Rouen, Normandy: The City That Never Forgets: Memories of Monet, Joan of Arc and Richard the Lionheart Linger
2 min readIn Rouen, France, the memory of Joan of Arc, Claude Monet and Julia Childs are kept alive with monuments, festivals and stories.
The post Rouen, Normandy: The City That Never Forgets: Memories of Monet, Joan of Arc and Richard the Lionheart Linger appeared first on JourneyWoman.
From its origins as a Gallic settlement, to the Vikings, to becoming the Norman capital of France, Rouen is today a thriving, welcoming city, offering women many compelling reasons to visit, especially in the off-season when the scallops are at their peak. With its centrally located train station, it also makes a great base for day trips to other sites in Normandy, including Le Havre, Honfleur, Giverny, Lyons-la-Forêt, the Jumièges Abbey, Pays de Caux and the Pays d’Auge. Find day trips here.
Where to stay in Rouen, France
The Rouen Radisson Blu is less than a 10-minute walk from the train station and is located next to the last remaining part of Rouen Castle, where Joan of Arc was held. Check prices for the Radisson Blu here.
How to get to Rouen
Rather than drive from Paris Charles de Gaulle, take the train from Saint-Lazare train station in Paris. Learn more about France’s train network and purchase your tickets on Trainline.
Once you’re in Rouen, car rental is available at the Rouen Train station. I rented a car from Europcar and road tripped around Normandy from Rouen to Mont-Saint Michel, returning my car in Saint-Malo.
Several companies operate river cruises from Paris on the Seine River and have stops in Rouen, including Viking, Uniworld, Avalon Waterways, Tauck, Emerald Cruises, and CroisiEurope. Find a river cruise in Normandy here.
While in France I used an eSim from Saily and the Wise app on my phone for small transactions, avoiding currency exchange fees.
Disclaimer: As a guest of Normandy Tourism and Rouen Tourism, Carolyn Ray was not compensated for her time spent researching, travelling and writing this feature, nor was JourneyWoman for publishing it. In addition, the host organizations did not review this article before it was published, a practice that allows the writer to express her perspective with integrity and candour.
