Visit Rouen in 2 hours
Recently updated on July 6th, 2024 at 07:57 pm
Presentation of Rouen and its history
Visit Rouen in 2 hours is a challenge but it is possible. Rouen is a city located in the northwest of France, in Normandy. It is the prefecture of the department of Seine-Maritime and has approximately 110,000 inhabitants. The city of Rouen is rich in history and heritage, and has played an important role in the history of France. Founded in Roman times, whose name was Rotomagus, the city experienced great prosperity in the Middle Ages thanks to its commercial activity (manufacture of sheets) and its river port (transport of goods such as salt, fish or wine ).
It was also the scene of many historical events, such as the trial and execution of Joan of Arc in 1431. Today, Rouen is a dynamic and attractive city, which attracts many visitors thanks to its historical monuments , its museums and its warm atmosphere.
If you only have 2 hours to explore the city, here are three sightseeing routes that will allow you to discover the main sights of Rouen. Each of these routes is made up of two emblematic places in Rouen and a stroll through a mythical district.
Tour itinerary n°1: Cathedral – Big Clock monument – Old Market Square
First, I recommend that you start your visit with Notre-Dame de Rouen Cathedral, one of the most emblematic monuments of the city. This Gothic cathedral dating from the 12th century is famous for its impressive architecture, its colorful stained glass windows and its history linked to Joan of Arc and Rollo. You can spend about 30 minutes visiting the interior of the cathedral and admiring the nave and in particular its height of 28 meters under the vault.
On the outside of the cathedral, I recommend the Portail des Libraires whose history is intimately linked to the Canons. Explore through my podcast Le Portail des Libraires the history of this magnificent place. A little advice to reach the Portail des Libraires, leave the cathedral by the side door located on your right when you look towards the main entrance of the cathedral.
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Then, when you leave the forecourt of the Portail des Libraires, turn left and walk up Saint-Romain street. You arrive again on the forecourt of the cathedral of Rouen. Continue straight ahead to reach Gros-Horloge street.
Gros-Horloge street., in Roman times, corresponded to the decumanus. The decumanus is a Latin word designating the west-east path traced in the military camps and the Roman cities and crossing at the forum with the cardo.
In this street, look up and admire the fine examples of half-timbered houses. Also discover why Gros-Horloge street. became the first pedestrian street in France in 1970.
Walk along Gros-Horloge street, a busy pedestrian street with shops and restaurants. In the middle of this street is the Big Clock monument, a 14th century clock with an astronomical dial and a week-window. The weekly calendar is located inside an opening made at the base of the dial. This one is decorated with allegorical subjects. You can spend around 10 minutes admiring this iconic clock and taking photos.
Keep going towards the Old market square. At the intersection of Gros-Horloge street and Joan of Arc street, look at the ground, you can notice a work of art created by the artist InkOj alias Nicolas Soulabail. Golden yellow in color, it is the representation of the sundial located on the Big Clock monument. 4 other works on the ground have been created all along Joan of Arc street by the Parisian artist.
The artistic approach: each work of the monumental fresco created by the artist Inkoj on Joan of Arc street is inspired by the heritage of Rouen and the four elements of nature.
Continuing on Gros-Horloge street, towards the Old market square, stop on the way at the Auzou chocolate factory to taste some chocolate specialties such as Tears of Jeanne, Pavés Rouennais (the cobblestones) or Cadrans du Gros-Horloge (the Big Clock’s dials).
A few more steps and you arrive at the Old market square, a historic and emblematic square in the the Old market district. It was here that Joan of Arc was burned alive in 1431. Today the square is lined with restaurants and cafes, and there is a covered market where you can buy local produce (cupped oysters from Saint- Vaast-la-Hougue, Camembert, Neufchâtel and Pont l’évêque cheeses and Norman cider).
Some good restaurants are located around this square, find them in my selection of the best restaurants in Rouen in 2023.
Take the opportunity to observe and go inside the Joan of Arc church, a modern church built in homage to Joan of Arc. The exterior of the church is shaped like the hull of a Viking ship, while the interior is decorated with colorful stained glass windows depicting the history of the city and Joan of Arc. You can spend around 20 minutes visiting this church.
Finally, end your visit by strolling on the Place de la Pucelle (the Virgin lady – the nickname of Joan of Arc) to have a drink on the terrace or to discover the oldest vestige of the city. Another option for gourmets, the bakery of Christophe Cressent, best worker in France, My bakery. You will find very good bread made with natural sourdough and organic flours as well as Rouen specialties such as mirliton and white chocolate brioche (my favourite!).
This tour itinerary will allow you to discover the main tourist sites of Rouen in just 2 hours. Of course, if you have more time, there are many other interesting places to explore in the city, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Joan of Arc tower or one of the 25 unmissable places in Rouen. But if you’re in a hurry, this tour will give you a good taste of what my city has to offer.
Tour itinerary n°2: Saint-Ouen abbey church – Antique dealers district – Saint-Maclou church
First of all, if you have already visited the cathedral, the Big Clock and the Old market square, I suggest a second itinerary consisting of the discovery of the Saint-Ouen abbey, the picturesque Antiquaires district and the Saint Maclou Church.
The Saint-Ouen abbey, whose first traces of construction date back to the 8th century thanks to the foundation of the Saint-Ouen abbey, which was one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in Normandy. This abbey that I like nicknamed the “twin of the cathedral”, because of its impressive proportions (127 meters in length under 33 meters of vault), was mainly raised in the air between the 12th and 14th century. Its unique architecture mixes two styles: the Romanesque style and the Gothic style. Can you tell them apart by looking at the facade?
Inside, several treasures and unusual stories to discover. For example, admire the large and magnificent organ, the last of the great instruments made by Cavaillé-Coll in 1890. On this subject, did you know that it is one of the most recorded instruments in the world? Indeed, more than 125 music albums have been recorded at night with this organ. Why at night? Because this is the best time in terms of acoustics to obtain pure sound while avoiding traffic noise.
Another particularity of this Gothic gem is its glass roof. With an enormous surface of 1523m2 of glass which represents the most coherent and homogeneous whole of the city of Rouen, with stained glass windows ranging from the 14th century to the 20th century.
The characteristic of Gothic is based on the aerial structure and on the height, made possible thanks to the buttresses on the outside and the warheads on the top, which ensure that the walls are no longer load-bearing at all and can be pierced large windows. There are more than 80 windows that are present in the abbey. You will no doubt agree with me in saying that there is a perfect balance between architecture and light, which makes it so special.
Go forward to the chapel of the Virgin. Here we are in the oldest part of the abbey. Around you, all of the windows were made in 1325, such as the very pretty Annunciation with the Archangel Gabriel, on the left, who warns the Virgin Husband of her imminent pregnancy.
Finally, an unusual question for you: do you know the first name of the three bells of the Saint-Ouen abbey? These are Saint-Ouen, Marie and Julie-Marcelle who together represent a series of 3 musical notes: LA SI DO. They all have a first name because since the 12th century, tradition considers them as people.
They receive the first name of a patron saint, an angel, the Virgin or even the wife of an important man during a blessing ceremony. Like the future baptized, they are sprinkled with holy water, then anointed with holy oil, holy chrism. Sometimes they are even dressed in a dress!
Leaving the Saint-Ouen abbey, you can stroll through the gardens or take Boucheries Saint-Ouen street to reach the emblematic street of the Antiques district: Damiette street.
At the very beginning of Damiette street, you will cross the small Lieutenant Aubert square, which used to be one of the places in the city where Les Conards (The Assholes) celebrated it.
Secondly, Damiette street is at the heart of the Antiquaires district which inspired certain impressionist painters such as Camille Pissarro and his painting Damiette street. I advise you to stroll in this street and in these adjacent streets. You will no doubt notice this narrow impasse in Hauts-Mariages which leads to Chez Rose et Max, a hidden and colorful restaurant.
At the end of Damiette street, you arrive in front of the magnificent Saint-Maclou church. Why Saint Maclou? Because it comes from Saint-Malo, one of the founders of Brittany. Over time and, no doubt, with the Norman patois Saint-Malo was transformed into Saint-Maclou.
Some Bretons would have lived in the neighborhood around the Saint-Maclou church and in particular in rue Malpalu built on marshes.
The Saint-Maclou church is a jewel of flamboyant Gothic art built between 1437 and 1517. On its west-facing facade, you can see a rose window.
The facade is particularly atypical because it is rounded.
I recommend that you take a tour of this church because you have a magnificent view of all the details that make up its architecture.
If you prefer to visit the interior first, one of the first things to observe is its lantern tower. The Saint-Maclou church retains an old Norman tradition which is that of the lantern tower, that is to say a building tower composed of openings in order to let light penetrate inside the religious building. .
Still inside, we notice that there are few old stained glass windows, these are mixed with more modern elements. There is logically a Renaissance organ there. As you can imagine, the Saint-Maclou church is classified as a historical monument by the 1840 list.
At the end of the visit, I recommend two relaxation options to appreciate the time that passes in Rouen. Leaving the church, slightly to your left, you can satisfy your cravings for indulgence by savoring a classic of French pastry such as lemon tart or opera or on the other side of Place Barthélemy, you can sit at the Café Antico for a coffee or a cold drink depending on the season.
Tour itinerary n°3: Joan of Arc Bridge – the quays – River and Port Maritime Museum
First, it is in the middle of the Joan of Arc Bridge that I invite you to meet for this third itinerary.
Why in the middle of this bridge? Quite simply to enjoy the view of the Sainte Catherine hill, on one side, and the Flaubert Bridge, on the other. Then, from this bridge, several routes are available to you. Direction the Sainte Catherine hill to access one of the most beautiful panoramas of the city, destination right bank and the cathedral, direction left bank with its Saint-Sever district and its few examples of street-art or walk along the quays like us let’s do it now.
The quays are a perfect place to relax and enjoy the Seine. By walking or running, if you are athletic, several kilometers pass under your feet. The quays are flat and were well redeveloped a few years ago, making for a pleasant walk. Benches are available along the river.
You can also take breaks, especially on the terrace at The Novick’s Stadium Rouen or at Laksøn Rouen for lunch and dinner. However, it is not on the banks of the Seine that you will find the best restaurants in Rouen.
Another possibility is to discover the commemorative plaque in homage to Robert Fulton, the inventor of the submarine whose first tests took place in Rouen!
After or before a drink on the terrace or your lunch, you can continue your walk to the Rouen Maritime River and Port Museum.
The Rouen Maritime River and Port Museum retraces the past of Rouen and that of the Seine in a place steeped in history: a former port shed assigned to the storage of wine from North Africa. The Museum in the heart of the maritime and river port is a place of passage and stopover for liners, cargo ships, tugboats and barges, but also sailboats and boats during the Armada.
During the visit of the museum, you can discover the history of the construction and ship repair of steel ships in the 20th century. Maritime objects such as lighthouses, beacons and a radio cabin allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a ship.
Rouen is an inland port. Its proximity to Paris made it the leading port in France for centuries. It is still today one of the first European ports. Since the development of the Espace des Marégraphes, the quays have become a place for walking that I particularly appreciate for jogging.
In conclusion, you have 3 routes to explore some of Rouen’s treasures. If you want more, you can consult my list of 25 unmissable places in Rouen or my article Visit Rouen in one hour, is it possible?
