Walk in Rouen and along the banks of the Seine

A walk through Rouen, a quintessential Norman city with its many churches and remarkable monuments, its clock and its historic sites, as well as its panoramic views of the Seine and the city from the hillsides.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.75 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 148 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 141 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 119 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 0 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Rouen (76100|76000)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 49.433134° / E 1.096512°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1911ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

The route starts at Quai Jacques Anquetil along the Seine, on the left bank, upstream from Pont Pierre Corneille (car park).

(S/E) Follow the quay along the Seine, on your right. Take the stairs to climb onto the Pont Corneille bridge. Then take the bridge to cross the two arms of the Seine. On the other bank, cross the quay and continue opposite into Rue de la République. Go straight on until you reach Rue Alsace-Lorraine.

(1) Turn right and then immediately left onto Rue Malpalu. You will come out onto Place Barthélémy. Go around Saint-Maclou Church and follow Rue Martainville. After crossing Rue Victor Hugo, turn right onto Place Saint-Marc and walk along the market.

(2) At the end of the square, turn left and go straight ahead onto Rue Robert Shuman. Immediately turn right onto Rue de Fontenay. At the roundabout, turn left onto Boulevard Gambetta. After 75 metres, turn right, crossing a small railway line, onto Esplanade du Champ de Mars. Walk to the buildings at the end of the esplanade and go through the passage under the building on the left. At the end of the passage, turn right onto Rue du Chemin Neuf.

(3) After 100 metres along this street, turn right to take the stairs. As you climb, take the path on the right to reach the D95E departmental road. Cross this road and turn left onto Rue Henri Rivière. After 200 metres, at the end of the buildings, climb the stairs along the cemetery. Continue along the stairs on the right to reach Route de la Corniche.

(4) Follow this road to the left, descending for about 650 metres. Cross Rue José Maria de Hérédia on the left-hand side and, immediately afterwards, go down the stairs on the left (Sente de l'Aubette). Cross Rue Léonard Borde, go slightly to the right and immediately rejoin the path. Cross Rue Arnaud and continue down the stairs to Rue du Docteur Gallouen. Follow this street to the right for a few dozen metres.

(5) Take the first left, Rue Annie de Pêne. At the fork, keep right, still on Rue Annie de Pêne. At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue du Mont Gargan. At the next crossroads, stay on Rue du Mont Gargan, on the right. Go straight ahead and pass through a tunnel under the N28. Continue straight ahead and go up Rue du Faubourg Martainville. Cross the railway line and immediately turn left onto Place du Canada.

(6) Cross Boulevard Gambetta on the right and follow Rue Martainville. Turn right at the first street, Rue Marin Le Pigny, and pass under a building. At the end, turn left onto Rue d'Amiens, then right onto Rue Mollien. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Blanche. Continue onto Place Saint-Vivien, turn right and walk past the church. Cross Rue Saint-Vivien, keeping to the left.

(7) Enter the gardens of Saint-Ouen Cathedral and pass to the left of the cathedral. Turn right in front of the cathedral and walk in front of the town hall on Place du Général de Gaulle. Then turn left and immediately right onto Rue du Petit Porche. At the end, turn left, walk along Place de la Rougemare and then continue straight on Rue du Cordier.

At the end, continue along Rue du Donjon. When you reach the keep, turn left onto Rue P. Auguste, then left again onto Rue Morand. Take the first right, Rue Faucon. Cross Rue du Baillage and enter Square Verdrel. Cross the square, walking alongside the Rouen Museum of Fine Arts. When you exit the square on the left, cross Rue Jean Lecanuet.

(8) Opposite, turn into Allée Eugène Delacroix. Cross Rue de la Ganterie, continue straight ahead and pass under a building. At the end, turn right into Rue Saint-Lô and walk alongside the Palais de Justice. Turn left onto Place du Maréchal Foch, then left again onto Rue aux Juifs. When you reach the courtyard of the Palais de Justice, turn right onto Rue Thouret and then immediately right onto Rue Émile Verhaeren. At the end, turn left onto Rue Massacre. Then turn left onto Rue du Gros Horloge and pass under the porch of the clock. Continue straight ahead until you reach Notre-Dame Cathedral.

(9) Then turn right and continue along Rue du Grand Pont. Go straight ahead, cross Quai Pierre Corneille and take Pont Boieldieu. At the end of the bridge, go down the stairs on the left. Cross Prairie Saint-Sever, along Quai Jean Moulin. Pass under Pont Pierre Corneille and return to the starting point on Quai Jacques Anquetil (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 5 m - Parking: Quai Jacques Anquetil - Seine [la]
  2. 1 : km 0.88 - alt. 10 m - Rue de la République x Rue Alsace-Lorraine
  3. 2 : km 1.35 - alt. 7 m - Place Saint-Marc
  4. 3 : km 2.07 - alt. 19 m - Stairs on Rue du Chemin Neuf
  5. 4 : km 2.76 - alt. 118 m - Corniche Road
  6. 5 : km 3.62 - alt. 49 m - Rue Annie De Pêne
  7. 6 : km 4.69 - alt. 7 m - Place du Canada
  8. 7 : km 5.34 - alt. 13 m - Garden of Saint-Ouen Cathedral
  9. 8 : km 6.8 - alt. 20 m - Allée Eugène Delacroix
  10. 9 : km 7.61 - alt. 16 m - Notre-Dame Cathedral
  11. S/E : km 8.75 - alt. 5 m - Quai Jacques Anqueti car park - Seine [la]

Notes

An easy walk through the streets, with a slight climb up the hillsides.

Worth a visit

Off the route: turn right onto Rue du Gros Horloge and at the end of this street you will find Place du Vieux Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on 30 May 1431.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Angelik56
Angelik56

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike taken during a short visit to the city of Rouen. This hike was ideal for me to discover this city, which was completely unknown to me.

Video of the hike: https://youtube.com/shorts/fsBB7gO7Tqs

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krisstoof
krisstoof

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Actually, we didn't do the whole route, but we climbed up to the heights of Rouen, where we enjoyed a beautiful view of the city and saw some beautiful mansions!

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marcel76
marcel76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I'm from the area, so I know Rouen and its suburbs well. This route offers magnificent views of Rouen. In town, there are some lovely surprises with charming houses. Discover the town, which is even more beautiful during the festive season.

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great route, a bit of a physical challenge climbing the steps to the viewpoint on St Catherine's Hill, but the effort is quickly rewarded once you reach the viewpoint, especially in good weather with a clear horizon.

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CALZATURE
CALZATURE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant walk with magnificent views of Rouen. In town, we were pleasantly surprised by the charming houses. We took lots of photos of these beautiful houses.

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randobolgir
randobolgir

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Almost a complete route for visiting Rouen; the descent from Mont Sainte Catherine is of no interest.
It lacks the old market square and the Church of Sainte Jeanne d'Arc.

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Roland Pinet
Roland Pinet
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Apart from the short stretch along the Seine and the view from the top of the hills, the route is not very interesting....

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benoitrando
benoitrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I did this route and the Rouen walking route straight after, a little over 14 km. Excellent for discovering Rouen.

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jpat
jpat

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Urban walking tour of Rouen, allowing you to discover the different facets of this city. Passing by the most interesting buildings. It would be good to point out the Jeanne d'Arc church, which can easily go unnoticed due to its architecture.

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jean benard
jean benard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike, well marked trail, suitable for families, not difficult, easy to do.
Thank you for this hike.

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guydo
guydo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very good walk with a lovely discovery of the streets of Rouen.

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clicnet
clicnet
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable

Hiking suggested for the 2020 calendar at the beginning or end of the season will be greatly appreciated by those who love regional heritage!

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