Bed and breakfast accommodation in Rennes Monasteries

Capital of the Brittany region and City of Arts and History, Rennes offers visitors wealth of remarkable architecture in the old town.

From Medieval times to Renaissance houses, the historic centre is lovely to wander around with the cobbled streets. Porte Modelaises gate from the 15th century was formerly the city’s main entrance, and is one of the most beautiful vestige of the town. While in the old town it is also worth stopping at the Place du Champ-Jacquet with the very picturesque old timbered-framed houses. 

An unfortunate building very important also in Rennes’ history is the Parliament of Brittany. The building was partly burnt in 1994, therefore some extensive restoration and renovation work have since given a new life to the historical building. It now houses the Courts of Appeal, and the building is breathtakingly beautiful with the prestigious French-style ceilings, gilded rooms with allegorical paintings. 

To finish on a culture note, the museum of Fine Arts created in 1794 is worth a visit. As the collection started from pieces of art seized after the Revolution, the museum has been growing its collection ever since. Nowadays, the greatest artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Donatelllo are represented. The visitors will travel through history and artistic movements, from the Egyptian antiquities to the contemporary arts. 

Access by train 

There are trains from Rennes from Paris in just under 90 minutes. Then departing from Gare Montparnasse, there are 41 different trains that run between Rennes and Paris each day: that’s one train every half hour.

Access by plane 

There's one airport in Rennes, a few european airlines offer flights to this airport – it is reachable from the city center by direct train (TER) which is only a 5 minute journey. 

How to get around ? 

The metro is the quickest way to get around Rennes, and the bus system is also very thorough. In the centre it is easier to just walk.

Events 

An event not to be missed: the big marché aux Lices market, which takes place every Saturday morning in the Lices square.

At the beginning of July, the Tombées de la Nuit (Nightfalls) festival is an important event when actors, musicians, jugglers and acrobats perform in the city streets.

Rennes is a city with rich religious heritage, and has plenty to offer for the religious oriented travelers. Among the most important religious sites, you will find the Rennes Cathedral, one of the nine historic cathedrals in Brittany. The Roman basilica over the heart of the historic centre is an unmissable monument to see during your stay, as its treasury holds remarkable items such as the pieces of gold and silversmithing and an extremely rare Flemish altarpiece dating back to 1520. 

The religious heritage of Rennes also offers the great Jacobite Couvent which has all the assets of a convention center of today but with an historic setting of the 14th century. The building is no longer operating as a couvent and is hosting many professional events but the beautiful building can be visited. 

Among the many churches of Rennes, the Saint-Yves Chapel now hosts the Tourism Office of Rennes, the monument was built in the 15th century in an elegant flamboyant Gothic style. Originally attached to a hospital managed the Augustinians of the Mercy of Dieppe. From the main facade, the low-arched entrance door is very admirable as the building itself. The former nave hosts today an educational trail tracing the history of the city.