Located on an estuary 30 kilometres south of the department's capital Quimper, Pont-l'Abbé is a bustling historic centre of nearly 8,000 inhabitants.
In a 33-point comparative study of 130 communes in the region, the town scored strongly on its health services, commercial life and sporting and cultural activities. Less favourably, the town received a poor rating for its demographic profile and accessibility.
In second and third places were the towns of Plescop and Theix-Noyalo, both located in the department of Morbihan.
The study was the second in a series conducted by the daily newspaper Le Figaro, who also recently published their table of the Best Mediterranean Seaside Towns for Retirees.
Their new study covers the 4 departments in the Brittany administrative region – Finistère, Morbihan, Côtes d'Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine.
Ille-et-Vilaine faired worst, with only 1 town – Combourg - in the top 20. The town of Maen Roch in Ille-et-Vilaine also propped up the table.
The 33 criteria were grouped around 8 themes – health services, commerce (number and diversity), safety and security, demography, environment and climate, transport and access, leisure and culture and property prices.
Top places by theme were as follows:
Safety and security - Perros-Guirec, Côtes d'Armor
Environment and climate - Le Mené, Côtes d'Armor
Transport and accessibility - Noyal-sur-Vilaine, Ille-et-Vilaine
Leisure and culture - Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Finistère
Low property prices - Landivisiau, Finistère
Health services- Auray, Morbihan
Attractive demographic profile - Liffré, Ille-et-Vilaine
Commercial services - Paimpol, Côtes d'Armor.
The full report can be found at Bretagne : notre palmarès 2023 des villes où il fait bon vivre.
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