10 Best Things to Do in Rouen
What is Rouen Most Famous For?
The best things to do in Rouen offer plenty to discover for lovers of history and classic arts, as it’s a city rich in medieval architecture and cultural treasures. The historic capital of Normandy and also known as the City of a Hundred Spires, Rouen boasts stunning Gothic churches whose steeples decorate the skyline, including the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, an iconic 3-towered church.
Explore the cobbled streets of Vieux Rouen or admire Impressionist paintings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Visit the modernist church and museum dedicated to Joan of Arc. Round out your city exploration with a stroll through the botanical gardens or a picnic lunch along the banks of the Seine.
What are the best things to do in Rouen?
1. Vieux Rouen
Soak up the charms of the old city
Ideal para: História, Foto, Econômico
Timber-framed houses painted rouge and chocolate and cream line the cobblestone streets of Vieux Rouen, the oldest and most visited part of the city. Called a ville-musée, that’s museum-town, much of the architecture in the historic centre dates to the Middle Ages. Vieux Rouen is home to many of the city’s major landmarks, including the ornate Palais de Justice, a 14th-century astronomical clock and the inimitable Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
Just behind the Cathédrale lies Saint-Maclou, a district worth a visit for its cluster of longstanding antique shops. Be sure to see the flamboyantly gothic Eglise Saint-Maclou and the Aître Saint-Maclou, a parish cemetery that collected the remains of the dead during the Black Plague.
Vieux Rouen
2. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen
One of France’s most captivating cathedrals
Ideal para: História, Foto
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame is one of Europe’s most celebrated Gothic churches. The immense west façade was immortalised in dozens of paintings by Claude Monet, recognisable by its 3 towers of differing styles. The central Tour Lanterne has a spire reaching 151 metres, which made it, for a brief period, the tallest building in the world.
This 12th-century cathedral has undergone many changes in its 800-year history, resulting in a masterful blending of various Gothic and Renaissance styles. Lace-like pointed gables, intricate stone carvings of apostles and angels and 13th-century stained-glass adorn its facades. On the north side, the affecting Portail des Librairies is crowned with a rose window and flanked by medallions depicting fantastic creatures.
Localização: Pl. de la Cathédrale, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Monday from 2 pm to 6 pm, Tuesday–Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 8 am to 6 pm
Telefone: +33 (0)2 35 71 51 23
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen
3. Gros-Horloge
Medieval engineering at its finest
Ideal para: História, Famílias
The Gros-Horloge astronomical clock dates to the 14th century and is still ticking away today. Mounted on a Renaissance archway over one of the city’s main pedestrian streets, the clock is a marvel of early engineering and features an intricately decorated blue-and-gold clock face.
Ascend the bell tower’s narrow stairs to see the clock’s interior mechanisms and learn about the history of timekeeping. The top of the tower offers panoramic views of the surrounding city. After your visit, stop in one of the cafes on the bustling street below or wander the neighbourhood to see some of the prettiest houses in all the city.
Localização: Rue du Gros Horloge, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Tuesday–Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm (closed on Mondays)
Telefone: +33 (0)2 32 08 01 90
Gros-Horloge
4. Marché Saint-Marc
Rendezvous at the city market
Ideal para: Compras, Alimentação
The Marché Saint-Marc is the city’s most charming open-air market. Vendors set up shop 4 days a week in a square a short walk east of the cathedral, displaying bulging bulbs of garlic, bottles of Normandy’s famous apple cider and bunches of long French breakfast radishes, which are, notably, not eaten for breakfast. Scents of flowers and ripened cheeses waft through the market air.
Saint-Marc was established in 1834, and there has been some form of market here since the Middle Ages. It’s a veritable institution, serving as a gathering place for residents to shop, chat and sip coffee on the terraces bordering the market. If you’re planning a picnic, fill your basket here.
Localização: 28 Pl. Saint-Marc, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 am to 6 pm, Sunday from 6 am to 1.30 pm (closed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays)
Marché Saint-Marc
5. Place du Vieux-Marché
A living memorial to Joan of Arc
Ideal para: História, Econômico
Known as the historic square where Joan of Arc was martyred, the Place du Vieux-Marché is one of Rouen’s most-visited spots. The large square is lined with colourful medieval houses occupied mostly by restaurants and cafes. A tall stone cross stands solemnly marking the spot where Joan was burned at the stake.
In the centre of the square is a striking monument: a modern church built in 1979 to honour the legendary heroine. The Église Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc, with its bold design modelled after either a boat or a helmet depending on who you ask, features recovered 16th-century stained-glass windows in its serene, light-filled sanctuary. To rest your feet, grab a cup of coffee at one of the cafes surrounding the square.
Localização: Pl. du Vieux Marché, 76000 Rouen, France
Place du Vieux-Marché
6. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
Impressionist paintings are the star of Rouen’s fine art museum
Ideal para: Casais, Grupos, História
Rouen’s Musée des Beaux-Arts holds a rich collection of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the 16th to the 20th centuries. It was established after the French Revolution when artworks were seized from religious and aristocratic properties and redistributed to public collections. In the spirit of art for the people, the museum is free to visit.
The centrepiece of the museum is its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, which includes Monet’s depictions of the Rouen cathedral. There are works by the 17th-century masters Reubens and Caravaggio, plus portraiture, Dutch landscape paintings and a notable collection of drawings.
Localização: Esp. Marcel Duchamp, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Wednesday–Monday from 10 am to 6 pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Telefone: +33 (0)2 35 71 28 40
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
7. Jardin des Plantes
Gardens of colourful dahlias and curling ferns
Ideal para: Famílias, Casais, Foto
The Jardin des Plantes is Rouen’s public botanical garden, replete with tropical greenhouses, a rose garden and a pond strewn with lily pads. Located in Saint-Clément on the south bank of the Seine, the gardens provide a peaceful green expanse a short drive from the city centre.
The collection includes plants from 5 continents, including stunning orchids, carnivorous plants and towering redwood trees. Naturally, spring and summer offer the most blooms, but the greenhouses are open year-round. If you’re travelling with kids, plan to visit in October when the park is decorated with gourds and ghosts for families to enjoy.
Localização: 114B Av. des Martyrs de la Résistance, 76100 Rouen, France
Abre: Daily from 8.15 am to 5.15 pm
Telefone: +33 (0)2 35 08 87 45
Jardin des Plantes
8. Historial Jeanne d’Arc
The story of Joan of Arc told in a multimedia theatre
Ideal para: História, Famílias
The Historial Jeanne d’Arc takes visitors on a journey through the life, death and legacy of Joan of Arc. Housed in the Archdiocese of Rouen, located in the historic square where the French heroine was executed, this is less a museum and more an audio-visual tour.
75-minutes pass surprisingly quickly. The tour takes you through the halls of the church, where projected maps and videos complement well-paced storytelling in the audio tour, which is available in 7 languages. You’ll hear dramatic retellings of Joan’s triumphs and her trial and learn the significance of her story to the French identity.
Localização: 7 Rue Saint Romain, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Tuesday–Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm (closed on Mondays)
Telefone: +33 (0)2 35 52 48 00
Historial Jeanne d'Arc
9. Square Charles Verdrel
An oasis of green in the old city
Ideal para: Foto, Econômico
Located in the historic city centre, Square Verdrel is a public garden adjacent to the Musée des Beaux-Arts. The small park consists of tree-covered walking paths encircling a central pond, where ducks and swans wade and water trickles down an ornamental waterfall. Some of the city’s most beautiful trees are found here, including 100-year-old ginkgo, Atlas cedar, and giant sequoia.
Named after former Rouen mayor Charles Verdrel, the park is studded with monuments to Normandy-born artists like master of the short story Guy de Maupassant and composer Frédéric Bérat. And when you need a rest, take a seat on a park bench and watch the world go by.
Localização: Rue Jean Lecanuet, 76000 Rouen, France
Square Charles Verdrel
10. Musée Le Secq des Tournelles
Museum dedicated to a centuries-old craft
Ideal para: História, Viagens alternativas
Head to the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles for one of the largest collections of wrought ironwork in the world. Until it was replaced by steel and other modern materials in the 20th century, ironwork had enormous functional and decorative applications as far back as the Middle Ages.
The museum displays a wide array of iron objects, from candlesticks and pub signs to chandeliers and medical instruments, against the backdrop of an old Gothic church. The evolution of locking mechanisms is outlined in the collection, from simple Medieval keys to highly decorative Renaissance pieces. History buffs and lovers of craftsmanship won’t want to miss this unusual museum.
Localização: 2 Rue Jacques Villon, 76000 Rouen, France
Abre: Sunday–Monday and Wednesday–Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm, Saturday from 2 pm to 11 pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Telefone: +33 (0)2 35 71 28 40
Musée Le Secq des Tournelles
Este artigo inclui opiniões da equipe editorial dos Go Guides. A Hoteis.com remunera os autores dos textos publicados neste site, o que pode incluir custos de viagens e outras despesas.