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Rennes, France

Self catering Rennes Holiday Gites, Cottages and Villas to rent

Rennes is found in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the Brittany region of northwestern France.  While Rennes is deservedly classified as a city of art and history, it has more than 200,000 inhabitants - of which about 60,000 are students. When you visit Rennes – this means that the town offers a vibrant night life.

Rennes prides itself in offering cultural events throughout the year, but a favourite is in early July, during the "Festival des Tombées de la Nuit". Its streets are full of people enjoying the free street entertainment and assign the evening at the terraces of the restaurants and cafés.

When you rent a holiday home in Rennes you can enjoy, every Saturday morning, a large food market in the centre of town. When you stay in a holiday villa Rennes, feast on a vast array of fish, crêpes, galettes, fresh meat and other French delicacies!

The Parlement de Bretagne (Parlement of Brittany) is the most famous 17th century building in Rennes. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1994. The Basilica Saint-Sauveur is also located in Rennes’ historical center.

When you stay in self-catering accommodation in Rennes don’t forget to see the colourful traditional timber framed houses, which are situated primarily along the roads of Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Georges, Saint-Guillaume, des Dames, du Chapitre, Vasselot, Saint-Michel, de la Psallette and around the plazas of Champ-Jacquet, des Lices, Saint-Anne and Rallier-du-Baty.

Another highlight when you stay in a holiday gite in Rennes, if you're after natural beauty and tranquility, is the 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.

Other places of interest include: The Fine Arts Museum, situated on Quai Émile Zola (Émile Zola Quay), by the Vilaine River. Les Champs Libres on Esplanade Charles de Gaulle houses the Brittany Museum (Musée de Bretagne), regional library Bibliothèque de Rennes Métropole and a Espace des Sciences science centre with a planetarium.

The Gare de Rennes, opened in 1857, is now two hour and twenty minutes by TGV from Paris. Rennes is also an important train station for regional transport in Brittany.

Rennes has its own airport which is served by Flybe.

Roscoff and St-Malo are the nearest ferry ports. Roscoff serves Brittany Ferries from Plymouth and Cork and Irish Ferries from Rosslare. St Malo welcomes Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth and Condor Ferries form Weymouth, Poole, Guernsey and Jersey.

Brittany is warmer and drier than the south of England, particularly in summer. The south coast of Brittany can be scorching in July and August. However, being in the north west of France, the weather can also set be wet at any time of the year.