TOP Things to do in Rouen, France (not to miss on a day trip from Paris)
And what a beautiful day this is discovering the old city of Ruen. Bruins Cathedral is the city’s beating heart and it’s one of the most impressive in all of France, or so they say. Construction began around the 12th century, and over the next 300 years, the cathedral kept growing in size, layer by layer, in different Gothic styles from early to flamboyant Gothic. The result is a structure that feels alive, like a history book made of stone. Um, I personally love the facade, which is incredibly detailed, full of statues, uh, portals, intricate, uh, carvings. This is where everybody stops and admires it for minutes on end. And you probably can spend easily at least a half an hour just looking at it and you can still notice new details like gargoyle, saints, angels, and even old uh traces of old paint. Um the cathedral’s iron spire added in the 19th century reaches 151 m uh making it once the tallest building in the world. However, that only lasted for a few years. Inside you’ll find the tomb of Richard the Lionhe Heart. Though only his heart is buried here, the rest of him lies in Anju. The cathedral also became world famous thanks to Cloud Bonnet who painted over 30 versions of its facade at different times of day to capture how the light changes. Those paintings are now spread all across the world in different museums. But that’s another reason why art lovers put Ruan on their travel bucket list. Um, if you visit during the summer, don’t miss the nightly illumination show. I heard about it a few times before visiting France, but I never actually knew what Ren was all about. And it seems like they call it like uh the city of hundreds uh speed steeples like towers of the churches. And um it’s also the former capital of Normandy of uh the Viking uh country in France because Normandy comes from uh the word north because it was the place where the north people settled the Vikings of the era and uh they also had a king and they tried to conquer some other stuff and places including uh England today. Um and uh what I really liked about this uh ruined place is not uh just the fact that a bunch of their medieval buildings survived the bombing of Second World War. Pretty lucky, but they have a bunch of them. Like they have so many uh and I just Google how they’re called. They’re called timber framed houses. Never thought it was a specific name. I would just say old houses, but no, it’s half-timbered wooden. I I forgot the name of it. And uh there are a bunch of it. And also a bunch of churches with really impressive architecture. St. Quinn Abbey Church is one of the most stunning examples of Gothic architecture in Normandy. And yet many visitors overlook it because of the Ruen Cathedral which obviously gets more attention. But not me because I was determined to explore at least the center part of Ruen. Construction of the Abi began in the early 14th century on the site of a much older Benedictin Abbey that has been here since the 7th century. The church was designed in a radiant uh Gothic style with incredibly tall arches and large windows that flood the interior with light. It was actually built over several centuries. The last touches were added in the 16th century, blending pure Gothic with Renaissance influences. The most striking part is the lantern tower which rises about 87 m high and dominates the skyline. Inside you’ll find an atmosphere that is calmer and less crowded than the main cathedral. Uh the abbey is also famous for its organ. It’s cavay organ one of the largest and finest in France. Many musicians still come here to perform. In fact, when I visited, there were posters advertising an upcoming show that weekend. And I imagine this is a common event, at least during the summer. Um, during the French Revolution, the Abbey Monastic uh buildings were turned into ruins town hall, and they still are today. Um, if anything, please step inside the church for its mysterious vibe, as most churches around are more modern today, but this one offers a more direct passage into the way medieval Normandy once felt. I saved the most popular stop for the end of this circular visit of the old center of Ruen. Just a few steps from the cathedral along one of the prettiest streets in Ren, you will find the Gross Orch, which translates into the great clock. It’s an astronomical clock dating back to the 14th century, making it one of the oldest working clocks in France. The golden dial you see today was installed in 1529 right under a Renaissance archway that crosses the street. The clock doesn’t just tell time. It shows the phases of the moon and the days of the week. At the top, a small lamb represents the city’s code of arms. You can actually go inside because there is a small museum that lets you climb up and enjoy great views over the old town’s rooftops. Obviously, it gets really busy during the day as groups of tourists flood the city and particularly the street. Maybe you should come early in the day if you want to visit the clock. Locals say that in medieval times when the clock struck noon, the bells could be heard all the way to the river. Today, it’s still one of Ruin’s most photographed landmarks and a perfect symbol of the city’s mix of history and everyday life. We tried taking a few photos here, but as you can see, it was rather hard. I don’t have any jokes. I’m just going to say it’s happy. This is uh completely false advertising here. It’s uh maybe called Ruen, but it’s pretty new and fancy because apparently they they brought a lot of money after World War II to rebuild the timber houses. And um you can also see that uh Viking power has some staying power because uh these really big Gothic looking churches or at least the cathedral was built during uh the Normans is Normans’s um time here. So that was in the 11th century. Um, but you can also tell that the Vikings are kind of nice guys after they uh conquer you, of course, and they beat you up and steal your things because um they decided to integrate within France, learned French, became Christian, built a bunch of churches, invaded England, and then, you know, just kind of faded into the background. And right now we’re uh walking around the sane. Not in Paris because uh the sane is really big, but around the beautiful city everywhere. To be honest with you, this is my highlight. This is what I wanted to see in this uh trip in France. Pretty knackered. So maybe I could have enjoyed it more. I really liked it. It’s really pretty. And u I think uh every country should get a bunch of Vikings. Uh and after they invade they’ll do a bunch of really cool things because here Sicily um Constantinople Kiev they were yeah Norsemen everywhere and of course in the Scandinavian countries. I mean what are we talking about? Let’s all get conquered by the Vikings. Do I volunteer to conquer people? Yes. I think after you crack a few skulls you can leave a lot of room for you know personal freedoms. and uh building nice stuff, cooking nice stuff. What was your favorite thing? My favorite thing in Brun uh just uh the the Gauti Cathedral cuz it’s so wide and um dramatic and Christian. It’s very Christian. They had a wedding. Yes, it had a wedding inside because spoiler, the Vikings weren’t very Christian to begin with, nor did they speak French. But, you know, they were ready and willing to to bend a little and um they learned French, they became Christians. Look at this place now. In a way, it was under reconstruction. Why was it under reconstruction? I don’t know. Was it uh Sorry. Yes. One of the towers. One of the towers. Oh, yeah. It was under reconstruction. I don’t know. I I heard uh you told me that it got hit during World War II, I guess, by the the German uh occupiers, but I don’t know much about that. But, uh this was my comment on the cruises. There are cruises you can go on the sane. And I think there’s some of them that even take you all the way to Pari. I believe Rouan is a great city for a day trip. If you’re visiting Normandy like we did this summer, the trip is worth it and the city offers plenty to do. You can explore all its beautiful streets, visit the churches and museums, go shopping, or just have a snack at one of the many cafes around the center. Or you can just go on a boat tour and relax. Whatever you choose to do, Ruen must be on your itinerary if you’re visiting France in the future. Thank you for watching. I hope I inspired you to visit Ruen on your next visit. And friends, see you in my next video. Safe travels. Heat. Heat.
#Rouen #France #normandy
I believe Rouen is a great city for a day trip if you’re visiting Normandy, like we did this summer.
The trip is worth it, and the city offers plenty to do. You can explore all its beautiful streets, visit the churches and museums, go shopping, or just have a snack at one of the many cafes around the centre. Or you can go on a boat tour and relax.
Here’s the blog version, with extra info on logistics and what to do, eat and visit in Rouen, France: https://juliasomething.com/things-to-do-in-rouen-france/
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Highlights of the video:
00:24 Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen
03:52 Saint-Ouen Abbey Church
06:09 Le Gros-Horloge (The Great Clock)
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