For convivial weekends away, choose a cheap break in Rennes
For convivial weekends away, choose a cheap break in Rennes
Normandy on the banks of the Seine
Rouen is a town that attracts painters and gourmets alike. Pack your bags and come over now! It has several cheap ibis hotels: we recommend the ibis cheap Rouen Centre Rive Gauche as it’s close to the old town.
Normandy on the banks of the Seine
Rouen is a town that attracts painters and gourmets alike. Pack your bags and come over now! It has several cheap ibis hotels: we recommend the ibis cheap Rouen Centre Rive Gauche as it’s close to the old town.
Historic buildings through painters’ eyes
Rouen is a lushly green and flower-filled town whose old town is on the right bank of the Seine. From your cheap hotel in Rouen, you can reach the old town in just minutes on the tram. Head towards the Place du Vieux-Marché, where its covered fruit and veg market, cafés and little restaurants still give the square its lively atmosphere. It was at this very location that Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake, one of a number of public executions to be held here. Jeanne-d’Arc tower is just streets away. This was the keep where the French heroine of the Hundred Years’ War was put on trial. Carry on walking through old Rouen to visit Saint-Ouen abbey church. It’s famous for its Rayonnant Gothic design and is surrounded by a gorgeous garden.
See Rouen cathedral and you’ll be reminded of Monet. He did a series of Impressionist paintings of the building. Go to Pont Boieldieu bridge and you’ll see a landscape which inspired Pissarro. Just nearby is the Ile Lacroix. Its banks were a favourite of Post-Impressionist painter Frechon. You can see his work exhibited alongside other artists of the Rouen School at the Musée des Beaux-Arts on the Esplanade Marcel-Duchamp. From there you can wander streets filled with timbered houses, such as the Rue de l’Épicerie. It too has been depicted in multiple paintings. You’ll find yourself wanting to linger in its welcoming boutiques.
