Rennes
Rennes, the capital of the province, began as a small Gallic village about 2,000 years ago and has grown to become one of major cities of Brittany, with 200,000 full time residents. I say full time because it’s a two-university college town, and so it’s population swells by as much as 80,000 while classes are in session. And they come from all over the world, so the city has a youthful yet international and cosmopolitan air.
So, Rennes is sometimes small and sometimes less so, but it’s big on attitude, and I mean that in a good way. With it’s industrial center, the residents believe they can compete with other European cities.
To summarize, it has the charm of a small medieval town, the energy of youth, the diversity of an international population, and the cultural sophistication of a modern commercial city. Sounds like the perfect place to base your travels to the surrounding villages and towns.
