- The right bank, « city of a hundred bell towers », (for 1000 aspects) as nicknamed by Victor Hugo, is an abundance of monuments for the size of a postage stamp
- A medieval time travel : streets paved with cobblestones and lined with half-timbered houses ; rich Gothic architecture that serves religious purposes (abbatial church Saint Ouen and Cathedral Notre Dame) or nonreligious ones (courthouse)
- Preserved places of interest : Aitre Saint Maclou is a cemetery/remains of the Black Death that eventually became a school of Fine Arts ; the Gros Horloge (Big Clock) was given a masculine name (the word clock is feminine in French) and counts only one hand
- The last days of Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans : her imprisonment, trial and death on the stake in Rouen
Half way between Paris and the sea, the capital of Normandy, located on a meander of the Seine river, was the second most important city of France in the Middle Ages thanks to its harbour and trade. Ravaged by the Vikings, the Hundred Years War and the Second World War, the city always « got back on its feet » to offer all the charms of a provicial metropolis.
In Rouen, you often need to look up to admire and discover the secrets of the city. Your certified local guide will be your best asset to wander in the car-free streets of the historical part of town. He will take you to the Gros Horloge, symbol of the city, the facade of Cathedral Notre Dame that inspired Claude Monet for the world-famous-serie of paintings he did. And you sure won’t miss the Old Market square, witness of the last breath of the Maid of Orleans.