Rennes Travel Guide

 
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  •   Rennes
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  •   Rennes
    by codrutz
  • Palais Saint Georges, Rennes, France 2010
      Palais Saint Georges, Rennes, France...
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  •   Rennes
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  • Old Houses on Rue St-Georges
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Pro

Maximilian21 profile photo

  Lovely city, great music, culture, safety 


Con

Mikebond profile photo

  it isn't a Breton city like the others 


In a nutshell

Goner profile photo

  Great base for exploring Brittany 

 

Explore Rennes

Things to Do  

Jardin du Thabor

Jardin du Thabor, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  The Jardin du Thabor was the kitchen garden of the Benedictines, who called it like the Palestinian mount. In the 18th century, the garden was opened to the public and today it's the largest park in Rennes. You can find there a French and a botanical garden. Have a look at... 

Parlement of Brittany

Parlement of Brittany, Rennes

 codrutz Says:  Rennes is the capital of Brittany (one of the 26 admintrative regions of France). The court of justice was established in 1554 by King Henry II and the name was the "Parlement" of Brittany (Bretagne). In 1561 the Parlement was set up in Rennes so it needed a building.... 

Palais du Commerce

Palais du Commerce, Rennes

 codrutz Says:  This is I guess the largest building in Rennes. Built on the bank of the Villaine river relatively recent - 1885-1929 - it was raised to obscure the smaller buildings behind and give the city a more modern look.It housed the commodities exchange and the postal and telegraph... 

Parlement de Bretagne

Parlement de Bretagne, Rennes

 grayfo Says:  In February 1994, a fire tore through the 17th-century Parliament building, arguably the most famous building in Rennes, the capital of the French province of Brittany. Now rebuilt it houses the Rennes Court of Appeal. 

Notre-Dame-en-Sainte-Mélaine

Notre-Dame-en-Sainte-Mélaine, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  This church is not important, but you will see it when you go to spend some time at the jardin du Thabor (see next tip).Sainte-Mélaine was the church of the Benedictine abbey The only original parts that have remained until today are the transept (11th century) and the tower... 

Saint-Germain

Saint-Germain, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  Saint-Germain is a Gothic church built in the 15th and 16th centuries. You should look at the large 16th-century window in the right transept, which depicts scenes from the lives of the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. You see it in the second photo and a... 

Place des Lices

Place des Lices, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  Place des Lices is one of the most typical squares and one of my favourite places in Rennes. It was there that knight jousting used to take place in the Middle Ages. After being enlarged in the 16th century, it hosted the hôtels particuliers. They were the residences of... 

Palais Saint-Georges

Palais Saint-Georges, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  Palais Saint-Georges was originally a Benedictine abbey. It was founded in 1032, rebuilt in the following century and completely remade in the 17th century, when it was given its present appearance. Today, the palace houses administration offices.Beside photographing the... 

Hotels  

Pen'Roc Hotel

 1 Review and 46 Opinions  We stayed there in early Aug 2007 and enjoyed our stay there, The photos on the website do it... 

Mercure Hotel Rennes Centre Pre-Botte

 2 Reviews and 105 Opinions  Reliable Accor product. Clean, comfortable, quiet, good value. Location close to centre. ... 

Nightlife  

Rue de la soif: Most famous street from Rennes

Rue de la soif: Most famous street from Rennes, Rennes

 chess_machine Says:  La rue de la soif, literally Thirst street, is Rennes most famous street. Had heard many times about this street and went there last Friday night. Well, it is said to be really animated, which means sometimes there are also some fights. Last Friday was not animated and the... 

Transportation  

bus airport to train station Rennes

bus airport to train station Rennes, Rennes

 gwened Says:  Rennes train station I pass and change there every week for my job. The trip to Brest is nice;even if not the train fan myself,job obliged.From the airport Rennes ,which is in the village of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande , you take bus 57 ,takes about 20 minutes, cost 1,20€ and... 

The Bus

The Bus, Rennes

 Maximilian21 Says:  The buses are very efficent in rennes but have become much less popular since the advent of the rennes metro system. However it is necessary to take the bus to the outer regions of the cityas the metro is fairly limited in its stops. I ususally live on the outskirts of the... 

Local Customs  

Kissing on the cheeks

Kissing on the cheeks, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  When people meet, they greet with the typical Breton custom of kissing on the cheeks (se faire la bise). As for what I have seen, they exchange either one or two kisses, the two-kiss option seeming slightly predominant. 

Influence Breton

Influence Breton, Rennes

 Maximilian21 Says:  Breton is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany in France. Today it is said that some 2 million people speak this language. Although the Breton language is not universally used in Rennes it can still be seen in places, eg folk songs and some signs... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Opening times of the museum

Opening times of the museum, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  The main goal of my and my parents' trip to Rennes was to visit the rich Musée des Beaux-Arts ("Museum of Fine Arts"). Our guidebook said that the museum was closed on Tuesdays, so we went there on a Monday. When we saw the palace housing the museum (called Palais des... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Great Franco American club

Great Franco American club, Rennes

 gwened Says:  well there i come from the Paris region,and now in Bretagne,so this is the closest to mingle with expats Americans in the region,and celebrate amongst other things Thanksgivinghttp://www.ifa-rennes.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=19&lang=enmany... 

Place du Maréchal Foch

Place du Maréchal Foch, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  This square is really off the beaten path: my guidebook doesn't mention it and I could only find out its name after a long search on the web. Actually, no touristic attraction makes it worth visit, but you may have a rest there. You can see there a big cross, a fountain, a... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Stade de la Route de Lorient

Stade de la Route de Lorient, Rennes

 Maximilian21 Says:  The home of Rennes football club is the stade de la route de lorient. It has recently been renovated and has a capacity of 31 000,which is not bad for a town of 200 000. I used to always love coming here to watch stade rennais, bu would often spend my time watching the... 

Rouges et Noirs

Rouges et Noirs, Rennes

 Maximilian21 Says:  If you want to see some football when in Rennes you can watch Stade Rennais play. They are currently in the first division but are always around the relegation zone. Unfortunantely they dont have the support some of the other teams enjoy but they do perform well considering... 

Favorites  

Jardin du Thabor

Jardin du Thabor, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:  The Jardin du Thabor is the park of Rennes, the lungs of the town. However, don't think it is just a park with trees and some benches. No, no, no! This is a religious place, not because it belonged to the Benedictines who gave it the name of the byblical Palestinian mount,... 

The house of languages!

The house of languages!, Rennes

 Mikebond Says:   This panel is maybe my fondest memory of Rennes. Imagine how a language- and Europe-lover as I am can feel while reading about LA MAISON DES LANGUES - L'esprit international" ("THE HOUSE OF LANGUAGES - The international spirit"). Even more European and keen at learning... 

The Place

Plan a Rennes vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Rennes locals

Experience Rennes
  •   111 Tips and Reviews
  •  299 Photos
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Map of Rennes
 

The People

49 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 the beautiful opera house of Rennes was built in the The 19th century and is located in the centre of the town at the lovely "place de la mairie" The Opera in... 

49 members live in Rennes

 

Questions and Answers

helenabereen profile photo

Q:  My partener and myself are hoping to go to his daughters wedding in Brittany next August.He has MS and walks with a triangular... 

pfsmalo profile photo

A: Unfortunately there is no train station in Dinard now, so the easiest would be take a taxi or bus (not sure if the bus service runs out to the airport) from Rennes-St.... 

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Top Rennes Writers

1

Rennes

Maximilian21 profile photo

 Rennes is the capital of the French région of Brittany. It is the préfecture of the département of Ille-et-Vilaine. With a population of some 220 000 it is the tenth most populous city in France. ... 

2

A French city in Bretagne

Mikebond profile photo

 Rennes is the historical and administrative capital city of Bretagne, but it has been sharing this role with Nantes along the times. When I visited it, I had the impression that Rennes and its... 

3

Rennes

Goner profile photo

  Rennes is the largest city in the Brittany Region of France (Bretagne) with nearly a quarter of a million inhabitants. They have two large universities and many hi-tech factories. You won’t find as... 

4

sandravdp's new Mont St Michel & St Malo Page

sandravdp profile photo

 More near to Brest (but I already filled the page with other stuff nearby) then to Rennes (not using this page for Rennes, sorry) are Mont St Michel and St Malo. These places have walls around and are... 

5

Rennes

grayfo profile photo

 The capital city of Brittany, Rennes takes its name from the Redones, one of the Celtic tribes of pre-Roman times. Rennes is a modern city with a historic centre as well as being the regional capital... 

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