NORMANDY - France 2014 - page 369

headingout(forcar-rentalcompanies,see“HelpfulHints,”later).Evenifyoudon'thavea
car,youcanvisitRouenonyourwayfromParistootherNormandydestinations,thanksto
the goodbusandtrain service (free daytime bagcheck available Wed-Monat the Museum
of Fine Arts, closed Tue).
Orientation to Rouen
Although Paris embraces the Seine, Rouen ignores it. The area we're most interested in is
bounded by the river to the south, the Museum of Fine Arts (Esplanade Marcel Duchamp)
to the north, Rue de la République to the east, and Place du Vieux Marché to the west.
It'sa20-minutewalkfromthetrainstationtotheNotre-DameCathedralorTI.Everything
else of interest is within a 10-minute walk of the cathedral or TI.
Tourist Information
Pick up the English map with information on Rouen's museums at the TI, which faces the
cathedral. The TI also has €5 audioguide tours covering the cathedral and Rouen's his-
toric center, though this topic's self-guided walk is enough for most. They also have free
Wi-Fi (for 30 minutes) and a loaner iPad (May-Sept Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 9:30-12:30
& 14:00-18:00; Oct-April Mon-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 13:30-18:00, closed Sun; 25 Place de
la Cathédrale, tel. [phone], www.rouentourisme.com ) . A small office in the TI
changes money (closed during lunch year-round).
Arrival in Rouen
By Train: Rue Jeanne d'Arc cuts straight down from Rouen's train station through the
town center to the Seine River. Day-trippers should walk from the station down Rue
Jeanned'ArctowardRueduGrosHorloge—abusypedestrianmallinthemedievalcenter.
This cobblestone street connects Place du Vieux Marché and Joan of Arc Church (to your
right, the starting point ofmyself-guided walk). While the station hasnobaggage storage,
you can check bags at the Museum of Fine Arts during open hours for free (10-minute
downhill walk from the station, museum described on here ) , then continue on to the start
of the self-guided walk. You can enjoy this lovely museum at the end of the walking tour.
Rouen's subway (Métrobus) whisks travelers from under the train station to the Pal-
ais de Justice in one stop (€1.50 for 1 hour; descend and buy tickets from machines one
level underground, then validate ticket on subway two levels down; subway direction:
TechnopôleorGeorgesBraque).Returningtothestation,takeasubwayindirection:Boul-
ingrin and get off at Gare-Rue Verte.