Rennes Audioguided Walking Tour 1h50 and 25 Audio Comments

If you were in Rennes in the 17th century, and you were running out of parchment, this is where you would have gone. It was in fact on this place of the Parchmentry that all the parchment vendors gathered, who prepared them in their workshops, in the street of the same name.

If you were a Duke or Duchess of Brittany, chances are this cathedral would be special to you. This is where you, your ancestors and your descendants have been crowned for centuries!

Let’s go back in time to 300 BCE. Rennes is still called the Condate, which means Confluence in Celtic.

Hard to imagine, but it was here, on Place des Lices, that Constable Duguesclin, the knight par excellence and immense figure of the Hundred Years’ War, fought his first battle!

You arrive on the small Place Saint-Michel, which opens to the north on the famous Rue de la Soif. Rennes being a young city and student par excellence, you must have heard of the famous Rue de la Thirté. Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you go!

Here you are on the Place Rallier du Baty, a very nice little square that, admittedly, makes you want to settle down at one of its many cafes and watch Rennes life pass.

If you venture to the end of the impasse Rallier du Baty, you will see the former Saint-Michel prison, almost unchanged since the 18th century.

It’s crazy how a defect can give a crazy charm! Admit that this place would not be the same if the facades were straight and aligned! No one was so interested in the Tower of Pisa if it was not leaning!

This street of old Rennes was once called “the Rue de la Fracasserie”! Before, trades were often grouped together.

You are now on Place Sainte-Anne, absolutely too cute with its alignment of multicolored facades! At the time when Rennes was surrounded by ramparts, it was located outside the city, yet already well-lived.

You arrive on the lovely Place Hoche, lined with chestnut trees and charming mansions. It was laid out at the end of the 19th century by Jean-Baptiste Martenod, the city architect.

The Rue Saint-Mélaine leads us past the abbey church of the same name. It is dedicated to Saint Mélaine, considered the first bishop of Rennes. And it wasn’t just anyone.

Here you have the entrance to the central Park of Rennes, its magnificent Thabor park. If you decide to visit it or come back later to explore it more deeply, you will discover 10 hectares of greenery, which will take you through French gardens, English gardens, orange groves, rose gardens, a botanical garden, a bandstand, and many more.

You are facing a true symbol of Brittany: its Parliament. Its assembly was constituted in the 13th century by the Dukes of Brittany. It then became a Parliament of the Ancien Régime French in the 16th century.

You're on St. George's Street. This typical street of Rennes is with the rue du Chapter, the one with the most facades in half of wood.

It’s not every day that you stop to see the municipal pool of the city you visit. But frankly, it’s impressive and she was still voted the 8th most beautiful pool in the world!

Here you are in front of the beautiful palace of St. George. Imagine that before, in the 11th century, you were here outside the city walls and in front of a large Benedictine abbey, founded by Duke Alain III.

Here you are in one of the oldest squares in the city! When the excavations, which were regulated before the construction of the metro, were carried out, archaeologists found a whole bunch of treasures dating from the Middle Ages and testifying to a very active commercial life!

From the Saint Germain footbridge, you have a nice unobstructed view of the Vilaine. You may wonder why such a beautiful river has been given such an unsightly name?

You're on Captain Alfred Dreyfus Street, near Zola High School. You may not have known this, but it was Rennes who hosted the review of the Dreyfus case.

Real friendly experience, here you are at the Halles de Rennes. If you are greedy, enter the Auction and follow the stalls of various products. There is something for everyone!

Like all the others in France, the Place de la République de Rennes is the most central axis of the city.

On the one hand, the town hall, on the other the opera house. Look at these two buildings and feel the exchange between them.

As I pass the Basilica of St. Saviour, I would like to tell you a story. The present church was built in the 18th century, but it replaces a chapel that had been there for as long as we can remember.

You enter the Rennes' favorite street! An enchanted break in the bustle of the city. Here it is a street to stroll on the cobblestones, admiring the typical wood-framed facades, mansions and beautiful shops.