Start your walk through Old Rouen at the Tourist Office where you can pick up information and a map. It’s directly opposite the cathedral, housed in the old Renaissance building of the Bureau des Finances (House of the Exchequer), built in 1510. From here, wander in any direction through the narrow streets with their Renaissance half-timbered houses built from the 15th to the 18th centuries. To the west of the cathedral don’t miss the Palais de Justice, once the law courts of Normandy, in the rue des Juifs.
The Place du Vieux-Marche, a little further on, was the main entertainment center of the Middle Ages. Crowds gathered for the daily market and to join in hurling rotten vegetables at the unfortunate in the stocks. It was also the place for public executions, the most famous being the burning of Joan of Arc
Other sights not to miss include the rue du Gros-Horloge, which connects the Vieux-Marche to the Cathedral. Here you’ll walk under Rouen’s most popular monument. The great clock is not only a beautiful object, but in the Middle Ages when nobody had clocks or watches, it served a practical and vital purpose. The single hand tells the hours; the central section tells the phases of the moon and the lower part shows the weeks.
25 pl de la Cathedrale
Tel.: 00 33 (0)2 32 08 32 40
Website
Monday to Saturday 9am–7pm
Sundays and public holidays from 9:30am-12:30pm & 2-6pm
October to April
Daily 9:30am-12:30pm & 1:30-6pm
Closed Jan 1st, May 1st, Nov 11th, December 25th
