Morbihan territory. The people here are really attached to it and passed it on from generation to generation.

• Gourmet food: the main speciality of Morbihan and Brittany could not be missed, except in case of blindness, because you will find pancake houses at every corner! But the pancakes you will find in this region differ from those you can find in the rest of France. They are made with buckwheat flour which makes savoury pancakes, usually cooked on one side only and frequently garnished with egg, ham and cheese, but also with cut vegetables, meat, fish, apple slices, berries and others. The gastronomy is also renowned because of its buttery pastries (Kouign Amann, Far breton or Quatre-quarts) or its sweet cider.

• Tourism & sights: Morbihan is an attractive place for tourists because of its specific culture, its landscapes but also for its Celtic sites (Carnac or Locmariquer). The Breton music has Celtic roots, and they have some beautiful traditional dances. Every year, the “Interceltic festival” takes place during August in Lorient for ten days, and welcomes 4,500 musicians, singers, dancers or visual artists from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Galicia, Brittany, etc... More than 600,000 visitors attend the event every year.

• Lifestyle: people in Morbihan have an own culture and thus an own lifestyle. People there are living in harmony with the sea, omnipresent because of the 1000km of coasts. That’s why fishing is a widespread activity, and many people have their own boat.

• Transport: almost only separated by the English Channel, the Morbihan department is not really far from the United Kingdom in terms of distance. With some airports in or close to the Morbihan department, the United Kingdom is also close in terms of time. Lorient, situated in the Morbihan department, has links with the big cities of Lyon and Paris in France, but also some cities in the United Kingdom.

Local Property Market: 6 Popular Towns

• Auray property: easily accessible, this pleasant town is mostly known for its Saint-Goustan marina. Cultural life is important and it boasts a rich heritage, with among others lovely half-timbered houses. It reminds of the medieval life and promises a typical Breton atmosphere. Besides, the real estate market is there quite affordable.
• Carnac property: the commune is famous for its alignments of around 3,000 menhirs. The altitude of Carnac is low, but there are numerous mounts which were marks for the construction of megalithic buildings. A sea resort was built on former salterns. A wellness center and a casino were also built, which make Carnac an attractive sea resort.
• Lorient property: Lorient is a modern town, the biggest in Morbihan in terms of inhabitants. Plenty of charm and with many splendid attractions, Lorient is also famous for its fishing harbour which is amongst the largest in France. The annual Interceltique music festival in august is really to be seen if you like the Celtic culture and also want to discover the Breton one.
• Pontivy property: it lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Nantes to Brest Canal. The main attraction of the town is the medieval castle built by Jean II from Rohan at the end of the 15th century, partially restored, in which a summer exhibition takes place each year. The town is referred to its inhabitants as rather calm and pleasant.
• Quiberon property: the commune of Quiberon accounts for 10 beautiful sandy beaches. On the west coast of the peninsula, you have the Côte Sauvage (wild coast), property of the littoral academy, which offers an extraordinary view. The auction at the Maria harbour is an amazing attraction which has to be seen. Every day, 150 boats arrive in Quiberon to sell fish and shellfish.
• Vannes property: built 2,000 years ago in amphitheatre shape at the bottom of the gulf of Morbihan, Vannes is the perfect starting-point for jaunts to the « small sea » of the gulf and its several islands. Its old medieval town, based around the cathedral and surrounded with its ramparts is visited for its rich architectural patrimony. Nowadays, Vannes is a sea resort which attracts many tourists.

Property Styles and Architecture in Morbihan

• Half-timbered houses: the alleyways of the old Vannes, but also some villages still schelter half-timbered houses. Usually with the ground floor made of stone, the upper floors have a corbel architecture, entirely constituted of wood. The colour and layout of the wood panels allowed experts to date the construction between the 15th and 17th century.

• Longères: Longeres are typical properties of Brittany and are very widespread. In France, you will not find any other region with such a quantity of Longeres, which are undoubtedly a most charming and incredibly sought-after type of house. Buying such a house is quite affordable but they often need to be renovated.

• Costal houses: the costal houses in the Brittany often have few small windows. However, in the Morbihan, these houses have many larger windows. In return, they are less decorated than in the other departments. The door is generally situated in the middle of the front façade and gives access to a corridor. On one side, you have the living room which formerly served as dormitory. On the other side, there is the kitchen, and at the far end of the corridor, a ladder leads to the attic.

Click here for more info about Architecture in Brittany.