Rennes: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 55 - 105 Le Victoria
 Located close to the train station in the centre of Rennes, Le Victoria is a charming boutique hotel that provides high-quality accommodation and a br… MoreEUR 119 - 430 Lecoq-Gadby
 Located in Rennes, Lecoq-Gadby is a 4-star hotel composed of 2 properties. The first offers individually-decorated rooms with traditional furnishings … MoreEUR 63 - 106 Logis Garden Hotel
 Logis Garden Hotel is a charming hotel, situated in central Rennes. It is just a 5-minute walk from the Republique Metro stop and offers a lovely flow… MoreEUR 57 - 89 Le Magenta
 Le Magenta is located in central Rennes next to the Train Station and Gares Metro Station. It offers free Wi-Fi and modern guest rooms with a flat-scr… MoreEUR 40 - 101 Kyriad Rennes Nord
 The Kyriad Rennes Nord welcomes you in Rennes and offers all the necessary amenities for work and leisure stays as well.
Its 55 double, twin and trip… MoreEUR 59 - 118 Hotel Ibis Rennes Gare Sud
 This contemporary-styled hotel is located in the city centre, with direct access to the TGV railway station and the metro. It offers free Wi-Fi access… MoreEUR 32 - 69 Hotel Voltaire
 Hotel Voltaire is located just a few minutes from Rennes city centre, and 1 km from the railway station. It offers en suite facilities in a quiet, gre… MoreEUR 59 - 110 Inter-Hotel Le Sevigne Centre Gare
 Ideally located just 100 m from the train station and a short walk from the historic centre of Rennes, the Inter-Hotel Le Sevigne provides comfortable… MoreEUR 45 - 60 Lorient Hotel
 Located near the centre of Rennes, Lorient Hotel offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs. It is just a few steps from the Ille River.
The gu… MoreEUR 69 - 265 Mercure Rennes Centre Gare
 Mercure Rennes Centre Gare, located in the centre of Rennes, offers comfortable, contemporary accommodation in the magical atmosphere of the Brocelian… MoreEUR 70 - 91 Séjours & Affaires Rennes Longs Champs
 This residence is located in Rennes, just 600 metres from Rennes Atalante Beaulieu Business Park. It offers modern studios with kitchenette and flat-… MoreEUR 43 - 130 Séjours & Affaires Rennes Villa Camilla
 The Séjours & Affaires Rennes Villa Camilla offers quick access to central Rennes and is close to the Atalante Champeaux activity site. It offers wel… MoreEUR 119 - 150 Symphonie des Sens
 Symphonie des Sens is a bed and breakfast set in a charming 16th-century building in the centre of Rennes. It offers cosy and elegantly decorated room… MoreEUR 43 - 115 Séjours & Affaires Rennes de Bretagne
 This modern residence offers peaceful and functional apartments in the very heart of Rennes, the capital of Brittany.
Résidence De Bretagne benefit… MoreEUR 80 - 99 Rennes Attitude
 The Rennes Attitude is located next to the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Rennes city centre. This unique design residence offers individually-themed suites … MoreEUR 60 - 265 Mercure Rennes Centre Parlement
 Set in a former printing press, this hotel is located in a quiet street in the city of Rennes. It offers free soft drinks and free Wi-Fi, and rooms wi… MoreEUR 60 - 310 Mercure Rennes Centre Place BR
 The Mercure Rennes Centre Place BR offers comfortable accommodation and secure, on-site parking in the heart of Rennes, near the Metro, Place de la Re… MoreEUR 69 - 250 Novotel Rennes Alma
 This Novotel is located on the outskirts of Rennes, a 15-minute drive from the airport and Exposition centre. It offers modern rooms with air conditio… MoreEUR 79 - 85 Hotel Des Lices
 The Hôtel des Lices is ideally located in the historic centre of Rennes, in one of the city’s most beautiful squares.
Choose among 45 bright rooms… MoreEUR 59 - 92 Hotel De Nemours
 This hotel is located in the heart of Rennes, a few minutes away from the historical centre, shops, restaurants, cafes and cinemas. It offers free Wi-… MoreEUR 40 - 95 Brit Hotel Du Stade
 Located a 10-minute drive from Rennes city centre, this Brit Hotel du Stade is easily accessible by the N24 motorway. It offers soundproofed accommoda… MoreEUR 40 - 75 Brit Hotel Le Castel
 Located a 10-minute drive from Rennes´ city centre, Brit Hotel is 15 minutes from the airport and Exposition Centre. It offers soundproofed acco… MoreEUR 44 - 121 Campanile Rennes Atalante
 Set just outside Rennes, this Campanile enjoys easy access from the train station and airport, and offers functional and good value accommodation.
Th… MoreEUR 36 - 72 Atlantic Hotel
 Situated in the centre of Rennes, the Atlantic Hotel offers guests easy access to the theatres, Le Liberté, Les Champs Libres, the TGV and metro and … MoreEUR 39 - 375 Appart´city Rennes Saint-Grégoire
 The Appart´city Rennes Saint-Grégoire is located in a quiet area, a few kilometres from central Rennes. It offers furnished apartments with kit… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rennes: Guide
Rennes is the captial city of Brittany, France.
Understand
Rennes is not often mentioned on tourist guides but this medium size town is well worth a visit. It has about 200,000 inhabitants, of which about 50,000 are students. This gives the town a vibrant night life. Some streets, such as the Rue Saint Michel, have only one type of shop on both sides: Bars!(The locals actually call "Rue Saint Michel" "la rue de la soif", which means the "Street of Thirst"). A stroll down Rue Saint Michel on a Friday or Saturday evening is a very interesting experience indeed. However, if youre really in the mood to "faire la fête", celebrate or just have fun in other words, the most exciting night on "Rue de la Soif" would be the "Jeudi Soir", Thursday nights, during the school year. Jeudi Soir is the night were the bars are most often packed to the brim with students. The sights on Thursday nights out on the town are very memorable and intresting.
Rennes is particularly nice in early July, during the "Festival des Tombées de la Nuit". Its streets are then full of people enjoying the free street entertainment and eating or drinking at the terraces of the restaurants and cafés.
Rennes used to virtually empty after the 15th of July, as most of its inhabitants were migrating to the coast until the 15th August. In recent years, this trend seems to have stopped and Rennes's terraces and cafes are now bustling throughout the year.
Get in
Starting from May 2005, Rennes airport has its first budget flights, to and from Southampton thanks to .
The easiest way to get to Rennes from Paris is through Gare Montparnasse. There are trains almost every hour and the ride is 2hrs and 20 min.
Day tickets can be bought for €3 a day, and are valid on both the bus and metro.
Rennes offers very good options for cyclists. With plenty of cycle lanes, the town has plenty of cyclists. For residents of the town, bikes can be borrowed free of charge from the mayor's office. These bikes aren't particularly good, but they work and have gears, so its worth checking them out. If you're after a pleasant cycling trip, check out the canal route. This is flat, and therefore not very arduous.
Every Saturday morning, until 13h30, there is a large food market in the centre of town, where you can buy low price fruit and veg, a vast array of fish, crêpes, galettes, fresh meat and other French delicacies such as wine, snails and cheeses. This is always bustling with people trying to buy low-price groceries and meat. The market is based in the Place des Lices, an 8 minute walk from the main bus station, Republique.
There is an ice rink which isn't too expensive called Le Blizz. To get there, its the number 3 bus, with Patinoire the required stop.
There's also rue d'Oréans one of the main streets directly across from République (the metro side). The street runs straight up, through Place de la Mairie, and towards St. Anne. There are stores everywhere for everything!
You can also take the #3 bus towards Alma to get to the Alma shopping mall and to one of the best grocery/everything else stores -- Carrefour. It's almost like a giant Target; it's that sort of store.
Rue St Georges has innumerable creperies. This street has a certain olde
O'Connell's Irish Pub - a VERY popular Irish pub located at 6-7, Place du Parlement. Ask anyone and I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction. St. Patrick's Day at this place is insane - the pub becomes packed to capacity. Same rules apply for any big sporting events. Monday nights from 7pm-11pm and Thursday nights from 7pm-close are happy hour. A pint of beer/stout/ale is 4 Euros (and in some cases, less) during happy hour -- just check the little posters up on the walls at the bar (or ask the bartenders, they're all very friendly and most, if not all, of them are anglophones). Not only do the anglophones love this place, but the French do too.
Westport Inn - another Irish pub located at 36, rue de Dinan. It's smaller, but it's got an authentic feel to it, and the drinks are slightly cheaper than at O'Connell's. It's just down the street from Place des Lices. But, according to the sign on the window, you're not allowed to bring in nuclear weapons, so if you're packing, go elsewhere :)
The campsite at Rennes is rather large. To get there, take the number 3 bus, and get off at the Park de Gauyelles stop. The neighbouring park has much to offer, including an ice rink and sports facilities.
But depending on when you decide to go, some of the local hotels may offer better (and more comfortable and convenient) deals. Check them out too!
It is fairly easy to travel in France, therefore it would be clever to take advantage of the beautiful cities and costal scenery in Bretagne. St Malo, a wonderful coastal town on the English Channel, is only 45 minutes by the TGV and usually costs less than 10 euros. Buses are also available for cheaper but take a bit longer.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Rennes". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.Get around
By bus
In Rennes, there is a very good public transport system. Rennes offers 38 different bus routes and a metro, with 1 bus every 5 minutes for the metro and main bus lines at the peak hours. The hub of the network is at Republique, which feeds most of the 38 different routes, and it is here where you can buy day, weekly, monthly or yearly travel passes. This bus and metro network connects all parts of Rennes, and so you're never far from a bus stop. All the bus stops conveniantly have a map (une carte) of Rennes with all the lines on, and a timetable for the routes it provides, so there isn't much chance of getting lost. By train
The metro, called the VAL, has only one line with 15 stops and connects the main train station to the centre-ville. STAR (the company that runs the buses and underground) claims that their network has the cheapest prices in France, with a single ticket (valid for an hour after validation) costing €1.10. By bike
See
One highlight of Rennes, if you're after natural beauty and tranquility, is Parc Thabor. This park has a stunning collection of plantlife, including a large bed of hundreds of species of roses, tropical, African and European trees, other beautiful and rare plants, and offers the traveller a chance to see some budgies. There are cages with a dozen of different sorts of small colourful birds. To get to Parc Thabor from Republique station, take bus number 3 (direction St. Laurient) and get off at the Thabor stop.
Do
Rennes football club is a team in the top French football league, and has its stadium in Rennes, with tickets for matches start from €8.Buy
There is a large shopping mall at Place du Colombier about 300m north west of the train station. The Metro stops there. C & A and Habitat are two of the stores that are in the mall.Eat
world charm.Drink
Funky Munky - 37, rue St. Melaine, a cool vodka/cocktail bar located near an entrance for the Thabor park. Drinks are relatively cheap -- the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. The bar serves 30 flavors of vodka, numerous cocktails (including a Long Island Iced Tea, Cosmos, Sex on the Beach, and a delicious drink called a Purple Turtle), and a few beers on tap or in bottles. The bar hosts a poetry slam every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, and a quiz night every Monday from about 8pm on. The bartender (and owner!) speaks both French AND English, so don't worry about having to speak perfect French.Sleep
The cheapest place to stay, as with most places, is the local youth hostel. This is found in a pleasant area by the canal. Prices for a night start from €12.60. Get out