Rennes

Rennes is the chief city of Brittany in northwest France. It's mostly modern and industrial, but has many grand 18th and 19th century buildings, and survivors of earlier times. It's also well-endowed with cultural attractions. In 2020 the city population was 222,485, with about 150,000 more living in the wider metropolis.

Understand
Rennes has long been one of the main towns of Brittany, but until 1806 it was overshadowed by the capital and Atlantic port Nantes. Then under Napoleon I Bonaparte, Nantes lost that role and indeed was removed from Brittany, so Rennes came to the fore. Its small river Vilaine was canalised and made navigable, and connected to other towns, so freight and industry were boosted even before the arrival of the railway. Its higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and half-timbered houses were mostly lost to a great fire in 1720, and replaced by stately stone mansions on a grid pattern, though the area east of the cathedral retains some of its older style.

The city was badly damaged in the Second World War: in 1940 German bombing hit an ammunition train parked next to troop and refugee trains, the day before the occupation of the city; and then it was heavily bombed by the Allies in 1943 and 1944. Postwar Rennes developed metal-bashing heavy industries, but as elsewhere in the West these succumbed to Asian competition from the 1970s. There were many strikes, demos and riots. From the 1990s the city regrouped around telecoms and service industries. The university also grew, so modern Rennes has a large student population, which gives it a bit of a buzz. Traditionally the students throng the bars on Thursday nights.

The climate is Atlantic: it can rain any day, though not as much as on the coast: see the Météo forecast.

is the Tourist Office, at 1 Rue Saint-Malo 50 m north of Metro Sainte-Anne. It's open M 14:00-18:00, Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 10:00–13:00 & 14:00–17:00.

By plane

 * To town: The airport is 6 km southwest of city centre.
 * - Bus C6 runs daily every 30 min between 05:00 and 00:00. It takes 20 min to Centre Commercial Cesson, with a stop by the art museum on Quai Emil Zola. Bus 57 from the airport was axed.
 * - Saint-Jacques de la Lande railway station is 1 km east of the airport. It has trains every few hours on the TER Breizh line between Rennes (5 min) and Messac-Guipry.
 * - Taxis wait outside Arrivals. A ride downtown might be €20.
 * - Taxis wait outside Arrivals. A ride downtown might be €20.


 * Nantes Atlantique has a similar choice of flights.
 * Paris Charles de Gaulle has global flight connections.
 * Dinard–Pleurtuit–Saint-Malo nowadays only has private aviation.

By train

 * For fare deals see Rail travel in France.

Trains run hourly from Paris Montparnasse, taking 90 min nonstop to Rennes. They continue to Saint-Brieuc and Brest, another two hours, as the winding line through Brittany isn't upgraded for TGV speeds. From Paris CDG airport take the RER train into the city and change at Chatelet/Les Halles for Montparnasse - the direct train starting in Lille only runs twice a day. Likewise from the south of France, you usually change across Paris.

From Nantes an hourly regional train takes 80 min nonstop. From St Malo an hourly regional train takes an hour via five stops. From Quimper an hourly train takes two hours via Lorient and Vannes. From Caen a twice-daily train takes 3 hr 20 min via Avranches (for Mont St-Michel).

is clean and modern, with Gares metro and bus station just outside. Walk 1 km north for the historic centre.

By bus
Blablacar (owned by the rail company SNCF) runs eight times a day from Paris (Bercy-Seine), taking 4-5 hours via Le Mans. In 2023 an adult single is about €35. There's one direct service daily from Paris CDG Airport. Flixbus have three late-night runs.

Blablacar services from other French cities are often car-share rides, and may start or drop off some distance from city centres.

BreizhGo is the regional bus company. It connects over twenty villages and small towns to Rennes: routes a visitor might use are from Saint-Malo, Dinard and Vitré.

Rennes bus station is next to the railway station and Metro Gares.

By road
From Paris follow A10 / A11 west past Chartres to Le Mans then A81 past Laval.

Get around
Walking is always first choice in the compact city centre.

By public transport
Star is the city transport system, with 50 bus lines and two Metro (VAL) lines. The hub for these is the mainline railway and intercity bus station Gares. The principal routes run 05:30 to 00:30. The metro lines run an extra hour longer until almost 02:00 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.

In 2023 a single ticket is €1.50, valid for one hour and unlimited transfers. A one day pass is €4.20, three days is €11.70 and seven is €18.35. Longer passes (KorrigoCards) are available from Gares travel centre - you'll need photo ID, which they scan onto the card.

Metro Line A runs northwest to southeast, from JFK to Villejean University, Sainte-Anne, Gares and out to La Poterie. Line B, opened in 2022, runs northeast to southwest, from Cesson via Sainte-Anne, Gares, and out to Saint-Jacques.

By bike
Rennes has plenty of cycle lanes, and for a pleasant excursion follow the canal.

Le Vélo STAR is the rental bike system, part of the public transport system. You register online and pay €150 deposit, which enables you to pick up a bike from any of the 80-some docking stations. Then you pay €1 for a trip up to one hour and €2 for 24 hours; electric bikes cost more. Longer tariffs are available up to 12 months.

By car
Avoid using a car in city centre: many routes are barred to private vehicles, and parking is scarce and expensive.

Parcs-relais is the Park & Ride system. Eight metro / bus stations have car parks, free to enter and more importantly free to exit by using your transport ticket. These are J.F. Kennedy (not Su), Villejean-Université, Cesson-Viasilva, Les Gayeulles and Saint-Jacques - Gaîté (not Su) in the north, Les Préales in the east (bus only, not Su), and Henri Fréville (not Su) and La Poterie in the south.

Taxis wait at Gares. There are over a dozen operators.

See



 * Espace des Sciences is also within Les Champs Libre, same hours. The planetarium is €7, exhibitions €7, "Merlins lab" €5, and the combi ticket valid for a year is €19.
 * is the last remaining city gate. Rennes acquired city walls and gates in the 3rd century AD, but the present structure is 15th century, when the gate and alley towards the cathedral were the principal entrance to the city. This route led 15 km west to the village of Mordelles, hence the name.
 * Old town with half-timbered houses (maisons à pans de bois) is best preserved is the little streets just east of the cathedral, such as Rue Saint-Sauveur, Rue Saint-Guillaume, and Rue du Chapitre. Most were lost in the fire of 1720, after which the northern districts were rebuilt in stone on a grid pattern.
 * Saint-Sauveur Basilica is in the Old Town 50 m east of the cathedral. It was rebuilt in the 18th century in classical style.
 * Church of Saint-Pierre & Saint-Etienne is the parish church, somehow squeezed in between cathedral and basilica.
 * is a grand building that since 1804 has housed the regional Court of Appeal - Brittany's parliament was abolished during the Revolution. It was badly damaged by fire during demonstrations in 1994, but restored as before. There are occasional guided tours.
 * Church of Saint-Pierre & Saint-Etienne is the parish church, somehow squeezed in between cathedral and basilica.
 * is a grand building that since 1804 has housed the regional Court of Appeal - Brittany's parliament was abolished during the Revolution. It was badly damaged by fire during demonstrations in 1994, but restored as before. There are occasional guided tours.
 * is a grand building that since 1804 has housed the regional Court of Appeal - Brittany's parliament was abolished during the Revolution. It was badly damaged by fire during demonstrations in 1994, but restored as before. There are occasional guided tours.




 * Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine faces the park. It was an abbey church, and served as the city's "pro-cathedral" while Saint-Pierre was rebuilt in the early 19th century. Saint Melaine was the first bishop of Rennes circa 500 AD.
 * Alignment of the 21st century is an artwork outside Frac in Parc de Beauregard - an array of menhirs, or are they receivers for cosmic signals, or grave markers?
 * Alignment of the 21st century is an artwork outside Frac in Parc de Beauregard - an array of menhirs, or are they receivers for cosmic signals, or grave markers?
 * Alignment of the 21st century is an artwork outside Frac in Parc de Beauregard - an array of menhirs, or are they receivers for cosmic signals, or grave markers?

Do

 * Théâtre National de Bretagne is at 1 Rue Saint-Hélier, 500 m north of the railway station.
 * Opera de Rennes is on Place de la Mairie just south of Parliament.
 * Cinemas in city centre are Cinéma Arvor south side of the railway station, and Pathé Rennes by Charles de Gaulle metro station.
 * Football:
 * Football:


 * Fest Noz is Breton for "festival of the night" - an evening of traditional music and dancing. See the Tamm Kreiz website for upcoming events, which are usually inexpensive. See also below for the biggest, Yaouank in Oct / Nov.

Events

 * Travelling is a cinema festival in February which each year focuses on a different world city. The next is 20-27 Feb 2024, focused on Taipei.
 * Mythos Festival is about music, story and song. The next is 5-14 April 2024.
 * Rock'n Solex is a student rock festival in May, with Solex powered bicycles loosely involved. It's on the INSA Beaulieu campus, with the next probably 8-12 May 2024, tbc.
 * Les Tombées de la Nuit is an art festival with many shows and installations in public spaces. The next is probably 3-7 July 2024, tbc.
 * Quartiers d'Été is a summer festival next held 19-20 July 2023.
 * Yaouank means "the young ones" and takes its name from a rock group that reinvigorated Breton folk music in the 1980s. It's now a music festival in November, most recently 4­–18 Nov 2023.
 * Les Transmusicales is a music festival next held on 6-10 Dec 2023.

Buy

 * Columbia is a shopping centre at 40 Place du Columbier, 300 m northwest of the railway station. Trois Soleils is its east end fronting Rue de l'Alma.
 * La Visitation is a small mall east side of Place Sainte-Anne.
 * Galleries Lafayette is an upmarket department store on 1 Rue de Rohan northwest of Place de la République.
 * Rue d'Orléans and Rue le Bastard are the principal retail streets, connecting Place de la République with Place Sainte-Anne.
 * Large malls on the edge of the city include Centre Alma, Cleunay, Grand Quartier and Cesson-Sévigné.
 * Le marché des Lices is the main city market, on Place des Lices just north of the cathedral on Saturday 06:00 - 13:30. Established in 1622, this fresh-food market is spread out over several streets and halls.
 * There are 20 markets across the city, and about the same in outlying parts.

Eat

 * Galette-saucisse je t'aime, J'en mangerai des kilos! Dans toute l'Ille-et-Vilaine, Avec du lait ribot ! - sung by the fans of Stade Rennais FC


 * Galettes are Breton salted crêpes made with buckwheat flour, and galettes-saucisses are roasted pork sausage wrapped in a galette. Lait ribot is half-fermented milk, sometimes served with boiled chestnuts.

Budget

 * is a large fresh-food market hall, north side of Blvd de la Liberté. It's open M-Th 09:00-14:00, 15:30-19:00, F Sa 09:00-19:00, Su 09:00-13:00. There are places within to sit down and eat. Le Marché à Manger is a street food market there on the first Sunday of each month 11:00-17:00; various restaurants have stalls to demonstrate their cuisine.
 * Rue de Saint-Malo just north of Basilica Notre-Dame and the Tourist Office is a "Little Asia" of cheap eating places.
 * Rue Saint-Georges in town centre has wall-to-wall cheap eating places at its east end off Rue Gambetta. Bistro Volnay (see "Mid-range" below) is the pricier pick of the bunch.
 * Rue Saint-Georges in town centre has wall-to-wall cheap eating places at its east end off Rue Gambetta. Bistro Volnay (see "Mid-range" below) is the pricier pick of the bunch.

Drink

 * Most bars close midnight to 01:00; late bars to 03:00 include Contrescarpe, La Place and Café Cactus.



Stay safe
Standard advice over care of valuables, traffic, and staying clear of unruly drunks.

Cope

 * Le 4 bis is an online resource for young folk in Rennes, covering study, employment, accommodation and so on.

Consulates
Always start by checking the embassy website - something like a lost passport will be handled from there or even from the home country rather than the local consulate. This section doesn't list Honorary Consuls, who will express sympathy at your predicament but advise you to call the embassy in Paris.
 * 🇲🇦 Morocco
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Connect
As of June 2022, Rennes has 5G from all French carriers.

Go next

 * Attractive places in Brittany are Fougères, Dinan, Vannes, Carnac, Lorient, Montfort-sur-Meu, Guidel, Finistère and Vitré.
 * Saint-Malo is a wonderful coastal town on the English Channel, only an hour by train. It has ferries to the Channel Isles.
 * Mont Saint-Michel is an island 70 km northeast, home to the fortified abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Bus excursions run from Rennes.
 * Also nearby are Cobac Parc, Vilaine river, Canal d'Ille-et-Rance and Forêt de Rennes.