ROUEN
Area: Cities
Country: France


Location:
In Normandy, NW France, 35 miles inland from the English Channel. 130 miles S of Calais; 85 miles NW of Paris and its international airports.

Telephone code from UK:
33

Website:
http://www.mairie-rouen.fr/internat/internat.htm

Position:
On a loop of the navigable River Seine, with surrounding indented hills.

Description:
The pride and strength of 2,000 years of history inspired 120,000 inhabitants to rebuild their city after major damage during World War II, and today it is a thriving port, distribution and administrative centre, extending 1» by 1º miles. Traditional industries _ textiles, chemicals, metal works and paper _ flourish in the suburbs, while the heart of town is dominated by a 13th-century Gothic cathedral. A warren of cobbled pedestrian streets contains a higgledy-piggledy collection of some 700 half-timbered houses dating from the end of the 18th century back to the Middle Ages. Of touching interest is a simple thyme-covered mound where in 1431 Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake; beside it has been erected a striking modern church dedicated to the saint. Old Rouen today is bathed in the same hazy light that was celebrated by the Impressionist painter Monet and many others.

Suitability:
An interesting stopover for a night or two, suited to middlemarket tourists.

Accommodation:
Conventional 2- and 3-star hotels, mostly on the cathedral side of the river.

Shopping:
Branches of the usual French department stores and franchise boutiques. Regular flea markets.

Entertainments:
Daytime: wide range of well-endowed museums, including museums of fine arts, porcelain and archaeology, plus the Joan of Arc Museum. Gothic churches; strolls through the old streets. Nightlife: sedate in the centre; typical in the port areas stretching along the river.

Eating:
Rich Norman cuisine, with cream, butter and Calvados sauces, at reasonable prices. Abundant fresh fish. Rouen pressed duck (involves strangulation to prevent blood-letting; then blood is extracted from partially cooked bird and used for sauce); "Trou Normand", a tiny glass of Calvados between each course to aid digestion; cheeses; apple tarts and souffles; chocolates; tripe cooked with ox feet, onions, carrots, herbs and cider; Rouen sheep's foot.

Public-transport:
Plentiful taxis, good bus service. A single-line underground called Metrobus, which is a chunky two-carriage vehicle on rails that runs underground or on the surface at the mercy of traffic lights.

Local-excursions:
Miniature train and visit to the port. Churches, abbeys and castles in attractive surrounding countryside.