Here’s a list of some key places and some of my favorite spots in Rennes.

Place de la République

This is a center where all of the bus lines meet. The Palais du Commerce and shopping buildings across from it, form the square. The Musée des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) is walking distance just down the road, but you could take the C3 bus because that’s the first stop after La République. Every first Sunday of the month, you can go to the museum for free. You can find the metro station in front of the Palais du Commerce. There is an open area in the middle of the square between two streets where you can find plants, a couple food stands/trucks, and it acts as a walkway from the shopping center side to the Palais du Commerce side. The Vilaine river runs through underneath la République.

Left photo: Here are some of the plants that decorate the one side of the middle walkway. The Palais du Commerce is the building on the right. This is only a wing of the Palais.

Right photo: Point of view from the C3 bus stop. The Palais du Commerce is the building sticking out from the left.

Place de la Mairie

Walking distance from la République, you can find la Place de la Mairie. This is an open area between the Opéra de Rennes (Opera house of Rennes) and La Mairie (the city hall). There is a carousel and there are a couple restaurants near by. There’s a restaurant/Brasserie right next to the opera called Le Picadilly Rennes. I actually had class in there with my program director when the normal CIREFE classes were cancelled due to a strike. You can usually find kids running around and playing with the bubbles from a bubble maker in the center. This gives la Place de la Mairie a blissful feeling.

Palais Saint-Georges

Also walking distance from La République is the beautiful Saint George Palace. There is a garden in the front that you can walk through. I think it’s not far from a cat café called Le Chat Puccino. Inscribed on the face of the palace is MAGDELAINEDLFAYETTE (Magdelaine de la Fayette).

Place du Parlement

If the Opéra de Rennes is on your right, you just have to turn right onto the street next to it and you will end up at the Parlement de Bretagne (Parliament of Brittany). Here, you can find the parliament building and different kinds of small shops that surround the square. I know for sure there is a stationary store and a Bretagne (Brittany Region) themed souvenir shop. Also, not far from here is a large book store. You can also find O’Connel’s, which is an Irish Pub that has an English language exchange on Monday nights.

Place Sainte-Anne

La Place Sainte-Anne is one metro stop away from La République. The metro stop takes you up to a section of the city where there are a ton of cafés. Right at the top of the escalator you will find the Basilique Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle de Rennes to your left and the Crêperie Sainte-Anne and Columbus’ Café straight ahead of you. In the other direction, this is the area where you will find access to La Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street) where the Rennais like to go out to on the weekends. This part turns into Place Saint Michel. You can also find le Couvent des Jacobins which is a convent that now serves as a convention center.

Place des Lices

This is where the second largest farmer’s market in France takes place. It’s called the Marché de Lices and it happens every Saturday morning. You can also find many cafés and restaurants in this area. There is a bar in the lower area down the stairs called Delirium.

Photo on the right credits: Emily Crandall

Place Hoche

You can find this area by walking through the shopping mall right by the Sainte-Anne metro stop if you walk straight past Columbus’s café. This little area also has a carousel. You can find a book flea market and then behind it, a space where you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company. This is also a hot spot for skateboarders. You can find a grocery store and a convenience store for more on-the-go items on the outsides of the square. The one side of the area is formed by one of Université Rennes 1’s entry-ways and buildings.

Parc du Thabor

Once you exit the shopping mall and are looking at the book stands, if you look to your right you can see the street leads you to the Saint-Melaine church. Right next to this church is one of the entrances to Parc du Thabor, which is a decent-sized park. Through this entrance, you can find a wide open green space. A lot of the times I saw joggers running around it. The park has a lot of open green space. The paths of the park lead you to different sections. There is a bird house, duck pond, and a waterfall. The area is decorated with fountains, flowers, and statues. One area has a rose garden. There is also a café and an orangery.

Cathédral Saint-Pierre de Rennes

On the other side of the city from the Parc du Thabor. There are a lot of side streets where you can walk around. This is the area where you can find the alleyway and the Cathédral Saint-Pierre pictured below. You can find a lot of the half-timbered houses and some of the oldest building in Rennes that survived the fire in 1720. The city does it’s best to maintain these structures. Inside the Cathédral, there is golden detailing surrounding the paintings on the ceiling.

More Spots in Rennes

• Esplanade Charles de Gaulle: This is where larger concerts are held.
• Bus stop Plaine de Baud: This is where I would get off to go to rowing practice, but this may also be a good place to get to the river if you want to run on the trails beside it. There are probably other starting points to this trail though.
• Metro stop J.F. Kennedy: This is the stop right after Villejean-Université and it is walk-able from Université Rennes 2. If you are a student at Université Rennes 2 you can find a boulangerie, a Carrefour, and other food places if you don’t want to eat at the university. Any place is really accessible thanks to the metro.
• Stade Rennais: This is the football (soccer) team’s stadium. When there’s a game there are buses that take you directly to the stadium.

I can’t wait to see the city of Rennes again one day.

Au revoir

– Nicole