Rouen: know before you go

Almost everyone arrives by train from Paris. Gare Saint-Lazare to Rouen Rive Droite takes about 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 on the Nomad regional services, which run through the day, and Rive Droite sits about a kilometre north of the old town, a walk of roughly 15 minutes down to Place du Vieux-Marché, where this plan starts, and back up at the end. There is no useful airport: Rouen-Vallée de Seine at Boos, about 20 minutes out, handles business, medical and training traffic rather than scheduled passenger flights, and its only ground links are partner taxis and the on-demand Filo'r service, both booked in advance. Drivers should note the pedestrianised core and park at the Vieux-Marché or the Hôtel de Ville.

The historic centre is a walking city, and the main sights sit along one flat pedestrian line from the Vieux-Marché through the Gros-Horloge to the cathedral and Saint-Ouen. Rouen is pronounced closer to roo-AHN than the anglicised roo-EN, which helps when you ask for directions. For longer hops the Astuce network runs the light rail Rouen calls the metro, the TEOR bus lines and ordinary buses; Gare-Rue Verte and Palais de Justice are consecutive stops on the underground trunk. Travel is free on Saturdays, so a day pass bought for a Saturday is money wasted. Buy through the My Astuce app, at station machines and agencies, by SMS, or contactless on board.

Rouen prices are in euros, cards are accepted almost everywhere, and the country guide covers currency and tipping. The local extra is the tourist tax, charged per person per night and settled at checkout. From 1 January 2026 a 10% Seine-Maritime departmental tax is added on top of the Métropole's own rate, so the figure on your bill includes both: a 3-star hotel comes to 1.65 euros a night and a chambre d'hôtes to 0.88. Keep a little cash for the market stalls and small food traders on Place Saint-Marc and at the Vieux-Marché, where a card is not always offered, and note that the Tour Jeanne d'Arc desk is the reverse case and takes cards only.

Rouen is a safe city to walk, and the tourist centre stays busy from the morning market through to late dinner. Watch your phone and wallet in the crowds at the Vieux-Marché, around the station and on the metro, and do not leave a bag on the back of a café chair. The pedestrian spine and the Saint-Maclou quarter stay lively after dark, while the quieter side streets empty out early. Tap water is safe to drink, pharmacies marked with a green cross are easy to find in the centre, and the CHU de Rouen is the hospital for anything serious.

The historic centre is mostly level, which is unusual for a French heritage city and makes the main pedestrian axis manageable for most people. The obstacles are the surfaces rather than the gradients: Rue Saint-Romain, Rue Damiette and Rue Martainville are cobbled, and the timber-framed lanes are narrow for wheels and walking aids. The metro and the TEOR lines are the easier public transport. Two stops on the one-day plan are stairs only, the Gros-Horloge belfry and the Tour Jeanne d'Arc keep, so check before booking if that matters. The Musée des Beaux-Arts is step-free and free to enter, which makes it the reliable wet-weather stop.

Rouen's opening days are staggered, so plan the week rather than assume a museum is open. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and Le Secq des Tournelles close Tuesdays. The Historial Jeanne d'Arc, the Gros-Horloge belfry and the Tour Jeanne d'Arc all close Mondays, and the Abbatiale Saint-Ouen closes Mondays and Fridays. Église Saint-Maclou opens only on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays, while the Aître Saint-Maclou courtyard is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00. Saint-Ouen and Saint-Maclou both also shut between 12:00 and 14:00. Saturday and Sunday are the only days on which every door in the one-day plan is open; on Sunday the covered market has packed up by 13:00. Beyond the weekly pattern, the municipal museums and the Aître close on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November and 25 December.

One thing in Rouen genuinely cannot be walked into: La Maison Sublime, the 12th-century Jewish monument under the Palais de Justice, is guided-only and advance booking is compulsory. Visits run Saturdays at 10:30 and 14:30, with extra Tuesday and Thursday slots at 14:30 during French school holidays, and cost 9.50 euros or 8.50 reduced, free under 6. Everything else on the one-day plan is walk-up. The Historial Jeanne d'Arc recommends booking in school holidays and summer only; the Tour Jeanne d'Arc sells through the Rouen Sites et Monuments ticket office and its desk takes cards, not cash. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and Le Secq des Tournelles are free and take no reservation, and the cathedral, Saint-Ouen and Saint-Maclou are free to enter. Restaurants fill on Friday and Saturday nights, so reserve a table.