France - Rennes

At just over 200,000 residents, Rennes is not often mentioned on tourist guides but this town is well worth a visit. It is very much a student town which gives the town a vibrant night life. Some streets, such as the Rue Saint Michel, are solely full of bars. A stroll down Rue Saint Michel on a Friday or Saturday evening is certainly interesting experience.

Cheap flights, accommodation and holidays to Rennes, Brittany

Rennes is particularly nice in early July, during the "Festival des Tombées de la Nuit". Its streets are then full of people enjoying the free street entertainment and eating or drinking at the terraces of the restaurants and cafés.

Rennes used to be virtually empty after the 15th of July, as most of its inhabitants were migrating to the coast until the 15th August. In recent years, this trend seems to have stopped and Rennes's terraces and cafes are now bustling throughout the year.

The airport is less than 5km away from the city centre, and there is a good bus link with the city.

Rennes has a very good public transport system. Daily tickets can be bought for €3 a day, and are valid on both the bus and metro. Rennes offers more than 50 different bus routes and a metro, with 1 bus every 5 minutes for the metro and main bus lines at the peak hours. The hub of the network is at Republique, which feeds most of the 50 different routes. This bus and metro network connects all parts of Rennes, and so you're never far from a bus stop. All the bus stops conveniently have a map of Rennes with all the lines on, and a timetable for the routes it provides, so there isn't much chance of getting lost.

One highlight of Rennes, if you're after natural beauty and tranquility, is the Thabor. A park with a great collection of plants, including hundreds of species of roses, tropical, African and European trees, other beautiful and rare plants.

Nearby, Mont St Michel  is a granite island located north-eastward of Rennes in the region of Basse-Normandie. It's the 3rd most visited monument in France, which will be under restoration until 2012. The main part of the island is the abbey of Mt St Michel.

Every Saturday morning, from 6am to 1:30pm, there is a large food market in the centre of town, where you can buy low price fruit and veg, a vast array of fish, crêpes, galettes, fresh meat and other French delicacies such as wine, snails and cheeses.

As most French cities there is a good selection of museums, and other cultural sites within the city.

So whether it is a short break in a vibrant youthful city that you are looking for, or a gateway to North West France, Rennes is a great starting point.