Rouen Cathedral

Rouen Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Rouen Cathedral stands in the centre of the old town of Rouen, capital of Normandy, and entry is free. Rouen is about an hour and a half from Paris by train, making it an easy day trip, and walking tours combine the cathedral with the half-timbered streets, the Great Clock, the old market square where Joan of Arc was burned, and the modern church dedicated to her. The Museum of Fine Arts, a short walk away, holds one of Monet's paintings of the cathedral facade.

In summer, a free light show is projected onto the facade after dark, retelling the history of the city and recalling Monet's paintings. Guided visits of the cathedral's upper parts are offered at times. Restoration work on the spire and other parts of the building has been ongoing, so scaffolding may cover sections. The tourist office, in a Renaissance building facing the cathedral, is the place from which Monet painted his series.

Visiting Rouen Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built mainly between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries on the site of earlier churches, and it shows every phase of French Gothic. Its west facade is richly decorated with lace-like stonework and flanked by two different towers: the Saint Romain tower, partly twelfth century, and the flamboyant Butter Tower, paid for, according to tradition, by indulgences allowing the faithful to eat butter during Lent. Claude Monet painted this facade more than thirty times in the 1890s, at different times of day and in different weather, in one of his most famous series.

Above the crossing rises a cast-iron spire completed in 1876, which made the cathedral briefly the tallest building in the world and remains the tallest spire in France at 151 metres. Inside, the tombs include that of Rollo, the first duke of Normandy, and a tomb holding the heart of Richard the Lionheart. The ambulatory holds carved medieval tombs of archbishops and dukes, and the Chapel of the Virgin contains Renaissance tombs of the cardinals of Amboise and of Louis de Breze. Much of the building was damaged by bombing in 1944 and has been painstakingly restored over the decades.

Rouen Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with a break at lunchtime in some seasons and restricted visits during services. The summer light show runs from June to September after dark. Rouen is busy in summer and at weekends, and the old town is quieter on weekday mornings. The Joan of Arc festival at the end of May recalls her death with events in the city.

The Armada, a gathering of tall ships on the Seine, is held every few years and draws huge crowds. December brings a Christmas market near the cathedral. Allow about forty-five minutes for the cathedral, and walk to the Museum of Fine Arts to compare the building with Monet's painting. The Gros Horloge, an astronomical clock set into an arch over the old main street, is five minutes' walk away and its belfry can be climbed.