Rennes, the historical capital of Brittany, is located about 350 km west of Paris, and it is only one hour from the seaside and its two most impressive attractions:
- Saint-Malo, a charming walled corsair city and
- Mont Saint-Michel, an iconic tower in the heart of an immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe.
In the following, they are a few ideas for some trips (one day or several days).
A day trip
- Mont-Saint-Michel
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site
- To see: the abbey, the town, and the bay
- Journey: 90 km – 1 hr 20 min (by coach)
- www.ter-sncf.com
- Leave from Rennes coach station (gare routière)
- Tourist Office: www.ot-montsaintmichel.com
- Saint-Malo
- The corsair town beside the sea. (A corsair was a licensed pirate)
- To see: Saint-Malo Intra Muros (the old town within the ramparts), the beaches, and the aquarium
- Journey: 70 km – 50 min. (by TGV high-speed train or local TER train)
- By coach (illenoo): www.illenoo.fr
- Leave from Rennes coach station (gare routière)
- Tourist Office: www.saint-malo-tourisme.com
- Brocéliande
- The forest of legends, in which Merlin the magician, Viviane the fairy, the Knights of the Round Table, and King Arthur have all left their traces
- To see: the Val sans Retour (valley of no-return), with the Étang du Miroir-aux-Fées (fairies’ mirror pool), Merlin’s Seat, the Moulin de la Vallée (mill of the valley), the Arbre d’Or (golden tree), and Merlin’s Tomb
- Brocéliande web site: www.broceliande-pays.com
- Tréhorenteuc Tourist Office: www.valsansretour.com
- Other ideas: Combourg, Dinan, Vitré,…
- Comité Départemental du Tourisme Haute-Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine: www.bretagne35.com
Getting away for a weekend or a few days
- Brittany (Bretagne)
- To see: Côte d’Émeraude (Emerald Coast), Côte Sauvage (Wild Coast), Côte de Granit Rose (Pink Granite Coast), Côte des Légendes (Coast of Legends)
- Bretagne Tourist Office: www.tourismebretagne.com (suggestions for trips and short stays)
- Paris
- Discover the attractions of the capital of France
- To see: historical monuments (e.g. the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysées), museums (e.g. the Louvre), the Georges Pompidou Centre, Notre-Dame cathedral, walks on the banks of the River Seine
- Travel to Paris by train: TGV high-speed train from Rennes to Paris Montparnasse: www.voyages-sncf.com
- Journey: 350 km – 2 hr 5 min. (by TGV)
- Paris Tourist Office: www.parisinfo.com
