Rain
What to do in Rennes when it rains
Les Champs Libres and the Fourmis exhibition, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Parliament of Brittany, covered markets: our ideas for a rainy day in Rennes.
5 min read
Rennes is the Breton city that copes best with rain: its great museums are grouped a stone’s throw from the station, and its old centre can be explored under the overhangs of its half timbered houses.
Les Champs Libres, a whole day under cover
Three venues under one roof: the Musée de Bretagne, the Espace des sciences with its planetarium, and the library. Until 7 March 2027, the Espace des sciences presents the “Fourmis” exhibition, with real ant colonies to observe, from age 5.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Parliament
The Musée des Beaux-Arts holds one of the finest collections in the west, from Rubens to Picasso. The Parliament of Brittany, with its Grand’Chambre and gilded ceilings, can be visited with the tourist office, booking required.
The museums of Rennes
MuseumMusée de BretagneRennes · 2 to 3 hours for the permanent exhibition, longer with the Dreyfus routeAt the Champs Libres in Rennes, a large free museum tracing the history of Brittany from prehistory to today, with nearly a million objects and documents held together with the Écomusée de la Bintinais.
MuseumRennes Museum of Fine ArtsRennes · 1 h 30 to 2 h 30On Quai Zola, a free museum mixing a cabinet of curiosities, antiquities, European masters, Georges de La Tour, drawings and modern art. The permanent collections are free all year.
MuseumÉcomusée de la BintinaisRennes · 2 h 30 to 3 hours, half a day with the familyThe former Écomusée du Pays de Rennes: a large 19-hectare historic farm on the edge of the city, with a museum, 21 old breeds, nearly 120 apple varieties and bocage. Free entry.
The covered markets
On Saturday morning, the Lices market spreads around the Halles Martenot, where the producers are under cover. The rest of the week, the neighbourhood markets take over.
The markets of Rennes
- MarketMarché des LicesRennes · 1 to 2 hoursOn Saturday mornings, nearly 250 producers and traders gather on Place des Lices, around the Martenot halls: the second-largest market in France.
- MarketMarché Alexis-CarrelRennes · 1 to 2 hoursOn Thursday mornings, on Boulevard Alexis-Carrel, the Jeanne-d’Arc district market offers food and manufactured goods, in the north-east of Rennes.
- MarketMarché bio du MailRennes · 1 to 2 hoursOn Wednesday afternoons, from 3 pm to 8 pm, the Mail François-Mitterrand has hosted a 100% organic market since 2015, very popular with the people of Rennes.
- MarketMarché de BeauregardRennes · 1 to 2 hoursOn Tuesdays from 4 pm to 8 pm, on Place Eugène-Aulnette, the Beauregard market offers food, including organic produce, in north-west Rennes.
With children
The Écomusée de la Bintinais and its farm, the Blizz ice rink, the escape games in the city centre and the Champs Libres planetarium easily fill a rainy holiday day.
Where to stay in Rennes
Stay in Rennes
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