Roazhon Park

Roazhon Park is one of the more enjoyable away day experiences in Ligue 1, and visiting supporters who make the trip to Brittany tend to come away with positive memories of both the city and the stadium itself.

Away fans are typically housed in the south-east corner of the ground, safely contained between the Tribune Ville de Rennes (East Stand) and the Tribune Sud.

The East Stand is located behind the opposite goal and features an identical structural design to the West Stand. Sightlines from the away section are generally good, as the stand is steeply raked and positioned tightly around the pitch.

The atmosphere inside Roazhon Park can be genuinely intense, particularly for derby matches against Nantes, Lorient or Brest.

The matchday experience is further enhanced by local culture, with supporters frequently sampling the traditional galette-saucisse – a Breton sausage wrapped in a buckwheat pancake – which is sold by vendors outside the ground.

Relations between home and away fans are generally good. There are rarely any incidents of trouble at Roazhon Park, and visiting supporters consistently report being made to feel welcome both inside and around the ground.

• Aux Armes Rennais
• Allez Allez Stade Rennes
• Nous Sommes Les Rennais
• Le Stade Avec Nous

Given the compact, English-style design of the ground, there is honestly no particularly bad place to sit at Roazhon Park.

All four stands are steeply raked and positioned tightly around the pitch, which means that the view from almost every seat is excellent.

That said, if you are visiting as a neutral and want the best combination of a clear view and a good atmosphere, then the Tribune Ouest or Tribune Est – which run along the sides of the pitch are the best options.

The Tribune Ouest (West Stand / Tribune Groupe Rose) is the main home fan sector, located behind the home goal. It features a large upper tier dominating a smaller lower tier and is known for an intense and vocal atmosphere.

Roazhon Park seating plan

• Fox and Friends Pub
• O’Connell’s Irish Pub
• Tiffany’s Pub Rennes

There is plenty to keep you fed and watered along the Route de Lorient before heading into the ground.

The Roazhon Pub – Bar Restaurant Guinguette is a popular option for supporters looking for a drink and a bite to eat close to the stadium.

Further along, nearer the ground, the Football Bar (No. 110) is equally unmissable, with two large glass cases – one displaying a pictorial history of Stade Rennais, the other a collection of scarves from visiting clubs. Celtic fans, in Rennes for the Europa League in 2011, also left a flag behind.

Opposite the stadium, Cafe des Sports – Chez Marco (No. 132) is a large, football-focused establishment with a regularly updated league table posted up on the wall.

It stands on the corner of Rue Jean-Pierre Calloc’h, where restaurant La Planque serves local dishes if you are after a pre-match meal.

Behind Tribune Super U, still on the main road, Leon le Cochon is one of the finest restaurants of its kind in the area – an expansive establishment tastefully decorated with framed photographs documenting key moments in the history of Stade Rennais.

South of the Route de Lorient, you will also find a Flunch (a popular French self-service restaurant chain), a McDonald’s and a Subway slightly further to the east.
Inside the stadium, food and drink is available before kick-off and at half time.

The options are typical of a Ligue 1 ground – hot snacks, sandwiches, burgers, fries, soft drinks, hot drinks and alcohol. Prices are reasonable by football stadium standards.

The must-try is the galette-saucisse, a Breton sausage wrapped in a galette (a buckwheat pancake), which is sold by vendors outside and around the stadium.

It is frequently mentioned by visiting supporters as a highlight of the matchday experience and is a distinctly local touch that you would not find at most other grounds in France.

Galette-saucisse

Stade Rennais strongly encourages supporters to use public transport and soft mobility options when travelling to the ground.

By bicycle

One of the small pleasures of a matchday visit is travelling to Roazhon Park through the streets of Rennes or along the towpath beside the River Vilaine. Three hundred bike stands are available close to the Moulin du Comte (eastern sector) and near the bridge leading to the E.Leclerc shopping centre (western sector).

By metro

Two metro lines cross the city from north to south and east to west. The closest station to Roazhon Park is Cleunay on Line B, which is a 16-minute walk from the ground. Drivers can also leave their vehicles at one of eight Park and Ride facilities and continue by metro.

By stadium bus

A dedicated stadium bus leaves Republique for Roazhon Park every five to ten minutes before kick-off. After the final whistle, 12 stadium buses are available to take supporters directly back to their part of Rennes, passing through République on the way.

By car

When travelling from the north or south, take exit 10 from the ring road at Porte de Lorient. Note that on matchdays, a security perimeter is in place around the stadium, and vehicle access is only permitted for those who have been allocated a parking space by the club in advance.

As a stadium substantially rebuilt between 1999 and 2004, Roazhon Park is considerably more accessible than many older grounds in France. The main entrances are at ground level and accessible routes are available throughout the concourses.

The compact stadium has six access ramps leading to four elevator shafts, facilitating movement around the ground, though some lower-level areas may require assistance from stadium staff.

Accessible parking is available near the stadium entrance for disabled supporters and must be requested and purchased in advance from the club. Priority entrances are available for supporters with reduced mobility, allowing entry without waiting in the main queue.

Wheelchair spaces with companion seating are provided across multiple stands, and accessible toilet facilities are located in the main stands.

Supporters with specific accessibility requirements are strongly advised to contact the club directly in advance via… to confirm seating arrangements and any additional assistance that may be needed.

Tickets to see Stade Rennais can be purchased online, at the stadium ticket booths or official club shop, or through third-party vendors such as France billet and Ticketnet. As Rennes do not always sell out at home, it is often possible to purchase tickets on the day of the match, though this is of course not guaranteed.

Price-wise, tickets tend to start at just under €10 for a seat behind the goal, rising to around €40 for a central seat in the main stand. Prices typically increase by €5–20 when Les Rouges et Noirs host the bigger clubs in the league.

Roazhon Park by stand:

Stadium tours at Roazhon Park are available and are organised through the Rennes Tourist Board rather than directly through the club. Tours typically run once a week on Tuesday afternoons, usually departing around 2:30pm, though availability and scheduling can vary depending on the time of year and whether a match is taking place.

The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and takes visitors behind the scenes at Stade Rennais, including access to the home dressing room, the press room, the players’ tunnel and the pitch side. The tour also includes a visit to the Galeries des Legendes, an interactive exhibition dedicated to the history of the club, which is a worthwhile addition in its own right.

Tickets are priced at €15 for adults and €10 for concessions. Tours are conducted in French. Booking in advance is recommended and can be done via the Rennes Tourist Board or by contacting them directly.

Roazhon Park is one of the oldest football stadiums in France, having first opened in 1912.

Stade Rennais’ previous ground was situated on the south bank of the River Vilaine, but regular flooding forced the club to find a new home on higher ground to the west of the city, on the main road out towards Lorient.

The stadium was officially inaugurated on 15 October 1912 with a match against Racing Club de France. At that point it was a modest facility, with a capacity of around 3,000 and a wooden grandstand, but it grew steadily over the following decades as football’s popularity expanded across France.

Renovations in the late 1930s and again through the 1950s significantly increased the capacity, and by the post-war era the stadium could accommodate just under 30,000 spectators.

The ground hosted matches during UEFA Euro 1984, which demonstrated its standing as one of the leading venues in western France.

In 1987, a new stand was constructed – inspired by the design of Munich’s Olympiastadion – but the project stalled after just one stand when the club were relegated. It was not until the mid-1990s, as Rennes’ form on the pitch improved, that a full redevelopment finally got underway

A €37 million project, backed by the City of Rennes and designed by architect Bruno Gaudin, saw all four stands either fully rebuilt or substantially renovated between 1999 and 2004. The revamped stadium officially reopened on 18 August 2004 with a friendly between the French and Bosnian national teams.

Formerly known as the Stade de la Route de Lorient, the ground was renamed Roazhon Park in 2015 – Roazhon being the Breton-language name for Rennes. The rename was put to a vote among supporters, who backed it as an expression of regional Breton identity, and new red seating was installed throughout the ground at the same time.

In 2019, the stadium was selected as a host venue for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, staging six matches including a round of 16 tie and a quarter-final. It has also hosted several France national team fixtures over the years and the semi-finals of the Top 14 rugby union competition in 2016.

Record attendance:

Average attendances:

FC Nantes

The most intense of all Rennais rivalries, this fixture is known as the Derby de la Bretagne. It generates the most passion and the highest ticket demand of any home fixture in the Roazhon Park calendar. Nantes, based around 100 kilometres to the south, are considered the primary rival.

FC Lorient

En Avant Guingamp

Stade Brestois 29