City guide
What to do around Rennes: 10 day trips
Brocéliande, Vitré, Fougères, Combourg, Bécherel, Saint-Malo and Dinan: ten day trips less than an hour from Rennes, for a day or an afternoon.
6 min read
Rennes is in the centre of Ille-et-Vilaine: legendary forests, medieval fortresses, small towns of character and the sea are all less than an hour away. Here are our ten favourite day trips.
The forest of Brocéliande
Forty five minutes to the west, the Paimpont forest is the Brocéliande of Arthurian legend: the Val sans Retour, Merlin’s tomb, the Barenton spring. The Lac de Trémelin, on the way, offers swimming in summer.
Vitré and Fougères, the fortresses of the east
Vitré keeps its castle with pointed towers and its half timbered streets. Fougères has one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, at the foot of the upper town.
Combourg, Bécherel and the small towns
The Château de Combourg, where Chateaubriand grew up, overlooks its lake. Bécherel, the book town, Châteaugiron and Bazouges-la-Pérouse make lovely half day stops.
The ten day trips
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.
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.
CastleChâteau de CombourgCombourg · 1 hour 30 to 2 hoursBetween four massive towers, Combourg brings together a medieval fortress, a romantic park and memories of François-René de Chateaubriand’s childhood.
VillageBécherelBécherel · At least 2 hours, ideally half a day; a full day during the book market or major eventsPerched on a hill north of Rennes, Bécherel turns its old lanes into a huge open-air bookshop, with around fifteen bookshops, art workshops and literary events.
VillageChâteaugironChâteaugiron · 2 hours to half a day, longer with a guided tour and an exhibitionOn the edge of Rennes, Châteaugiron brings together a medieval castle, a 38-metre keep, half-timbered houses, old sailcloth merchants’ streets and a cultural programme in a very well-preserved setting.
Natural siteLac de TrémelinIffendic · 2 hours for the lake loop, a full day with childrenA lake of about 50 hectares in an estate of forest and heathland 30 minutes from Rennes: an accessible 5 km loop, a Blue Flag beach lifeguarded in summer, tree-top adventure and kayaking. Free entry.
VillageBazouges-la-PérouseBazouges-la-Pérouse · 2 hours to half a day in the village, a full day with the Villecartier forest or the Jardins de la BallueBetween Fougères and Combourg, Bazouges-la-Pérouse blends medieval streets, granite houses, contemporary art, poetry and Upper Brittany traditions.
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.
VillageDinan, historic centreDinan · A full day recommended, half a day minimumDinan unfolds more than two kilometres of ramparts, half-timbered houses, a castle, a basilica, the Rue du Jerzual and a port on the Rance, in one of the most spectacular medieval ensembles in Brittany.
The sea an hour away
Saint-Malo and Dinan are an hour away by the dual carriageway, Cancale a little further. Mont-Saint-Michel, in Normandy, is the same distance.
Where to stay in Rennes
Stay in Rennes
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Going further
Rennes, in the journal
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