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Voykit pocket guide · France
Rennes
Roazhon
Give Rennes one full day plus a second for a day trip: base in the centre, walk the old town, and use it as a rail hub for Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel.
Rennes is the capital of Brittany and a university city of about 220,000, rebuilt in stone after the 1720 fire, with a compact walkable centre and two metro lines. Most travellers use it as a one- or two-night rail base between Paris and the Breton coast. It is a working city rather than a postcard town, and that is the point.
- Country
- France
- Local name
- Roazhon
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds on the coast, not the city), mid-August closures
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18 · By text, for deaf callers 114
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar counter | €1.50–3 |
| Galette (savoury buckwheat crêpe) | €6–12 |
| Galette-saucisse from a market stall | €4–6 |
| Lunch menu (formule) in the centre | €15–22 |
| Dinner, mid-range, per person without wine | €25–40 |
| Draught beer in a bar / can from a shop | €5–8 / €1.50–3 |
| Single metro or bus ticket | €1.50 (check) |
| 5 km taxi ride3.1 mi taxi ride | €15–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RNS · Rennes Bretagne (Saint-Jacques)
- 6 km southwest of the centre; bus C6 runs to the city about every 30 min, roughly 20 min to the art museum stop on Quai Émile Zola (check)3.7 mi southwest of the centre; bus C6 runs to the city about every 30 min, roughly 20 min to the art museum stop on Quai Émile Zola (check)
- CDG · Paris Charles de Gaulle
- Global connections; TGV from the airport area to Rennes, or RER into Paris and change at Montparnasse
- NTE · Nantes Atlantique
- Alternative airport with a similar low-cost mix; about 1 h 20 min by train from Nantes to Rennes
Typical fares
- Airport (RNS) → centre, bus C6
- about €3, roughly 20 min (check)
- Gare de Rennes → Sainte-Anne, metro
- €1.50, about 5 min (check)
- Rennes → Saint-Malo, TER
- about €15–20, about 1 h (check)
- Rennes → Paris Montparnasse, TGV
- from about €30 if booked early, 1 h 30 min (check)
Get around
Walk the centre: cathedral to Parlement is about 10 min, cathedral to Thabor about 15 min. Star metro and buses cover the rest; metro A runs northwest–southeast and metro B northeast–southwest, both through Gares and Sainte-Anne. Bikes are easy, with docking stations across the city. Do not drive into the centre: many streets are restricted and parking is scarce.
See and do
Known for
- Parlement de Bretagne
- Half-timbered old town east of the cathedral
- Parc du Thabor
- Galettes and galette-saucisse
- Les Transmusicales festival
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Malo | TER regional train from Gare de Rennes, about 1 h, hourly | About 1 h 15 min |
| Mont-Saint-Michel | Train to Pontorson then shuttle bus, or a direct coach in season | About 2 h |
| Vitré | TER regional train from Gare de Rennes, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Dinard | Train to Saint-Malo then bus across the Rance, or a BreizhGo coach | 1.5–2 h |
| Montfort-sur-Meu | BreizhGo coach or TER from Rennes | About 45 min |
| Bédée | BreizhGo coach from Rennes | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Centre / Place Sainte-Anne
- Old town, cathedral, bars and the tourist office; walk to everything, metro A and B at Sainte-Anne.
- Around Gare de Rennes
- Cheapest beds and the transport hub; 1 km walk north to the historic centre, metro at Gares.Cheapest beds and the transport hub; 0.6 mi walk north to the historic centre, metro at Gares.
- Place des Lices / Rue Saint-Georges
- Central eating and nightlife, Saturday market on the doorstep; noisier at weekends.
- Thabor / Saint-Melaine
- Quieter residential edge by the park and university; 10–15 min walk to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| Please | S'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ?say kom-BYEN |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ?par-lay voo ahn-GLEH |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- It can rain any day, year-round: pack a light waterproof rather than an umbrella that turns inside out.
- Many restaurants and small shops close on Sunday and Monday, and parts of August.
- The centre is bar-heavy on Thursday nights in term time; expect noise around Sainte-Anne and Rue Saint-Michel.
- Pickpockets work the station and market crowds; keep bags zipped in front.
- Metro and bus stop around 00:30, later on Thursday to Saturday; plan the last ride or a taxi.
Rennes is a safe city by day and mostly at night; the real issues are rain, closed kitchens on Sunday and Monday, and late-night noise around the student bars. Keep to lit streets near Sainte-Anne and the station after midnight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Rennes yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Parlement de Bretagne
- Half-timbered old town east of the cathedral
- Parc du Thabor
- Galettes and galette-saucisse
- Les Transmusicales festival
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Destination Rennes (official tourist office): www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/
- Rennes Métropole (official city): metropole.rennes.fr/
- Rennes Bretagne Airport (official): www.rennes.aeroport.fr/en
- Star — Rennes public transport (official): www.star.fr/
- Wikivoyage: Rennes, revision 5304953 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5304953
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
RennesRoazhon
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Rennes; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in Paris. The US has no consulate in Rennes (check).
Service is included by law in French cafés and restaurants; round up or leave 5–10% for good service. Tap water is free on request.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/rennes). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.