It is situated at the junction of the Oust and Vilaine rivers and Nantes-Brest canal, which makes it well known for its autumn and winter floods.

In 832, Conwoion, a Breton monk with the help of the Carolingian Emperor Louis the Pious founded the abbey of Saint-Sauveur de Redon.

The town developed around the abbey until a small rural community of 6,000 inhabitants was formed in the 1960s.

In the Middle Ages, Redon benefitted from maritime commerce due to its location on the Vilaine.

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 10 October 2008.