Day Trip: Rouen

As the capital of Normandy, the self-proclaimed birthplace of Impressionism and the one-time home of so many iconic individuals, Rouen is a beacon of culture. Before reconstruction, city life revolved around the waterfront of the river Seine. Today the city is struggling to reclaim its former nautical identity, competing with the country’s capital up the river, but nevertheless it has a real allure.

As you wander through narrow streets lined with chain stores and fast food restaurants set in 12th century buildings, don’t miss yet another architectural collage of Rouen’s past, the Great Clock. Climb the Gothic belfry, housing the oldest clock parts in Europe, supported by a Renaissance archway and enter the pavilion, former home to the ‘clock governor.’