Holiday in Rouen

About Rouen

Rouen is the Gothic capital of Normandy and a city that has written art history. Claude Monet painted the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rouen over 30 times at different times of the day and under various lighting conditions – this legendary series of paintings helped establish Impressionism and made the facade of the cathedral one of the most depicted buildings in art history. Even today, when the evening sun bathes the delicate Gothic facade in gold, one immediately understands what fascinated Monet so much. The old town of Rouen is a living museum of medieval architecture. Over 2,000 half-timbered houses from the 14th to the 19th century line the narrow streets, led by the Rue du Gros-Horloge with its magnificent 16th-century astronomical clock that sits above a Gothic archway. On the Place du Vieux-Marché, Jeanne d'Arc was burned in 1431 – today, a modern church stands there in memory of the national heroine, and the square is surrounded by restaurants and cafés. The Aître Saint-Maclou, a medieval plague cemetery with carved Dance of Death reliefs on the half-timbered beams, is one of the eeriest and most fascinating places in France. For German visitors, Rouen is an ideal addition to a trip to Paris: the city is only 90 minutes by train from Paris and can be perfectly planned as a day trip or as a stopover on the way to the Normandy coast. Those wishing to visit the D-Day beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel, or the chalk cliffs of Étretat will find an excellent base in Rouen. The city's restaurants celebrate Norman cuisine with butter, cream, apples, and Calvados – Rouen offers richer and more down-to-earth meals than chic Paris, and at significantly cheaper prices.