If you’re on a tour of France and are curious about what to do beyond Paris, I suggest spending at least a day in Rouen. I was able to visit this beautiful Normandy city during the two years I lived in France, and it was a wonderful experience.
Rouen is just an hour by train from Paris and is a much-loved destination for anyone wishing to tour Normandy.
Want to know why?
The reason is simple: right here stands one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world, which miraculously survived the bombings of the Second World War.
Rouen is also a city steeped in history. It was first Celtic, then Roman, then the heart of the Duchy of Normandy; France and England long fought over it for its strategic position near the sea and its flourishing trade.
And if you didn’t know, Rouen is the city of Joan of Arc’s trial and the place of her execution, in 1431.
One last thing before we dive in: to discover the loveliest corners of the city, its history and the details that escape you, I recommend taking a tour with a local guide. The churches are free, but a guide makes all the difference.
Curious to discover what to see and do in Rouen in a day?
Here’s my experience in the capital of Normandy.
Off we go!
1 – Place Saint-Marc and Saint-Maclou
I recommend starting your visit to Rouen from Place Saint-Marc, for a very practical reason: if you arrive by car, there’s a handy car park here from which you can easily reach all the most interesting sights.
But that’s not the only reason!
Yes, because this square hosts one of Rouen’s most important markets, with typical Normandy produce, including the famous cheeses. After all, eating is part of a place’s culture, isn’t it?
But what is there to see?
All around the square stand beautiful buildings, including the characteristic half-timbered houses (maisons à colombages), among the oldest in France. The finest are along Rue Martainville: I really recommend not missing them.
And it’s at the end of this street that you’ll come face to face with one of the loveliest churches in the city: Saint-Maclou, built in Flamboyant Gothic style, so refined and rich in detail that it will look like lacework.
You won’t believe it, but the building was altered and rebuilt several times, from the 13th century onwards, reaching its present appearance in the 16th.
Unfortunately the Second World War damaged it heavily: it was hit by two bombings that destroyed much of the stained glass and the choir, and the latest restorations were completed only recently.
So what is there to see?
Besides the splendid façade, in the church of Saint-Maclou you can admire beautiful original 15th-century stained glass. The people of Rouen dismantled and reassembled it for both world wars, precisely to keep it from being destroyed.
Let’s really hope they never have to again.
2 – Rouen Cathedral
When you arrive in Rouen it’s impossible not to notice the magnificent cathedral dedicated to Notre-Dame. Its spire is the tallest in France: the flèche (arrow, in French) measures 151 metres. It’s made of cast iron and was completed in 1876, after the previous one was destroyed in a fire in 1822.
Reaching it is very easy, as it stands a stone’s throw from Saint-Maclou and Place Saint-Marc.
The façade of Rouen Cathedral will surprise you with the beauty of its wide Gothic naves, even lovelier than those of Saint-Maclou. Inside you’ll find immense columns, ancient stained glass and the tombs of important figures of Norman history, such as Rollo (the Viking chief baptised right here) and his son William Longsword.
But that’s not all!
Here too rests the heart of Richard the Lionheart, the famous English sovereign and Duke of Normandy, embalmed and preserved according to his wishes.
Unfortunately Rouen Cathedral was also hit by the bombings of the Second World War: you’ll notice it looking at the ceiling, where some areas are a different, clearly more recent colour.
Despite everything, it remains one of the most beautiful cathedrals in France.
Here are a couple of curiosities.
The charm of this cathedral did not leave Monet indifferent: he portrayed it in more than thirty canvases, painting it at every hour of the day, with every possible shade of the sky and the light reflected on the stone. It’s one of the most famous series in the history of art.
Another curiosity concerns one of the two towers of the façade, commonly called the “Butter Tower” (Tour de Beurre), built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Its name comes from the fact that it was financed by the offerings of well-off worshippers, who paid to be allowed butter and dairy during Lent.
Rather charming, isn’t it?
3 – Saint-Ouen
The last religious building I recommend you visit in Rouen is Saint-Ouen, built in the same style as Saint-Maclou and just as spectacular. It’s part of a very ancient Benedictine abbey, one of the most powerful in Normandy, whose origins go back to the 6th century.
And then?
Well, as often happened in the past (and unfortunately in our own day too, with the fire at Notre-Dame in Paris), the abbey was first sacked by the Vikings and then devastated by a great fire in 1248.
The works of the 14th century transformed it into the building you see today, entirely reimagined in the Flamboyant Gothic typical of Rouen and this part of France.
But what’s special about it?
First of all, the structure is majestic: in certain dimensions it even surpasses Notre-Dame in Paris, and it’s richly adorned with decorations, statues and flying buttresses that will keep you looking up for a long time.
The interior is even more spectacular, because you’ll notice how the masonry is reduced to a minimum: in place of walls there are enormous windows, with original 14th- and 15th-century stained glass. What’s peculiar is that they mostly depict standing figures, because they are at such a height that it would otherwise be impossible to read the scenes.
Look especially at the stained glass of the radiating chapels: they hold the cycle of the Lives of the Saints, one of the largest and most beautiful in all of France.
In short, among the things to see in Rouen, don’t forget Saint-Ouen.
4 – The old town and the Gros-Horloge
But Rouen isn’t famous only for its religious Gothic.
During the Middle Ages it was a rich and prosperous communal city, proud of its independence. Many of the picturesque wooden houses of the old town date from that period: some left me speechless.
One of the most important monuments to visit in Rouen is the magnificent Gros-Horloge. This great astronomical clock, which once marked the city’s rhythms, has a mechanism from 1389: begun by Jourdain del Leche and completed by Jean de Felain, the first “governor of the clock”. The Renaissance dial, with its 24 rays of sun against a blue starry sky, is set into an arch straddling the street.
The Gros-Horloge of Rouen is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Europe, and it’s worth entering the tower: from there you can visit the room of the dials, the rooms of the clock’s governor and enjoy, from the windows, one of the finest views of the city.
5 – The Museum of Fine Arts of Rouen
I absolutely recommend visiting the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Fine Arts of Rouen. Among the many rooms, the masterpieces I’d single out are without doubt Caravaggio’s Christ at the Column (the Flagellation), the portraits by Théodore Géricault (born in Rouen) and a remarkable collection of Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, Degas.
Remember when I told you about Monet’s canvases of the cathedral?
Well, one of those famous versions is kept here (La cathédrale de Rouen, le portail et la tour d’Albane, temps gris): the complete series is scattered across museums worldwide, but Rouen boasts the second-largest Impressionist collection in France after Paris, so it’s the perfect setting to admire it.
Don’t miss the contemporary section either, with works by the Duchamp brothers (I adore them!), Kupka and many others.
6 – Joan of Arc in Rouen
Wandering aimlessly, I discovered a great deal about the history of Rouen, starting with its link to Joan of Arc (who came from Lorraine and is tied to Orléans, the city she freed).
Among the many places of interest, I recommend a stroll in the square of the Vieux-Marché (old market), at whose centre stands the modern church dedicated to Saint Joan of Arc, burned alive right here at just 19 years old, on 30 May 1431. The church holds beautiful Renaissance stained glass from the 16th century and is at once a memorial to this heroine so dear to the French.
One very peculiar thing is the roof: its shape seems to echo the tongues of flame rising upwards, a clear reference to Joan of Arc’s pyre.
Not far away stands an important tower too: the keep (donjon) where, according to tradition, Joan was threatened with torture during the trial (she was held in the castle of Bouvreuil). It’s truly heart-wrenching.
If this heroine’s story fascinates you, I’d also point out the Historial Jeanne d’Arc, set up in the old archbishop’s palace where both the trial and the rehabilitation trial were held: a truly captivating, scenic itinerary.
Practical information
The Rouen tourist office is right opposite the cathedral, in a Renaissance building hard to miss. The city is easily reached from Paris by train from the Gare Saint-Lazare, in about an hour and a half.
The centre is comfortably walkable and the main churches have free entry: if you really want to understand what you’re looking at, a guided tour of the centre is the best way to tie together the cathedral, Joan of Arc and Impressionism.
And you - would you like to stroll among the half-timbered houses of Rouen and see with your own eyes the cathedral that bewitched Monet?
