Rouen
Historic Capital Of Normandy On The Seine, With The Cathedral Monet Painted More Than Thirty Times And The Square Where Joan Of Arc Was Burned In 1431 · Rouen, Normandy
Rouen was the capital of the medieval Duchy of Normandy and one of the largest cities in France in the Middle Ages, and its old centre on the right bank of the Seine still has hundreds of half-timbered houses leaning over narrow streets. Its Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, with a tall cast-iron spire added in the nineteenth century, is the one Claude Monet painted more than thirty times in changing light in the 1890s. Nearby rise two more great Gothic churches, Saint-Ouen and the flamboyant Saint-Maclou, with its carved plague cemetery. Under the Gros-Horloge, a Renaissance clock arch across the main street, the old town runs to the Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431; a modern church with a sweeping roof now stands there. The Fine Arts museum holds one of the best Impressionist collections outside Paris. Rouen is a working city and a port, not a museum piece, and it is about an hour and a quarter from Paris by train.
Old town and Notre-Dame Cathedral, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Rouen, Normandy, France
The old town streets and squares are open at all times. The cathedral is generally open daily to visitors, with shorter hours on Monday mornings in some periods and restrictions during services, especially on Sunday mornings; confirm. In recent summers a free light show has been projected on the cathedral façade after dark, usually from about June to September, and the start time moves later in midsummer; confirm the dates. The Gros-Horloge belfry and museum, the Historial Jeanne d'Arc and the Aître Saint-Maclou keep their own hours and commonly close one day a week, often Monday. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the other city museums usually close on Tuesdays, which catches out many visitors; confirm before you plan. The Historial Jeanne d'Arc runs timed multimedia visits, and slots can fill at weekends and holidays, so booking is sensible. Shops close on Sunday, and many restaurants close on Sunday evening and Monday. In Armada years, when tall ships moor on the Seine quays, the city is extremely busy and hotels fill very early.