France – Rouen (En)
Rouen pleasantly surprised us, a city full of life and with so much to explore. It’s a port city on the Seine River, and in the centre, you’ll find Gothic churches, several of which are used as museums. It features a cathedral that’s free to visit, as well as the beautiful medieval half-timbered houses we loved.
Where to stay
We stayed in the Motorhome park at the Port de Plaisance (49.448101, -1.05828 lat, long). It’s an area in the marina with 20 spaces. It costs €14.30 per day and includes water, wastewater drainage, electricity, toilets with toilet paper and seats, and hot showers. The water pressure is somewhat lacking, and the bathrooms require a bit more cleaning. There’s a washer and dryer for an additional cost. We recommend arriving in the morning, as there are no spaces after 12 p.m. We got a spot with a view of the port; there’s no room to open a porch or put out a table and chairs. The park is about a 40-minute walk from the centre, but the walk is very pretty along the bar-lined promenade. There’s an Aldi supermarket about a 10-minute walk away. I recommend it for visiting the city, which is well worth a visit.
What to see
We walked along the Seine River, so the first thing we saw was the promenade, which is full of bars and very lively. Of particular note is the enormous bridge, which is raised for yacht races.
We arrived downtown, and the first thing we saw was the old tower. From there, walk down one street and you’ll find yourself in the plaza of the Museum of Fine Arts, which is free, but we didn’t go in. On a street not far from the plaza are the Heritage Library and the Tournelles Museum. This museum is located inside a Gothic church and is also free. I recommend seeing it inside, where there’s an impressive display of ironwork.
We then went to the market square, where the Church of Joan of Arc is located, which is extremely unusual both inside and out. The square is surrounded by beautiful medieval half-timbered houses.
From there, we went to see the Gros-Horloge astronomical clock, which left us speechless with its impressiveness. It sits atop a Renaissance arch dating back to 1527. The clock dates from the 16th century, and its two dials display 24 sunbeams.
Crossing under the arch, you reach Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most famous Gothic cathedrals in the world due to the paintings Claude Monet dedicated to it. The cathedral is free to visit, and we saw it inside, which we highly recommend.
The next thing we came across was the Royal Palace from 1509 to 1550, which later became the Palace of Justice.
And we headed to the town hall, where we had met up with our friends Armelle and Laurent. In front of the town hall, there’s a statue of Napoleon dividing the street, and on one side, another Gothic church.
Armelle and Laurent took us to the St. Maclou church area, surrounded by streets lined with beautiful half-timbered houses, where we had some delicious beef cheek burgers for dinner, but I forgot to take any photos, sorry!
The next day, we went to Armelle and Laurent’s house in the village of Saint Jean du Cardonnay, where Armelle took us to see the Abbey of Saint Martin and for a walk along the Seine River. Many thanks to Armelle and Laurent for letting us stay in their house, showing us beautiful places, and for their hospitality. We had a wonderful time.
Saying goodbye to Armelle and Laurent, whom we hope to see on our next visit to France, we headed to Alençon, near a natural park famous for its lace-making traditions, which you’ll be able to see in the next blog!
