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.