Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [13]
ROUEN
32 km (20 mi) north of Louviers, 130 km (80 mi) northwest of Paris, 86 km (53 mi) east of Le Havre.
“O Rouen, art thou then to be my final abode!” was the agonized cry of Joan of Arc as the English dragged her out to be burned alive on May 30, 1431. The exact spot of the pyre is marked by a concrete-and-metal cross in front of the Église Jeanne-d’Arc, an eye-catching modern church on Place du Vieux-Marché, just one of the many landmarks that make Rouen a fascinating destination. Known as the City of a Hundred Spires, Rouen is famed for its many important churches.
Getting Here and Around
Trains from Paris (Gare St-Lazare) leave for Rouen every two hours or so (€19.50); the 85-mi trip takes 70 minutes. Change in Rouen for Dieppe (2 hrs from Paris, €26). Several trains daily link Rouen to Caen (90 mins, €22) and Fécamp (90 mins, €12.50), sometimes requiring a change to a bus at Bréauté-Beuzeville.
Visitor Information
Rouen Tourist Office (25 pl. de la Cathédrale | 76000 | 02–32–08–32–40 | www.rouentourisme.com).
EXPLORING ROUEN
Once the capital of the duchy of Normandy, Rouen overflows with monuments, medieval streets, and churches. Today a busy industrial port city of about a half-million people, it has inspired many along the way, including Gustave Flaubert and Claude Monet, who immortalized Rouen’s great cathedral in a famous series of paintings. Although much of Rouen was destroyed during World War II, a wealth of medieval half-timber houses happily still lines the cobblestone streets, many of which are pedestrian-only—most famously Rue du Gros-Horloge between Place du Vieux-Marché and the cathedral, suitably embellished halfway along with a giant Renaissance clock. This landmark, the Gros-Horloge, is featured on ninety-nine percent of the postcards sold in Rouen, so be sure to peer up at the real thing, especially as it lies at the heart of Vieux Rouen (Old Rouen), a district of tiny streets lined with hundreds of enchanting half-timber houses.
TOP ATTRACTIONS IN ROUEN
Abbaye St-Ouen.
Next to the imposing Neoclassical City Hall, this stupendous example of high Gothic architecture is noted for its stained-glass windows, dating from the 14th to the 16th century. They are the most spectacular grace notes of the spare interior along with the 19th-century pipe organ, among the finest in France. | Pl. du Général-de-Gaulle, Hôtel de Ville | 76000 | 02–32–08–32–40 | Apr.–Oct., Wed.–Mon. 10–12:30 and 2–5:30; Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Thur. and weekends 10–12:30 and 2–4:30.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
Lording it over Rouen’s “Hundred Spires” this cathedral is crowned with the highest spire in France, erected in 1876, a cast-iron tour-de-force rising 490 feet above the crossing. The original 12th-century construction was replaced after a devastating fire in 1200; only the left-hand spire, the Tour St-Romain (St. Romanus Tower), survived the flames. Construction on the imposing 250-foot steeple on the right, known as the Tour de Beurre (Butter Tower), was begun in the 15th century and completed in the 17th, when a group of wealthy citizens donated large sums of money for the privilege of continuing to eat butter during Lent. Interior highlights include the 13th-century choir, with its pointed arcades; vibrant stained glass depicting the crucified Christ (restored after heavy damage during World War II); and massive stone columns topped by some intriguing carved faces. The first flight of the famous Escalier de la Librairie (Library Stairway), attributed to Guillaume Pontifs (also responsible for most of the 15th-century work seen in the cathedral), rises from a tiny balcony just to the left of the transept. | Pl. de la Cathédrale, St-Maclou | 76000 | 02–32–08–32–40 | Daily 8–6.
Gros-Horloge.
The name of the pedestrian Rue du Gros-Horloge, Rouen’s most popular street, comes from