Finistère is a French department that is located in Brittany.
Town property guides
Climate
The climate is mainly oceanic and because of that the winters are mild and the summers are cool.
Geography
The name originates from the Latin Finis Terrae which means the end of the earth as it may be compared to the land’s end on the opposite site of the English Channel.
This area is the most western part of the metropolitan France.
The biggest city is Brest. Some other large towns are Quimper, Morlaix, Carhaix and Douarnenez. This area also includes the island of Ushant.
Main sources of the industry are agriculture, fishing and tourism. Besides Rennes all the other main cities are located on the coast.
On the north there are very interesting abers or rugged fjord-like inlets.
Towns
A very interesting attraction is the Oceanopolis which is a huge marine theme park in Brest.
The capital of the area is Lampaul.
There tourist may visit the 19th century merchants’ houses and the church of Notre Dame de Croatz. They can also make a boat trip to the Ile de Batz that is a small offshore island.
In Brest there is also bread some cattle. The last site before the sea is the Pays d’Iroise, with the lighthouse Pointe Saint-Mathieu and islands Béniguet, Molène, Balanec and Ushant in the vicinity. On the north there are a lot of fishing ports, creeks, long sandy beaches, sand dunes that attract the migrating birds. On the inland there are valleys, peat bogs, stones and diverse flora and fauna. In the Armoric national park there are plants that date back to the Ice Age, 3,000 B.C.
History
Finistere is rich in history and maritime events. This area was visited by the Celts and the early Christians. It was invaded by the Romans, after that the Normans and later occupied by the Spanish and German armies. Vauban constructed an immense polygonal tower at Camaret that was attacked by the Anglo-Dutch fleet. Earlier Philip II of Spain built a triangular fort on Roscanvel. In 1801 an American engineer Robert Fulton designed the first person submarine. The Nantes-Brest canal was built in the 17 century and it took 50 years to be constructed.
Gastronomy
In this area there can be found a lot of fresh sea food. Such are locally caught shellfish. The Seafood is different during the seasons, area and mainly the restaurant.
One traditional local dish is Le kig ha farz that originates from the north part of the area. This dish is made from beef, pork, and a lot of local vegetables. There is also farz which is a kind of large dumpling that is made from wheat flour mixed with raisins. It is made with rich sauce that is called lipig that is made with butter and onions.
Another dish is Sweet end savoury crêpes and this is the most famous specialty. The crêpe is served as a dessert filled with many ingredients like butter, sugar, chocolate, jam and so on. The crepe is made from buckwheat flour that gives the dark color and is filled with egg, ham and grated cheese.
There are also some good desserts, cakes and biscuits. One of the most popular puddings is named far that has golden custard and is filled with prunes and raisins. One type of traditional cake in Breton is le gâteau breton. It can be served plain or with a jam and a cup of coffee. The kouign amann or the butter cake was created in 1865.
Also very famous are the biscuits named galettes and palets bretons. They are very crunchy and are made followed by a tradition dating years ago.
Useful information
Tourism office in Brittany
www.brittanytourism.com
Maps of Brittany
www.ign.fr
www.maps.google.fr
Flights
Ryanair flies to Dinard and Nantes
Flybe flies to Rennes and Brest
British Airways flies to Nantes
Air France flies to Nantes
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Finistère. We have a large network of partners in Finistere. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Cotes d’Armor matching your requirements. To find out more about our properties for sale in Finistère do not hesitate to contact