10 essentials: what to see and do in Rouen (Normandy) in 1 day

Visit Rouen It is a walk through some of the most interesting stages of the history of France, a place where a viking became Duke of Normandy giving the name to the region.

Also the place where Richard the Lionheart, Norman duke who became king of england, has buried his heart, and city ​​where they burned at the stake JJoan of Arc, heroin and Patron Saint of France.

A fascinating story full of interesting characters and within the framework of a beautiful city, the best place in Normandy To see them typical half-timbered houses.

We can tell you that there are few cities as beautiful in Europe as Rouen., whose cathedral was the protagonist of the most famous series of paintings of the Impressionist Monet.

It is a real joy to tour this French city, to the point that it has become one of our favorite cities on the old continent.

If you have never seen images of this city, we recommend that you watch our video of the route we took through Normandy where we visited Rouen.

By the way, a very important issue is that the name of the city in French is Rouen and in Spanish it is Rouen, so it can be used interchangeably.

But let's start at the beginning.

Rouen, capital of Normandy

Rouen It is one of the two cities considered the capital of the current Normandy region, after the administrative reorganization that was carried out in France few years ago.

Share this title with Caen, considered as political capitalWhile Rouen is administrative capital.

In addition to being the capital, it is one of the cities with the most inhabitants in the region and its location makes it a point that structures the north of the country.

Rouen It is a short distance from Paris and in the middle of the Seine river.

What to see and do when visiting Rouen

La Rouen visit will focus on the Rue du Gros Horloge, that is, the Clock Street that takes you from Old Market Square to cathedral.

The first thing that will surprise you on your walk through the center of Rubén is the large number of traditional traditional norman houses.

Half-timbered houses in Rouen

Rouen It is an authentic open-air museum of half-timbered houses, and walking its streets is truly amazing.

The half-timbered houses They are those characteristic constructions of the medieval period in which their façade shows the wooden structure with beams that support the buildings.

There are many cities and towns in Europe where you can find groups of half-timbered houses, but the accumulation of Rouen It is difficult to match because all its historical Center is a succession of half-timbered houses.

I would almost say it the other way around, it is not easy to find houses that are not half-timbered.

Furthermore, these hundreds of years old structures have a very striking peculiarity, and that is that with the passage of time many of them end up twisting.

That's why now in Rouen You can see on many facades that the building is falling apart, showing very curious twists; is part of the charm.

En Rouen or half-timbered houses They are more than 500 years old, and there is a curiosity about these very old buildings.

When you walk through the center of Rouen You can tell when a house is before the year 1.500 because until that date buildings were built with arcades, but following a plague epidemic that killed a large part of the population, they stopped being built that way.

At the time, it was thought that the poor ventilation of these arcades caused the plague to spread, and they made the decision that all new constructions would stop being made this way.

Another curiosity is that the façade of houses that disappeared were moved to other more modern buildings. which has led to the fact that now in Rouen We can see so many half-timbered houses.

Old Market Square and Joan of Arc in Rouen

And in the Old Market Square You have a set of half-timbered houses among which is the building where there is now a restaurant, and it is the oldest hostel in FranceOf 1345.

In that same square is the place where Joan of Arc It was burned by the English. In this area of Rouen Next to the market is where public executions took place.

In addition to the plaque that remembers this historical event, in this square you can see the stone remains of a old church, as well as the metal building of a large market.

You can also see the building of a church in honor of Joan of Arc, it was built when the trial papers were found, allowing us to know the story of the French heroine

Next to the cathedral is the archiepiscopal building Where was the second trial of Joan of Arc, a place that can currently be visited

In 1431, Joan of Arc She had a first trial carried out by the English with accusations of heresy and of being a transvestite for having disguised herself as a man, and after saying that she had visions, she was sentenced to the stake.

But when the French recaptured the city Rouen of the English, between 1492 and 1496 a second posthumous trial was carried out promoted by the archbishopric, after which Joan of Arc of the accusations for which she was convicted.

Finally, already in 1920, John of Arc was canonized by Catholic Church and came to be considered the Patron Saint of France.

As you approach the cathedral along Clock Street

Great Clock of Rouen

As we have mentioned, on the street that takes you to the cathedral you will pass by one of the most emblematic and charming corners, the Great clock.

This is a great and beautiful astronomical clock which was already used in medieval times so that the local population knew what day of the week it was and what time of year they were.

The door you will pass under and the tower are originally from the 12th century, although the latter was rebuilt in the 14th century.

The clock mechanism is from this last period, and the dial, from the 16th century.

Every day at 12 noon you can see the clock in operation.

Notre Dame de Rouen Cathedral

La Notre Dame de Rouen cathedral It had its origin in a first cathedral from the 4th century, although, in reality, more than a cathedral, it was a set of monumental buildings that made up a cathedral.

Starting in the 11th century, they built a unique Romanesque-style building, with low and thick walls, although of that Romanesque cathedral Now only the arches that are at the top of the two doors of the main façade are preserved.

And in the 12th century the archbishop of Rouen decides to rebuild it Gothic style which was what was beginning to prevail in Europe in those years.

From this period is the tower that you find when you look in front of the cathedral, called the Tower of San Roman, who is the main saint of the city.

On the last level you can see how there is an extension to the flamboyant gothic style.

The other tower of the cathedral is known as the Butter Tower, and dates back to the 16th century.

It is called that because it was financed by the population of Rouen as payment for a bull, since at that time it was prohibited to eat dairy products, and by financing its construction, it was allowed to consume these products.

The facade of the Rouen cathedral It is full of statues in a flamboyant style, which is rare in France, but is seen a lot in England, and is precisely due to the great influence of the English in Normandy during the medieval period.

With the bombings of the Second World War The cathedral was almost lost because they destroyed one side of the church, from which only one chapel was saved, and the building did not collapse thanks to the buttresses that supported the vault.

Viking Rollo and Richard the Lionheart in Rouen Cathedral

Inside this cathedral, it is worth highlighting the tombs of the two most important historical figures of Rouen, cited previously.

On one hand, the Viking Rollo who was named first duke of normandy in exchange to protect the riverbank Seine river of the Viking attacks, as you may have seen in the famous television series “Vikings”.

And next to said grave is that of Richard the Lionheart, a later duke of normandy that became king of england, and who wanted that upon his death in Rouen his heart will be preserved.

Monet and the facade of Rouen Cathedral

But Rouen cathedral It is actually famous throughout the world for being the protagonist of the series of paintings that the Impressionist Monet.

From the first floor of the building located in front of it, the current headquarters of the Rouen Tourist Office, Many Between 1892 and 1894 he painted a series of canvases from three different points of view.

The result was 28 paintings of the cathedral façade with the light of different times of the day, which became one of the most famous works of the aforementioned artist.

Night show at Rouen Cathedral

It should also be noted that during the summer months, on Saturdays in June and every day from July to early September, at night you can enjoy two spectacular successive light and sound projections that will really leave you amazed.

This type of multimedia projection It is increasingly popular during the summer in French cities, and they become an essential date during your visit.

From Rouen Cathedral multimedia show You have images in the video that heads this article.

Legos in Rouen Courthouse

Finally, we are going to discover one of the most curious places in Rouen.

This is the Rouen Palace of Justice, a striking large building, but what will be curious to you is not its architecture, but rather some of the facilities. Legos that can be seen on its facades.

To understand this artistic installation, we have to go back to the bombings and shootings that the city suffered during the Second World War, which destroyed a part of the city.

The entire bank of the river up to the height of the cathedral was devastated, and the buildings adjacent to that area suffered a lot of damage, although the authorities of Rouen They decided that some of that damage would be preserved so they could remember what happened there.

And that is why on a large part of the facades of the cathedral you can see the marks of the bullets of the war, and the same thing happened on the facade of the aforementioned Courthouse, where it was recently decided to take advantage of the bullet holes to make the artistic installation with Legos.

It is a curious and very striking initiative.