Rouen

Understand

thumb|300px|View of the back of the Cathedral (left) and Archbishop's Palace (right) Rouen was for a long time France's second city, after Paris, which explains the richness of the town's artistic heritage. It has hosted many famous French writers, including Victor Hugo, Guy Maupassant, and Gustave Flaubert, among others. Today, it deserves a visit for its monuments, Gothic art being particularly well represented, but also for the charm of its alleyways and the many half-timbered houses there are.

The town is on the right bank of the River Seine, but today, includes the left bank (the Saint-Sever area in particular, on the south of the river), and the Île Lacroix.

Get around

thumb|Map of public transport in Rouen. The Métro is blue, the T1 line is red, T2 line is green and T3 line is purple. The last three are BRT lines. The city center is compact and all sights can easily be seen by foot, however, there is public transport throughout the town.

The Métro du Rouen is a tramway operating in Rouen, running north to south from Boulingrin in the north to Saint-Sever, where it branches off into two lines - one to Technopôle and one to Georges Braque.

There is also a "bus rapid transit" system, which is very similar to a normal bus system, in Rouen, called the Transport est-ouest rouennais (TEOR). This system has three lines in the town, T1, T2 and T3, all of which run on the north of the river.

A normal bus system also exists with 29 lines operating throughout the town.

Tickets for public transport can be bought from many places, including the Gare-Rue Verte tram station on Place Bernard-Tissot, the Théâtre des Arts tram station on rue Jeanne d'Arc, from conductors on buses (not on TEOR) and from automatic ticket machines at metro and TEOR stations. Tickets can also be bought by text, costing €1.60 and are valid for one hour.

Public transport in Rouen can be used free of charge on Saturdays. From September 2025, public transport will be free for people under 18 (even if they do not live in Rouen).

Velo-R north of the Seine on Avenue Jeanne D' Arc (near the metro station) rents bikes for €1-2 per day. The city also has an official bicycle rental s…

See

thumb|Cloister of the Cathedral thumb|Saint-Ouen de Rouen thumb|The Jardin des Plantes

Do

Rouen has many biking trails and forests nearby. There is a trail on the north side of the Seine to the Foret Roumare. La Véloroute du Val de Seine is a cycling route following the Seine starting at Elbeuf just south of Rouen, and ending at Le Havre. Get a boat trip along the Seine, some companies offering cruises include Escapade en Seine and Normandie Croisières. Football: US Quevilly-Rouen were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in Championnat National, the third tier. Their home ground Stade Robert Diochon (capacity 8300) is in Le Petit-Quevilly, 5 km south across the river from city centre.

Buy

thumb|A view of Île Lacroix from the Cathedral. Market on Saturdays and Sundays at Place Saint Marc. Fresh produce, flowers, bric-a-brac and antiques. Well worth a visit. Closes early on Sunday, approx at 13:00. Cheeses, meats, fruit and vegetables can be bought at the Vieux Marche. A larger selection, as well as used clothing, furniture, and knick-knacks can be found at the Place de Saint Marc.

Eat

thumb|A view of the Seine in Rouen from La Corniche. Most of the tourist restaurants are located near the Eglise Sainte Jenne D'Arc. They are likely to be open Sunday when most other restaurants are closed. There are also shops, markets, and patisseries in that square and scattered throughout Rouen to purchase food. Many are open Sunday as well.

Drink

Hotel de Bourgtheroulde has a beautiful artistic bar with cocktails ranging from €9-13.

Go next

Dieppe, a lovely seaside resort, 45 minutes away. The whole Norman countryside, coast, and the Seine valley are spectacular with beautiful peaceful green pastures and forests, white cliffs, and including such famous sites as the cliff-arches of Etretat. An ideal half-day trip would include Les Andelys, a picturesque village with an impressive castle just south of Rouen Next stop could be the little 17th-century harbor of Honfleur, west Le Havre and its modern architecture which belongs to the prestigious Unesco World Heritage List (regular trains running from Rouen)Visit Le Havre page on the site to get a better view of western Normandy From Rouen station you can reach Bayeux and its impressive tapestry. It is a two-hour train ride and is only 30 minutes from the D-Day beaches. Additionally, busy Lille, chock full of museums and an enormous flea market in early September, lies to the North; about two hours on the train, each way. Vernon and Monet's home at Giverny are about 40 minutes away on the train (direction of Paris, less than .