Ille-et-Vilaine

The Ille-et-Vilaine department is in eastern Brittany, and its capital is Rennes, one of France's most dynamic student and technology cities. This department stretches from the northern coast of the English Channel (Saint-Malo) to Brittany's inland plains, and the historic walled city of Saint-Malo is one of its main attractions. Its economy combines information and telecommunications technology (Rennes is known as a French tech hub), agriculture and coastal tourism. With a reasonable cost of living, prestigious universities and a high quality of life, Rennes is considered one of the best cities in France for students and young people.

Rennes, Saint-Malo, Fougères, Vitré

• Université de Rennes - A multidisciplinary university (sciences, law, economics, medicine, etc.) with several campuses in the city.
• Université Rennes 2 - A large university in the fields of arts, languages, humanities and social sciences; its main campus, Villejean, is in Rennes.

Rennes is one of the relatively safe student cities; the city center and neighborhoods around the universities are usually lively and busy. Around the train station and in some neighborhoods, harassment and noise may increase somewhat late at night, but compared to many other metropolises, it feels quite safe. Saint-Malo and other small coastal towns are mostly quiet and touristy.

The STAR network covers Rennes's public transport (bus + metro) and is sufficient for daily movement around the city. For travel to Saint-Malo and other Breton towns, TER trains and BreizhGo buses are used.