Normandy’s capital flies bewilderingly under the radar considering Paris is little more than an hour away by train. Rouen may be best known for the majestic gothic cathedral you’ll recognise from dozens of Monets in museums around the world but this small city in northern France has played a pivotal role in French history and culture few travellers will be aware of. Joan of Arc was put on trial and executed here in 1431, while the Madame Bovary author Gustave Flaubert was born in the city in 1821.
On a blue-sky morning the Seine — wending its way from Paris to the coast — sparkles beside the old town, a lovely labyrinth in which to get lost, with its narrow alleys and medieval half-timbered buildings. Yet perhaps the biggest attraction here is the food. Rouen is France’s only Unesco city of gastronomy, and visitors can explore daily and weekly markets piled high with fresh fish, overflowing baskets of radishes, bottles of cider and the ubiquitous camembert — not to mention restaurant specialities that include duck à la rouennaise (pressed duck) and tarte normande (apple pie). And if you are here for the impressionism, one of Monet’s sleepy cathedral paintings can be found in the city’s world-class arts museum.
48 hours in Rouen — at a glanceDay one
Morning Wander the old town
Lunch Le Petit Boquié
Afternoon Historial Jeanne d’Arc
Drink at Le Petit Bar
Evening Aître St Maclou
Dinner Café HamletDay two
Morning Explore the markets
Lunch In Situ
Afternoon Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
Drink at L’Entrepôt Food Hall
Evening Walk along the river
Dinner La CouronneWhat to see and doWander the old town
The streets of the old town are lined with medieval half-timbered houses
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Straight out of a Harry Potter movie, hundreds of the city’s medieval half-timbered houses were painstakingly restored in the decades following the Second World War. Start your wander on the ancient Rue St Romain, bookended by the 1,000-year-old Rouen Cathedral (free; cathedrale-rouen.net) and the flamboyant Church of St Maclou, before checking out the 14th-century Gros-Horloge astronomical clock.
Historial Jeanne d’Arc
Learn about the life of France’s most famous patron saint
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In 1431 Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake for heresy on Rouen’s Place du Vieux-Marché. This five-storey museum tells her story, from childhood to the myths that still surround her, through a series of immersive exhibits. You start in the crypt of the Archbishop’s Palace, where her trials were held, before winding up stone staircases that lead to a tower with panoramic views (£11; historial-jeannedarc.fr).
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Aître St Maclou
The courtyard at Aître St Maclou
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Soak up some bleak medieval history at one of Europe’s few surviving gallery cemeteries, where plague victims were buried during the Middle Ages. Today the timber-framed buildings, still carved with skulls and bones, surround a tree-filled courtyard. The galleries house the Telmah contemporary art gallery and the Galerie des Arts du Feu: a ceramics workshop, gallery and shop (free; aitresaintmaclou.fr).
Explore the markets
Fill up on cheese at Place du Vieux-Marché’s indoor market
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Snoop around Place du Vieux-Marché’s market (open every day except Monday), with its stalls piled high with glistening seafood — including fresh herring — fat wedges of cheese and outsize cauliflowers. Then browse the market at Place St Marc (weekends only), a sprawling, chaotic affair where delights include golden rotisserie chickens, Turkish borek and Malaysian bao buns. The bars on the periphery are a popular meeting point for locals.
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Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
Paintings by Monet, Pissarro and Gauguin are among those housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts
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You can’t miss this gallery in the city centre, home to one of the largest collections of impressionist art outside Paris. There are of course many Monets — including one of his more than 30 paintings of Rouen Cathedral — as well as recognisable works by Pissarro and Gauguin. It’s worth lingering to catch the views over the park in the afternoon sun (free; mbarouen.fr).
Walk along the river
Industrial landmarks along the banks of the Seine
Take the half-hour walk along the right bank of the Seine to the docks at Esplanade St Gervais. On both sides of the river the promenade is dotted with cafés, restaurants and cultural venues including the concert hall Le 106 (le106.com), the sports and games bar Novick’s Stadium (bar-the-novicks-stadium.fr) and the family-friendly Cité Immersive Viking museum, where you can learn about Normandy’s Viking history through interactive exhibits (£14; viking.cites-immersives.fr).
Where to eat and drinkLe Petit Boquié
This friendly, relaxed bistro is down a side street behind the cathedral. The Normandy set menu offers regional specialities, from seafood casserole to duck. The hearty beef bourguignon, served with frites rather than mash, and the signature marinated salmon with pickled cucumbers come highly recommended (mains from £14; 25 Rue des Bonnetiers).
Le Petit Bar
Many cocktail bars line the old town’s narrow streets but Le Petit Bar might be the most chic, with its low armchairs, moody lighting and serious-looking mixologists. Order the Love Mail, a zingy blend of champagne with raspberry liqueur and light rum — or go local with some calvados (cocktails from £10; 5 Rue Damiette).
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Café Hamlet
Inside the Aître St Maclou cemetery complex, this niftily designed restaurant makes a surprisingly delightful place to while away an evening. Ask for a table in the outdoor terrace, covered by a glass roof, or head upstairs for great views over the courtyard. Share a fish platter of mackerel rillettes, crab, smoked trout and gravlax (mains from £12; aitresaintmaclou.fr).
In Situ
Delicious food at decent prices makes this unassuming restaurant on the edge of the museum quarter well worth seeking out. Creamy parmentier potatoes with shredded duck from Normandy is the ultimate comfort dish, while flank steak arrives perfectly saignant, with red wine sauce and new potatoes (mains from £16; insitu-restaurant.com).
L’Entrepôt Food Hall
L’Entrepôt Food Hall is right next to the river — perfect for an evening cocktail
Along the banks of the Seine you’ll find L’Entrepôt Food Hall, a street food market with a bar that serves cocktails, a dozen well-chosen wines by the glass and Normandy craft IPAs and ciders. Relax with a rosé on the vast terrace and watch the sun set over the water (drinks from £3; entrepot-foodhall.fr).
La Couronne 
Follow in the footsteps of Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot at La Couronne
This historic restaurant, which dates from 1345, is where the American chef and author Julia Child first tasted French cooking in 1948. A framed photo marks the spot, while the stairway is lined with other celebrity diners including Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot. The superlative set menu may include cod with lemon and thyme, braised pork cheeks in cider, apple tart and a local cheeseboard with livarot and pont-l’évêque (set menu from £39; lacouronne-rouen.co.uk).
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Where to stayHôtel de la Cathédrale
Historic charm in the city centre
Luxury it’s not, but a couple of minutes’ walk from the cathedral this charming 17th-century hotel makes a brilliant spot to immerse yourself in Rouen’s history. Rooms are basic yet decent-sized for such a central location but the real draw is the petit déj, which includes local produce ranging from camembert to plums, freshly baked loaves to the most buttery croissants. It’s served in a breakfast room with original beams and a huge inglenook fireplace and stylish Anglepoise lights. A rooftop terrace, adorned with tomato plants and wicker chairs, has decent views over the city (B&B doubles from £93; hotel-de-la-cathedrale.fr).
Hotel Littéraire Gustave Flaubert 
Hotel Littéraire Gustave Flaubert is filled with nods to the 19th-century author
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Homage to the Madame Bovary author
A few minutes’ walk from the Place du Vieux-Marché, this hotel has 51 bright, simple rooms, each named after a character from one of the 19th-century author’s novels. The fact that the relevant paperback is left on every bedside table is a thoughtful touch. There is also a library with original editions and a recreation of Flaubert’s study (complete with a life-sized statue), while fans can ask for a map to walk in the writer’s footsteps. Breakfast includes local cheeses, a “pan-fry of the day” and homemade cakes (B&B doubles from £139; hotelgustaveflaubert.com).
Hôtel de Bourgtheroulde
Hotel de Bourgtheroulde features a wellness area, spa and swimming pool
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Five-star spa hotel
For a real treat stay at this 16th-century gothic pile with a name even the French might struggle to pronounce. The interior is more modern than you might expect, with everything centred on a dramatic red-painted atrium lined with mezzanine walkways and a massive, brightly lit bar. The “prestige” and “privilege” rooms are the ones to book for views over the Temple St Éloi church and the hotel’s pretty courtyard. On the lower floors you’ll find a wellness area, spa and swimming pool, while the restaurant serves well-executed meat and fish dishes such as ceviche and prime rib (B&B doubles from £194; hotelsparouen.com).
Getting there
Take the Eurostar to Paris (2hrs 20min) and then a train to Rouen from Gare St Lazare (1hr 15min). Alternatively, a train from London to Newhaven in East Sussex takes about an hour and a half, from where a four-hour DFDS ferry runs to Dieppe. Direct trains will whisk you from Dieppe to Rouen in about 45 minutes. The city centre is walkable, though if you’re into trams a single trip costs £1.40 (it’s free on Saturdays).
Visit responsibly
Visit between October and April to avoid the summer hordes. Hire a bike from the tourist office and explore the Seine à Vélo cycling route, which connects the city with nearby towns and villages (from £8; office-de-tourisme-rouen.lokki.rent).
Stephen Emms was a guest of Normandy Tourism (en.normandie-tourisme.fr), Visit Rouen (en.visiterouen.com) and DFDS ferries (dfds.com)
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