Rennes

The capital of Brittany, with a half-timbered old town and the lively Saturday Marché des Lices; to the west lies the legendary Arthurian forest of Brocéliande, to the east the castle town of Vitré.

Rennes is the capital of the Brittany region in northwestern France, at the confluence of the Vilaine and Ille rivers. With about 220,000 inhabitants and over 60,000 students, it is a young university city. A great fire in 1720 destroyed much of the northern part of town, so the city has two faces: the old town to the south keeps its crooked, colourful 15th–17th-century half-timbered houses, while the north is laid out with classical stone squares built after the fire, epitomised by the Parlement de Bretagne and the Hôtel de Ville. The climate is mild and oceanic, with cool summers and rain year-round; May–Sep is the best time to visit, with the Tombées de la Nuit street arts festival in early July and the Transmusicales music festival in December. Sightseeing centres on three areas: the old town (Place du Champ-Jacquet, Place Sainte-Anne, the cathedral and the Portes Mordelaises), the classical quarter around the Parlement and the Hôtel de Ville, and the Parc du Thabor to the east; on Saturday morning, don't miss the Marché des Lices for a galette-saucisse. There are two main day trips: about 40 km west is the Arthurian forest of Brocéliande (Paimpont), where you can drive between the Val sans Retour, Merlin's Tomb, the Fountain of Barenton and the Château de Comper; or take the train about 25 minutes east to the medieval castle town of Vitré. Fougères, the Château de Combourg and Mont-Saint-Michel to the north are also often visited from Rennes—see the Mont-Saint-Michel destination. Getting there: the TGV from Paris Montparnasse takes about 1.5 hours; the city has two metro lines, and the old town is easily explored on foot. Allow 2–3 days, and you'll need a car for the forest. Note that Brittany's weather is changeable, so always carry a raincoat.

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