Rouen

Hello, it’s me Marimonda!

Today, I’d like to share my day trip to Rouen from Paris. Located in Normandy region, Rouen was one of the most important cities in the medieval time. This city is now known for a place where Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) was executed and a hometown for the impressionists with its incredible cathedral and the scenery of the Seine. The peaceful and calm atmosphere of Rouen will welcome you.

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How to get there

This is a great city for a day trip from Paris. I took a train to go there, and the train departs at Saint-Lazare station in Paris. The price of the ticket varies depending on the time you want to depart (from €11 ), but the morning one I took cost €11.50 (8:19-9:50). I think it’s the cheapest but the best schedule to visit Rouen for a day. It takes about 1 hour and half by train.

You can also go there by taking a bus such as Flixbus or Ouibus which offer cheaper price ( from €4.99) and it takes about 2 hours (on average). I like travelling bus, but considering the fact that I was travelling for a day, I would pay few more euros to save time. Most bus stops are outside of the city, thus you should consider the time to get into the center of the city.

Things to do in Rouen

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The first place I visited in Rouen was the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. In this museum, you would find paintings, sculptures, drawing and art collections. It’s only 10 mins away from the train station by foot. In front of the station, you would see a main street. Following that street toward Subway (sandwich shop), you would see a park. The museum is next to the park. It is free of charge for permanent collections. The museum opens at 10 a.m., thus arriving at the station at 9:50 was an excellent choice.

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In the museum, you may find collections from the 15th century to the 21th century. This museum has a special salon called <Rouen> where exhibits art collections of the city.

Leaving behind the museum,I headed to the Cathedral, which is the main object in the Claude Monet’s painting series <Rouen Cathedral>. He drew 30 paintings of this building at different time and different season.

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Notre-Dame Cathedral is one of the most important architectures in Rouen. This giant Gothic style cathedral fascinates its visitors. Many people sit down and enjoy this gorgeous structure including me. Don’t forget to get in. Inside of the building is also impressive.

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Rouen is also known as the city of Joan of Arc. Napoleon Bonaparte declared her as a French national symbol considering her significant role in the Hundred Years’ War. She was executed by fire here in Rouen, thus there are some monuments to commemorate her. You can see some paintings about this little but strong girl in the musée des beaux-arts. On the way to the center of the town, you could see Donjon of Rouen where Joan of Arc was imprisoned. Now, this place hosts the escape game using VR glasses.

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The Church of Joan of Arc is also an important church in Rouen. This modern building commemorates the national heroin Joan of Arc. To me, it seemed a bit odd since it doesn’t get along with neighboring buildings. In front of the church, you can see a big cross. This is the place where she was executed. The church is small but has a very abstract and unique structure. Inside of the church is very bright thanks to wide windows which allow to pass the light.

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The Great Clock is also a must see thing in Rouen. It’s in the downtown from the Renaissance era. You can get into the building and see the clock from inside and enjoy the cityview. Since there was a long queue and I had only one day there, I didn’t enter the monument. There’s also a lunch break, so you should plan your visit well. The ticket costs €7 (adult).

Overall, the city is full of history and you could imagine how important the city was in the past by looking at historical buildings. It’s a perfect day trip destination from Paris in Summer.

Enjoy your trip with Marimonda! See you soon. 🙂

Practical Info.

Musée des Beaux-Arts

Address : Esplanade Marcel Duchamp 76000 Rouen

Hours : 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed on Tuesday.

website

Notre-Dame Cathedral de Rouen

Address : Place de la Cathédrale, 76000 Rouen

Hours : 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Tue.-Sat.) / 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Sun.)/ 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Mon.)

website

Donjon de Rouen

Address : Rue Bouvreuil, 76000 Rouen

website

Church of Joan of Arc

Address : Place du Vieux Marché, 76000 Rouen

Hours : 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. – 6 : 00 p.m. (Mon.-Thu. , Sat.)

2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Fri. and Sun.)

website

The Great Clock

Address :Rue du Gros Horloge, 76000 Rouen

Hours : 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. – 7 : 00 p.m. (Tue.-Sun.) Closed on Mondays

website