We will be traveling in the Loire and Brittany in May 2018 with a group of 4-6 people. Flying into paris and then taking the train to Rennes, will stay there overnight before jumping into the rest of Brittany.
I need advice on Hotels and the most interesting sites to see in Rennes.
Thanks for your help,
Bill
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
Top priority for me would be a walk around the good-sized historic district. There's also the Musee des Beaux-Arts.
Since you are only there for one night, you might prefer to stay near the train station. There are at least three hotels nearby. I stayed at the Campanile, which is the most basic. I don't remember the details (those budget hotels run together), rooms in Campaniles tend to be small and institutional. Desk staff are likely to be young and not the most experienced concierges you'll encounter. I think you and your friends will be happier if you choose a somewhat more up-market spot. The other two hotels near the station are the Novotel Spa Rennes Centre Gare and the Le Sévigné Rennes Centre Gare. I imagine you'll find reviews for all of them, and other Rennes hotels, on booking.com.
In a lot of cities the area around the train station is sort of a dead zone for decent restaurants. Rennes is not like that. I walked past at least two or three decent-looking places not far from the station, on my way to the old town. Of course, there are more options in the historic area.
Posted by
OP
milwaukee, WI, USA
174 posts
Sounds good. I have heard that the historic district is really nice, and may look into hotels in that area. We will probably rent a car the following day, and head out to the emerald coast, unless something catches our eyeing Rennes to keep us there longer
Thanks for the help
Posted by
OP
milwaukee, WI, USA
174 posts
One other question....Do you know if there is a TGV train from CDG to Rennes ?
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
Yes, there are several per day, some not requiring transfers. Schedules with fares are only available through March 12 on the SNCF website, but I think if you enter your actual planned travel date, you'll be able to register your email address so you are notified when your date goes on sale. I have never used this feature and cannot vouch for its reliability, so I'd be checking frequently, since the bargain fares usually need to be snapped up early on. Last-minute fares can be as high as 119 euros, perhaps more.
Be sure to look at the schedule for the correct day of the week.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
There are several TGV trains between CDG and Rennes. There is also a budget train called OuiGo--the fare is only €10 if you book it two months in advance. (Since the website is in French, try Trainline instead.) Depending on when you arrive, this might be a good option. When you get to Rennes you'll be quite tired, so I would take the previous poster's advice and stay near the train station. You can rent your car at the train station--it's very convenient, so it makes sense to stay near there.
Posted by
San Diego
19 posts
Hi Bill,
We did this trip in September 2016. We bought TGV tickets at CDG when we arrived (cost 62 euros one-way) and waited a couple hours for the train to leave the airport.
We stayed three nights in Rennes at Hotel de Nemours. We walked to the hotel from the gare. We liked the area around the hotel.
Our first full day in Rennes we picked up our rental car and drove to lovely Vitre and back thru La Guerche-de-Bretagne and La Roche-aux-Fees. Parking is not cheap in Rennes.
We spent the next day in Rennes. We were disappointed by the Beaux-Arts museum and the Saturday market.
We had a fantastic dinner of moules and crepes at Ouzh Taol - the mussels were small and pink and amazingly sweet.
In hindsight and considering all the other wonderful places to see, we stayed one day too long in Rennes.
We had a fantastic time in Brittany and hope you will, too.
Posted by
USA
402 posts
Rennes is one of my favorite cities! Be sure to visit Thabor park, beautiful grounds. The central area is pedestrian-only and nice to walk around. The Rough Guide has nice coverage of the city, and you can get a lot of info on Rennes and Brittany in general by emailing Stu Dudley on the Fodor's forum. For Britttany in general you should get the Michelin Green guidebook.
Posted by
151 posts
Both close to the train station and the historic centre , you may have a look a the Balthazar hotel. You can tour the city for 4-5 hours, especially the historic centre, a bit more if you wish to enter a museum or the Parliament of Bretagne. Most sites are concentrated on the north side of the Vilaine river, but a short walk on the south side is pleasant too.