Self-guided walking tours in Rennes

Rennes is a compact city that rewards walking: the old town sits inside the ring of boulevards, the Thabor stands just past place Saint-Melaine, and the mosaic trail runs south and east of the center. The three walks on this page all start and finish in the middle of town, and the at-a-glance box shows the route's real distances and walking times.

For this Rennes itinerary, the best months are April to June and September: the Thabor stays open until 20:00 or 20:30, the orangerie's exhibitions are on, and the Saint-Georges pool is open outside school holidays. July and August have the longest evenings, but the pool closes for the school holidays. In October the exhibitions still run but the Thabor shuts at 18:30, and from November to March the exhibition rooms close too, while the streets, churches and market carry on.

Saturday is market day in Rennes. The Lices market fills place des Lices from 7:30 to 13:30, which is why the day plan puts the old town first; the rest of the route runs to its own weekly and seasonal hours, with the cathedral open 9:30 to 18:00 and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays; the tourist office lists a 12:00 to 15:00 break, so go in the morning.

This itinerary needs no car: every stop is in the center or on the edge of it, and the day is built to run on foot, with the slot notes telling you what follows what. If you would rather break it up, each of the three walks also works on its own as a short outing.

The guided visits run by the Rennes tourist office, including the Odorico mosaic walk and the Parlement de Bretagne visits, are given in French, and the pages list them as visits in French. The self-guided walks on this page need no language at all; their commentary travels with the route.

A day like this one costs roughly €30 to €60 a person. Guided visits start at €6.50, a swim at the Saint-Georges pool is €5.70 for an adult and €2.45 for under-18s, and the rest is food; the cathedral, the basilicas, the gardens and the free exhibition rooms ask nothing at the door.

Before and After the Fire covers the most of Rennes for a half day: it runs through the old town's timber lanes, the Lices market square, the last city gate and the squares rebuilt after 1720, and on a Saturday the market turns the walk into lunch. The Thabor and the Odorico trail make good alternatives if you are staying longer.

Rennes's center stays busy into the evening, and this route keeps to streets and squares with people around. The one hard deadline is the Thabor: its gates close between 18:30 and 20:30 depending on the season. On the cobbles of the old town, take care with your footing after rain.