October 2019
Ironically, even if Rouen was one of our last trips in Normandy, it will be the first one to open a series of posts about the region that stole our hearts. Rouen is the capital of Normandy and it has seen a lot during the centuries of its existence, starting with the Viking raids, fires, Hundred Years’ War and ending with massive bombing during the WWII. And yet, it managed to keep its charm – and Rouen has a great deal of it. In this article, we’ll give you an insight about what to do in Rouen – a great city-break destination from Paris and a perfect place to begin your acquaintance with Normandy.
Our expectations from Rouen changed as fast as a roller coaster. Very high at the beginning, they swiftly lowered down once we read some posts and guidebooks. We found out that after the bombing in 1944, Rouen lost over 10 000 of houses, which is A LOT for a city of this size. We have already seen the cities hastily rebuilt after the war and, frankly, it’s quite sad. So, when we arrived to Rouen we were prepared to see a city like Caen or Cherbourg. Therefore, we didn’t think to spend here more than one day, but the more we were walking in Rouen, the more we loved it. Until the point, when we extended our stay to two full days and skipped the trip to Pays de Caux.
And to be honest, I believe that we could have easily spent in Rouen one more day, and there would still be many other things to do and many streets to walk.
Why visit Rouen?
Gothic architecture. I have never seen as many pieces of Gothic architecture as in Rouen. And the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rouen is one of numerous examples. Almost from each street, one sees a gorgeous perspective on a splendid cathedral and it takes some time to realize that no, it’s not the same one. When the night falls, the Illumination adds some festive vibes to the whole city.
Typical Normand Architecture. Despite the heavy damage caused to the city during the war and despite a huge architectural loss, Rouen kept its main landmarks and an astounding number of timbered houses. Some of them just escaped the destiny of their neighbors, some of them were restored, but we have never seen so many timbered houses in one place! Not even in Strasbourg or Rennes. We’ll be back to it a bit later.
Pearl for history lovers. Rouen has witnessed and lived through a lot. It keeps the memory of the past in its architecture, tiny details on the façades and museums. It’s in Rouen that Joan of Arc found her death on the stake and since then, a whole itinerary was established to follow her traces up to the river bank, where her ashes were thrown in Seine.
Muse of artists. Normandy was always very loved by bohemia. Painters from Paris used to come to admire the strict landscapes of Normandy, and Rouen, as an obligatory passage point, also received its share. Monet, Manet, Pissaro and other famous artists depicted Rouen on their masterpieces, some of them are exposed in the local Museum of Beaux-Arts. Monet even created 40 paintings of Rouen Cathedral, owned today by the galleries all over the world!
Gateway to Normandy sights. Even if Normandy is very vast and offers an incredible diversity of points of interest, some of them are very close to Rouen. Etretat, Giverny, Le Havre – these are just some of the places you can visit from Rouen.
What to see and do in Rouen?
Rouen’s Cathedrals.
You see one Gothic cathedral – you’ve seen them all, right? Right, but it doesn’t apply to Rouen. Its cathedrals are true masterpieces, and even if it’s not something that France lacks, I must admit that I’ve never seen anything quite like Notre Dame de Rouen. Let’s start from the beginning.
Rouen Cathedral (Notre Dame de Rouen). It’s difficult to say how old exactly the Cathedral is, as it all started with a small church in the 4th century. In the Middle Ages, it progressively turned into a colossal building with an incredible amount of details on the façade. There are so many of them, and they are all so tiny, that looking at them closely makes the eyes water. No wonder that such monument inspired Monet to so many artworks!
Inside it’s as gorgeous as outside, but of completely different beauty – sober and dark. As I say, we are not easy to be surprised by Cathedrals, but this one is definitely very special. Every summer when the night falls, you can watch the light show – various artworks projected on the façade of the Cathedral. I wish we had seen it too.
Church of Saint-Maclou. Much smaller than the Rouen Cathedral, Eglise de Saint Maclou looks a bit like its younger brother. I beg pardon to all architecture professionals, but it does look like a gorgeous accessory to the main cathedral.
Saint-Ouen Abbey Church. Another stunning piece of religious architecture with a beautiful park around. I can’t help but wonder why on earth in the Dark Ages people spent so much effort to provide the town with a tiny population with so many churches and cathedrals? Well, I guess humans always had some twisted priorities. After all, Rouen was the second biggest city of France at that time. Still, l’abbatiale Saint-Ouen is no less impressive than its colleagues.
These are just some of the most famous cathedrals of Rouen, but there are more of them. You will discover several more while walking in the town as they are not something easy to miss. We couldn’t help but marvel at such human creativity in the times of wars, poverty and total absence of education. Don’t hesitate to enter any cathedral you like to see some of those gorgeous vaults and the pipe organs.
Le Gros Horloge
Great-Clock in English, Gros Horloge is the second most iconic building of the city after the Cathedral de Rouen. It’s one of the oldest clock mechanisms in France and was launched back in the 14th century! It lived through several restorations and was finally electrified, but it’s not about the clock itself, rather its façade, the museum inside the clock tower and finally the view over Rouen and Notre Dame de Rouen.
Visiting Rouen without visiting the Gros Horloge is impossible, so make sure to arrive there well in advance before the last admission, especially if it’s a weekend. We were so close to not getting inside because of the huge queue to which we weren’t prepared at all! Luckily, we were the last to be admitted, and we were the last ones to do so, while people behind us had to leave. Only a limited number of people are allowed in the tower, and as the guided tour lasts almost an hour, the last admission will be an hour before the actual closing time. Don’t make our mistakes!
By the way, the Gros Horloge is gorgeous no matter the weather and time of the day – just look how beautifully it’s illuminated at night!
Timbered Houses
Not long ago we told you about Rennes – the capital of Brittany, famous among other things for its timbered houses. Forget Rennes, because it’s in Rouen that you’ll have an overdose of timbered houses. More than 2000 of typical medieval dwellings with characteristic details and ornaments – it’s hard to believe that less than a hundred years ago, before the war hit Rouen, there were 10 000 buildings more!
What we absolutely loved about the timbered houses is their total integration to the everyday life of the 21st century. People still live in them while using the ground floor for restaurants or shops, some of them were renovated but under the paint and plaster chips one can still recognize the timbers – and somehow it makes them even more charming. New houses took place of their destroyed neighbors – some of them are better than the others, and some of them were even made as a modernized version of the ancient ones. All of this gives a very lively aspect to Rouen and makes it feel like a very old friend.
Following Joan of Arc steps
Joan of Arc – Jeanne d’Arc in French, is one of the most famous female figures of the French history, and definitely one of the major characters of the Medieval History of Europe. Everyone knows a story of a young girl who heard the God’s voice telling her to lead the French army and liberate France from the English invaders during the Hundred Years’ War. Betrayed by French and captured by English, The Maid of Orleans was burnt on the stake in Rouen, occupied then by England. From today’s point of view this story looks absolutely crazy, but then it was a really big deal. And in Rouen it stays this way.
On the place of the execution – la Place du Vieux Marché, now stands a church and its style is a big change in comparison to the ancient cathedrals of Rouen. There is Joan of Arc itinerary to follow – starting with the dungeon of her imprisonment and up to the spot where her ashes were spread in the Seine – this was done in order to avoid the potential pilgrimage. Don’t hesitate to ask at the Tourism Office!
However, the best place to visit in order to learn more about Joan of Arc is the museum Historial de Jeanne d’Arc. Opened in 2015, it tells the story of the second process which ended up by cancelling the accusation of heresy 25 years after her execution. The exposition is excellent – with virtual “judge” and “witnesses”, audiovisual effects and interesting showpieces. It also tells how Joan of Arc image was exploited centuries after her short but intense life. In one word, that was a very interesting exposition that we sincerely recommend if you love history as much as we do.
The Quays of Seine
Not everybody knows that Rouen always had a very big harbor. It doesn’t have direct sea access, but its proximity to the sea and its position on the river always provided Rouen with a active naval traffic. Times changed, the vessels changed but Seine is still the same. Today its quays are equipped with an excellent infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and walking along the quays is an immense pleasure after the narrow streets of the city centre. It’s true that they are not as spectacular as the quays of Seine in Paris, and the war changed a lot the face of the city, but here you can really grasp the largesse of Rouen’s role in the French trade and its maritime spirit.
Rouen Beaux-Arts Museum
Frankly speaking, art museums are never on our top list of things to do when we travel. Usually we prefer history museums, the ones about some historical figure or the museums on some particular feature of a certain place. And yet, in Rouen we made an exception.
After all, Rouen had a strong art school and was an inspiration for so many renowned artists – remember that Monet and Cathedral tandem?
Visiting Beaux-Art museum of Rouen is an occasion to see some of those artworks, as well as many others of various styles. The best thing is that the entry is free, which is not typical for the French museums. I love it when the art is accessible to everyone.
Markets and antique shops
There is something very nostalgic and aesthetic about the markets and vintage shops, and Rouen has plenty of them. On Saturday morning, we went to the Marché des Emmurés and it was exactly the atmosphere we love, – very cozy and perfectly matching with the autumn leaves.
Where to stay in Rouen?
This time we opted for Airbnb. After an entire summer in camping (which was great too!) we decided to treat ourselves with a lovely flat close to the city center in a former industrial building. Its round window, which used to be a part of the horse entrance, is now its signature detail. We booked it immediately! By the way, if you don’t have an account on Airbnb, here is the link with €25 discount on your first booking! We’ll get something too, so it’s a fair deal. :)
Where to eat in Rouen?
This time we had a true gastronomic feast. Our bank account didn’t appreciate it, but we personally have no regrets.
Tandem. While walking in the city centre, we stumbled upon a restaurant called Tandem with an actual tandem inside. If you saw our blog logo then you understand that we were bound to have a lunch in that place.
Opened in October 2019, it was not even a month old when we discovered it. It turned out to be exactly the type of places we love : owned by a young couple, all ingredients are locally sourced, the cuisine is exquisite, the design is tasteful, the number of tables is limited, so it’s never overcrowded. We loved everything about it.
Les fils à maman. A spot where we (re)discovered* the eighties while eating a delicious brunch. Good old classic in a very nostalgic décor!
*Xavier, born in 1984, recognized every single item of their vibrant collection!
Antico Café. Without any exaggeration, here I drank the best hot chocolate I’ve tasted in France. Add to this a lemon meringue tart with the view over Saint-Maclou Church and here you got a perfect breakfast formula.
Epilogue
I think now you got an idea how our visit to Rouen, planned for only a day, extended into a very intense and full weekend. And yet, I can’t say that we exhausted it. We were so lucky to see it under the rain and under the bright sun thus discovering Rouen with two completely different atmospheres. To sum up, I can only tell that it was a very nice weekend, and we enjoyed every second of it. I am sure you will too!
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though I visited France couple of time now, never get a chance to explore Normandy, its indeed have beautiful architecture, something I love exploring and from local hearing all sots of stories, on my list for next year, thanks for sharing :)
Have a good trip and we’ll hope to prepare some more articles about Normandy!