Quirky, colorful, and cool, Rennes (pop. 213,000) has the cosmopolitan attitude of Paris. but an independent Breton spirit. The result: a charming, unpretentious city where the culture is lively, the citizens are happy, and the booze is free flowing. Two hours from the French capital by train, the cityscape is a melange of medieval half-timbered houses, graffiti, ornate Neoclassical facades, and lively restaurants and bars that line winding cobblestone streets and hidden alleys. Unlike most of Brittany’s coast, the town is at its best from September to June, when its 60,000 students are in town and the quintessentially French youth (counter) culture is throbbing.