Hotel Bourgtheroulde, where we stayed is located in the old part of Rouen which has 227 registered historical monuments, which places it sixth for all French cities.
When you stroll through these parts of Rouen, you can find around 2,000 timber-framed houses, dating back as far as to the 1200s.
Some streets to visit (plus more) are Rue Étoupée, Rue Saint-Amand, Rue Damiette and Rue Abbé-de-l’Épée.
Below you can see some of the stunning carved stone reliefs from the inner courtyard of the hotel.
Walking through Rue du Gros Horloge, also in the historic center, you will find the famous Great Clock which was fully restored in 2006. The surroundings include a Gothic belfry, a Renaissance archway and clock face, and and a 18th century fountain. The belfry houses the city bells and one of the oldest clock mechanisms in Europe, which was in operation from the 14th century to 1928.
The Rue du Gros Horloge is on one of Rouen’s main shopping streets, where you can find many of the half-timbered houses, some of which still show damage from the Second World War.
Another spectacular viewpoint is the beautiful Rouen cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture. For four years around the end of the 1870s, it was the tallest building in the world. It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.
The cathedral contains the tombs of the Dukes of Normandy, including that of Rollon, founder of the duchy in 911, and the heart of Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy.
Close by, in the old historical market square of Place du Vieux-Marché, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake after her trial in the year 1431.
Now you will find the Joan of Arc church, completed in 1979. The stained glass windows were preserved from before WW2. After the church was bombed, this new church started construction and the old stained glass windows were reused.
Finally, one more Gothic building worth seeing is the Palais de Justice, near the Cathedral. It’s another beautiful and massive building which shows the rich history of this city.
Rouen is definitely worth a stop. There are many beautiful places to see and a nice historic place to do some shopping or grab some lunch as well!
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