Christmas
What to do in Rennes during the Christmas holidays
The Christmas market on the Mail, the Christmas village on Place du Parlement, the “Fourmis” exhibition, the ice rink and the Lices market: our ideas for the 2026 Christmas holidays in Rennes.
5 min read
The 2026 Christmas holidays run from Saturday 19 December to Monday 4 January 2027, for all three zones. Rennes is one of the liveliest cities in Brittany in December: two Christmas markets, illuminations in the old centre and great museums for rainy days.
Christmas 2026 events in Rennes
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 21 November to 31 December | Christmas market | Mail François-Mitterrand |
| 29 November to 4 January | Christmas village | Place du Parlement |
| 2 to 6 December | Rencontres Trans Musicales | Exhibition centre |
| Until 7 March 2027 | “Fourmis” exhibition, from age 5 | Espace des sciences, Champs Libres |
| Every Saturday morning | Lices market | Place des Lices |
Two Christmas markets
The market on the Mail François-Mitterrand, along the Vilaine, opens first. The Christmas village then sets up in front of the Parliament of Brittany, whose illuminated façade is the city’s most beautiful backdrop in December.
Rainy days
The “Fourmis” exhibition at Les Champs Libres, the Musée de Bretagne and the Musée des Beaux-Arts easily fill a day. The Blizz ice rink usually runs a festive programme during the holidays.
Under cover in Rennes
MuseumMusée de BretagneRennes · 2 to 3 hours for the permanent exhibition, longer with the Dreyfus routeAt the Champs Libres in Rennes, a large free museum tracing the history of Brittany from prehistory to today, with nearly a million objects and documents held together with the Écomusée de la Bintinais.
MuseumRennes Museum of Fine ArtsRennes · 1 h 30 to 2 h 30On Quai Zola, a free museum mixing a cabinet of curiosities, antiquities, European masters, Georges de La Tour, drawings and modern art. The permanent collections are free all year.
MuseumÉcomusée de la BintinaisRennes · 2 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with the familyThe former Écomusée du Pays de Rennes: a large 19-hectare historic farm on the edge of the city, with a museum, 21 old breeds, nearly 120 apple varieties and bocage. Free entry.- MarketMarché des LicesRennes · 1 to 2 hoursOn Saturday mornings, nearly 250 producers and traders gather on Place des Lices, around the Martenot halls: the second-largest market in France.
A day out of the city
The forest of Brocéliande in winter, the ramparts of Saint-Malo pounded by the sea, or the castles of Vitré and Fougères: everything is less than an hour away.
Less than an hour away
Natural siteForêt de BrocéliandePaimpont · 1 day minimum, ideally 2 or 3 daysNearly 12,000 hectares around Paimpont, with forests, heathland, lakes and purple schist: the Val sans Retour, the Fontaine de Barenton, Merlin’s Tomb. A mostly private forest, with waymarked trails.
Heritage siteSaint-Malo Intra-MurosSaint-Malo · A dayA walled city entirely encircled by 1,754 metres of granite ramparts, facing the Channel, to the rhythm of the highest tides in Europe.
CastleChâteau de VitréVitré · 1 h 30 to 2 hoursOn its rocky spur, the Château de Vitré is a spectacular triangular fortress housing a museum and the town hall, in the heart of a remarkably well-preserved medieval town.
CastleChâteau de FougèresFougères · 2 to 2 h 30With its towers and three walled enclosures, Fougères has one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in Europe, in the heart of the former Marches of Brittany.
Where to stay in Rennes
Stay in Rennes
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
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Going further
Rennes, in the journal
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