Rennes Things to Do

Rennes is the capital of Brittany (one of the 26 admintrative regions of France). The court of justice was established in 1554 by King Henry II and the name was the "Parlement" of Brittany (Bretagne). In 1561 the Parlement was set up in Rennes so it needed a building. Drafting the plans alone took 50 years, then another 90 years to build - 1618-1709. Fires threatened the building in 1720 as well as in present days in 1994, when some 17th century wood works in the Pas Perdus room dissappeared in the fire. The interior of the Parlement worth a visit.

This is I guess the largest building in Rennes. Built on the bank of the Villaine river relatively recent - 1885-1929 - it was raised to obscure the smaller buildings behind and give the city a more modern look.

It housed the commodities exchange and the postal and telegraph office. Now it's the post office.

In February 1994, a fire tore through the 17th-century Parliament building, arguably the most famous building in Rennes, the capital of the French province of Brittany. Now rebuilt it houses the Rennes Court of Appeal.

This church is not important, but you will see it when you go to spend some time at the jardin du Thabor (see next tip).
Sainte-Mélaine was the church of the Benedictine abbey The only original parts that have remained until today are the transept (11th century) and the tower (14th century) because all the rest was rebuilt in the 17th century.

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Saint-Germain is a Gothic church built in the 15th and 16th centuries. You should look at the large 16th-century window in the right transept, which depicts scenes from the lives of the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. You see it in the second photo and a description of it in the fifth photo of this tip.
Besides, the third and fourth images in this tip show two modern windows on the nave designed by Max Ingrand (I have never heard of him!).

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Place des Lices is one of the most typical squares and one of my favourite places in Rennes. It was there that knight jousting used to take place in the Middle Ages. After being enlarged in the 16th century, it hosted the hôtels particuliers. They were the residences of members of Parliament built in a kind of medieval-like style. You can still see these half-timbered houses around the square and in some streets nearby. (To be honest, I'm not sure that all of these pictures refer to this square. Some could have been taken in another place).
Today, place des Lices is one of the main meeting points for the Rennes people. Evidence for this is provided by the many tables outside the bars (see the first, second and fifth photo).
A very nice location, indeed! Don't miss it!

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Palais Saint-Georges was originally a Benedictine abbey. It was founded in 1032, rebuilt in the following century and completely remade in the 17th century, when it was given its present appearance. Today, the palace houses administration offices.
Beside photographing the elegant façade of the building, have a look at the gardens and sit down on a bench to enjoy the colourful flowerbeds.

Thabor is an interesting park, manicured but quirky. As you enter you see two football fields next to a tree-lined pathway but once you have figured out how to navigate you discover its grandeur. It is more than a pretty park, it has a rose garden that is labelled with official names such as "exciting" or "Princess Diana." You may even find your name. There is a huge bird cage with exotic birds, including Australian ones, which was very exciting for me being millions of miles away from home. The park is very relaxed in the summer and there are designated grassy areas where you can sit or lay on but beware not to step on protected grass areas which are clearly marked, as the park inspector will tell you off! In winter, the park is not as vibrant but if you are in Rennes in winter, you should try to go anyway especially when the rose bush named "exciting" is anything but!