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| Rennes | ||
| region | Brittany | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 217.728 (2018) | |
| height | 74 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Rennes is the capital of the region Brittany and the prefecture of the department Ille-et-Vilaine.
background
Several districts were destroyed in the great fire of 1720. They were rebuilt in the same style.
getting there
By plane
Rennes has an international airport: 1 Aéroport de Rennes
(IATA: RNA) (Saint-Jacques). However, there are no direct flights from German-speaking countries. Usually you have to be in Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG).
The 57 bus takes you from the airport to Place de la République in the city center. Car rental companies are also represented at the airport: Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Enterprise and Sixt. Car-Fly arranges carpooling for passengers.
Instead of a connecting flight at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, you can also take the TGV to Rennes directly. This direct connection is offered three times a day, the journey takes 2½ hours (or just under 3 hours with the cheap train Ouigo). The advantage of this is that you “land” at the train station in downtown Rennes and you no longer need a transfer from the airport.
Another alternative is to Nantes airport (various direct flights from D / A / CH), which is 115 km south of Rennes. Unfortunately, there is no convenient connection with public transport from there, so it is best to take a rental car.
By train
Rennes is on a high-speed line from Paris. With the TGV you only need 1½ hours from Paris Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, from Le Mans it's only 50 minutes. The connection is offered approximately every hour. A cheaper alternative is that Ouigo, which leaves once a day from Paris-Montparnasse or the Paris suburbs (CDG airport, Marne-la-Vallée, Massy) to Rennes. Tickets are available for € 13 on certain days.
From the west of Brittany - due to the lack of high-speed rail - there is hardly any difference in travel time between the TGV and the Regional Express (TER). Out Brest or Quimper (12 connections per day each) you drive around 2 to 2:20 hours, from Lorient 1:25 to 1:45 hours, off Saint Malo 1 to 1:15 hours (17x per day),
Out Nantes A regional express (TER) runs nine times a day directly to Rennes, the journey takes 1:15 to 1½ hours. A TER runs three times a day from Caen in Normandy (travel time around 3 hours) via Saint-Lô (2:15 hours) and Pontorson / Mont-Saint-Michel (1 hour).
Coming from German-speaking countries, you usually have to change trains in Paris, where you still have to change the train station (from Gare de l’Est or North to the Gare Montparnasse). Overall, one is z. B. from Stuttgart to Rennes 5½ hours on the way, from Basel a little under 6 hours, from Cologne or Frankfurt a. M. around 6½ hours.
The 2 railway station is located in the south of the city center. There you can change to the metro or various bus lines.
By bus
In the street
mobility
Local public transport is covered by a well-developed bus system and, since 2002, by a fully automatic subway.
Tourist Attractions
Churches, synagogues, temples
- 1 cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes), Carrefour de la Cathédrale.
A bishop's church has existed here since the 6th century. The current cathedral was not started until 1787 after the previous building had become unstable and had to be demolished. It was completed in 1845 and is in the classical style. Lush interior with stucco, gilding and wall paintings.
- 2 Jacobin Convent (Couvent des Jacobins; ancien couvent de Bonne-Nouvelle), 6 Rue d'Échange (Metro "Sainte-Anne").Former monastery of the Dominican Order, founded in 1369. After the French Revolution, the convent was converted into barracks. Since 2010, the complex has been transformed into an event center - Center des congrès de Rennes Métropole - which opened in 2018.
- 3 Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Mélaine church.Abbey church, the history of which goes back to the 6th century. Over the centuries it has been rebuilt and expanded again and again - the bell tower was added in the 15th century, the facade was redesigned in the Baroque style in the 17th century and the tower was raised by another floor in 1855.
- 4 Saint Sauveur basilica (Basilique Saint-Sauveur), 1 rue Saint-Sauveur (a few steps east of the cathedral).Originally the church dates from the 12th century. The current building was built in 1703–68 in the baroque-classical style. The church houses the statue of Our Lady Notre-Dame des Miracles et des Vertus, which is said to have worked miracles.
- 5 Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle de Rennes (église Saint-Aubin), 2 Contour Saint-Aubin (Metro "Sainte-Anne").The previous church from the 12th century was demolished to make way for the current building, which was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1884–1904. It has had the status of a minor basilica since 1916.
Castles, chateaus and palaces
- Remnants of the old 6 city wall (remparts de Rennes).Erected from the 3rd to the 15th century.
- 7 Porte mordelaise.Fortified gate (châtelet) at the western entrance to the old town. A corresponding facility already existed in the 3rd century. The gate in its present form, framed by two thick defensive towers, has existed since the 15th century.
- 8 Palais du Parlement de Bretagne, 16 Rue Salomon de Brosse.Former seat of the Parlement Brittany, d. H. of the region's supreme court (not to be confused with a parliament in the modern sense). The palatial building was built in 1618–55. The design comes in part from the Baroque architect Salomon de Brosse. Today the Rennes Court of Appeal sits here. The portal is lined with four statues of eminent Breton lawyers. There are four gilded statues on the roof that symbolize the law, strength, eloquence and justice.
- Tour Jehan Duchesne
Buildings
- Medieval old town with its colorful half-timbered houses (rue du Champ-Jacquet, rue du Chapitre, place Sainte-Anne, place des Lices)
- Eighteenth-century district with two royal squares
- 9 town hall (Mairie or hôtel de ville), Place de la Mairie.Baroque representative building, built 1734–1743 (after the great city fire). The architect was Jacques V Gabriel.
- 10 Palais Saint-Georges, Rue Gambetta / Rue du Sergent Guihard.Splendid baroque building originally erected in 1670 as part of the Saint-Georges Benedictine Abbey. During the French Revolution it was converted into a barracks. After a fire in the summer of 1921, it was rebuilt and has served as the headquarters of the city's fire department and police ever since. In front of the palace is a well-tended baroque garden in the French style.
- 11 Opera house (Rennes Opera House), Place de la Mairie (opposite the town hall).The Italian-style theater was inaugurated in 1836.
- "La Motte à Madame" promenade. With monumental stairs.
- Old hospice
- 12 Halles Martenot, Place des Lices.Market halls built 1870–71, named after the architect Jean-Baptiste Martenot.
- 13 Palais du Commerce, Place de la République.Magnificent business building in neo-baroque style. The west wing was built in 1885–91, the rest of the building in 1922–29. Today it houses a post office and various offices.
- 14 Piscine Saint-Georges, 2 rue Gambetta (opposite Palais Saint-Georges).Public swimming pool in Art Deco style, built 1923–26.
- 15 Les Horizons, 18-20 rue de Brest (Bus C2 "Horizons").High-rise residential building from 1970 in the Bourg-l'Évesque district. At 99.5 meters tall, the Horizons I tower is the tallest building in the city.
- 16 Les Champs libres, 10 Cours des Alliés (Metro "Charles de Gaulle").The modern building was designed by Christian de Portzamparc in 1992 and opened as a cultural center in 2006. It houses the Museum of Brittany (see below), the Rennes library, a science room with a planetarium and a coworking space for the digital economy.
Monuments
Museums
- 17 Musée des Beaux-Arts, 20 Quai Emile Zola (Metro "Republique").Museum of fine arts. Ancient objects from Egypt, Greece and Rome; Painting from the 14th to the 20th century; Graphics; Sculptures. One focus is on French paintings from the 19th century.Open: Tue-Fri 10 am–5pm, Sat Sun 10 am–6pm.Price: Full paying € 6, reduced € 4, children up to 18 years free; free entry every 1st Sunday of the month.
- 18 Museum of Brittany, Les Champs libres, 10 Cours des Alliés.Museum of the history and society of Brittany with archaeological, numismatic (coins), folklore and iconographic collections (photographs, drawings, postcards, etc.) as well as a fund of the Dreyfus affair about a Jewish officer who occupied French politics for over 10 years.
- 19 Espace des sciences, Les Champs libres, 10 Cours des Alliés.
Center of science, technology and industrial culture.
Streets and squares
- 20 Place du Champ-Jacquet - Square in the old town, with half-timbered houses from the 17th century
- 21 Place de la Mairie - with town hall and opera, built as part of the redesign of the city after the great fire of 1720
- Place des Lices with market (Saturdays)
- Place Sainte-Anne
- 22 Rue Saint-Melaine - central street of the old town with numerous listed buildings as well as shops and restaurants
- Rue Saint-Georges
Parks
Rennes has 868 hectares of green space. The city was awarded three flowers in the French "Competition of Cities and Villages Adorned with Flowers".
- 23 Parc du Thabor (between Rue de la Palestine, Bvd de la Duchesse Anne, Rue de Paris and Église Saint-Melaine).10 hectare public park. Designed in the 19th century by the horticultural artist Denis Bühler, parts are designed as an English garden, a French garden and a bowling green. There is also an orangery, a rose garden, a duck enclosure and a bird aviary. Numerous sculptures line the paths.
- 24 Parc Hamelin Oberthür, 82 Rue de Paris (Bus C3 "Oberthur").The 3 hectare park was initially laid out in 1863/64 as a private park by the Alsatian printing company François-Charles Oberthür. It has been open to the public since 1977. The garden is home to exotic species such as Lebanon and Atlas cedar, giant sequoia (Sequoia), bald cypress, and ginkgo, as well as classics such as red beeches, English oaks and cork oaks, as well as rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas and magnolias.
activities
- 1 Parc des Gayeulles, Avenue des Gayeulles / Rue du Professeur Maurice Audin (approx. 4 km northeast of the city center).Extensive amusement park in the northwest of the city. With an area of 100 hectares, it is the largest park in Rennes. It was designed in the 1960s to 70s. There are numerous facilities to pass the time, including a fitness trail, outdoor fitness equipment, mini golf, barbecue areas, tennis, squash, football and rugby fields, pedal boats, an outdoor swimming pool, an ice rink, allotments and a campsite.
- 2 Le Liberté, 1, Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle (Metro "Charles de Gaulle").Event hall (concerts, variety shows, sports).
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- Rennes Opera House. Opera visit.
- Boat tour on the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance
- Regular events
- Rencontres trans musicales ("Les Trans" for short). Annual music festival (since 1979) on five days in December, young artists are often presented and future trends anticipated.
shop
- 1 Marché des Lices, Place des Lices.Farm, grocery, craft and flower market. It has been around since 1622.Open: Saturdays 7.30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m.
kitchen
Cheap
medium
Upscale
nightlife
accommodation
Cheap
medium
Upscale
Learn
Work
security
health
Practical advice
- 1 Office de Tourisme, space Saint-Yves 11, rue Saint-Yves F - 35000 Rennes. Tel.: 33 (0)2 99 67 11 11, Fax: 33 (0)2 99 67 11 00, Email: [email protected].
trips
literature
Web links
http://metropole.rennes.fr/ - Official website of Rennes
