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France is a country with a centuries-old history, many beautiful sights and beautiful cities, attracting thousands of tourists with its beauty. One of the most beautiful cities in the country is Rennes – a city which is located in the north of the country, in the region of Brittany and is its capital. Over two hundred thousand people live in the city and the history of the city goes back more than one and a half thousand years. The Celtic tribe of Redon lived in the territory of Rennes at one time. Today it is a particularly important cultural, sports, economic and scientific centre in France. Life in the city is in full swing when thousands of tourists visit it every year. Night festivals are held, thousands of students from many countries come to study here and you can feel the spirit of Breton freedom all around you.
How to get to the city
The city is geographically located in the Brittany region, 310km west of Paris. Rennes Airport is located 7km from the city centre and serves mainly domestic flights as well as summer English charters and low-cost airlines. The most convenient way to arrive from another country is to travel by plane to Paris and then by train or car to Rennes. You can get from Paris to Rennes by train in 2 hours and 8 minutes.
Transport in the city
Rennes has a well-developed public transport system. There are more than fifty bus routes in the city. In addition, there is one automated metro line with fifteen stops, twelve of which are underground. There is a municipal bicycle rental program which charges one euro per day. They also offer bicycle taxi services at a cost of one euro per passenger and one euro per kilometre per person.
Cuisine and restaurants in the city
You can try both traditional French cuisine and dishes from other European countries in the city. In particular, Rennes has brasseries and creperies where you can try Rennes pancakes. The city also has so-called gastronomic restaurants – establishments that usually have a Michelin star. Traditional dishes of Rennes cuisine are pancakes, biscuits, sausages, caramel with salted butter filling, apple cider and aromatic soft beer. Also, you can buy fresh farm produce from local farms every Saturday from six in the morning until two o’clock in the afternoon at the Place des Lices in the city centre.
The most famous restaurants in Rennes include:
- L`Auberge St-Sauveur – a classic restaurant located in a mediaeval mansion near the cathedral. It has many meat dishes.
- Le Chouin – a fish restaurant with a wide range of fish and seafood dishes.
- Le Khalifa – an African restaurant that offers a variety of African dishes, for instance, Senegalese marinated chicken, Cameroonian beef stew, etc.
- Le Parc a Moules – a restaurant whose calling card is mussels prepared in thirty two different ways.
Shopping and stores
The city has many boutiques where you can buy various goods, in particular perfumes, outerwear, shoes, furniture, accessories, etc. There are also shops of famous brands with a worldwide reputation and, in addition, local manufacturers who produce extremely good high-quality products.
Attractions and entertainment
Rennes is a city like most cities in France with a long history so there are a lot of attractions to visit. Therefore there are a lot of attractions that are worth seeing for all who visit the city.
Brittany Parliament building
The building, which dates back to the 17th century, is an early Baroque building. Today it houses a courthouse, but some rooms are open for tours by prior arrangement. The building was damaged during a fishermen’s protest in 1994 and required significant restoration.
Saint Paul’s Cathedral
This is a neoclassical church and was built in the 19th century, but the beginning of its construction dates back to 1560. The cathedral was erected on the site of an existing cathedral. There are many paintings, decorations and there is gilding inside although the exterior is quite restrained and austere. Of particular note is the 16th-century marble altar, the wooden pulpit and the 1874 organ.
Porte Mordelaise
This is a former gate which leads to the city. It was built in the 15th century. It is one of the remains of one of the city’s fortifications which existed hundreds of years ago. It consists of two massive towers, a drawbridge over a moat and the remains of a barbican. The building underwent constant reconstruction and changed its purpose many times over the centuries.
Art Museum
The museum was founded during the French Revolution in 1794 when many works of art were confiscated from local churches and public buildings and transferred to the museum. Here you can see a large number of exhibits which range from antiquity to the art of later eras, in particular works by Botticelli, Donatello, Picasso and others.
Rennes is a unique and beautiful city located in an interesting region. In addition to the sights of the city itself, the districts are worthy of attention – the region of Brittany itself, mediaeval cities located near Rennes, unique nature, rivers and small villages. All this is definitely worth visiting!
