Rostrenen, France

Capital City

With a population of just 3,282, Rostrenen is a small Breton town that offers little in the way of big-city amenities. The climate is wet and cool, with average temperatures ranging from a brisk 5.6°C in January to a mild 17.3°C in August. While the town has embraced the Breton language, with over a third of primary school students enrolled in bilingual education, the bureaucratic hurdles of living in a remote rural area are likely to be a persistent headache.

Rostrenen is best suited for those seeking a quiet, pastoral lifestyle in a picturesque corner of Brittany, rather than cosmopolitan thrills or modern conveniences.