The historic capital of Normandy and nicknamed the city of a hundred steeples, Rouen is an exciting city. With an exceptional architectural and religious heritage, it is not surprising that it has been labelled a City of Art and History! It is great to stroll through the picturesque old quarters whose cobbled streets are lined with old half-timbered houses. Your steps will lead you to remarkable monuments such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic art whose construction began in the twelfth century. Built on the foundations of a fourth-century building, it still has its episcopal palace and houses the tombs of the Dukes of Normandy. Culminating at 151 meters, its spire is the highest in France!

Featuring a five-porch portal with carved wooden doors, and a perfect example of flamboyant Gothic art, the Saint-Maclou church is another must-see monument in Rouen. Just like the abbey church of Saint-Ouen, built from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century and which was one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in Normandy. Inside, note the 80 stained glass windows that adorn the abbey church on three levels. You should know that it is here, in the former monks' dormitory, that the current town hall is located.

Rouen also has one of the last medieval necropolises in Europe in the city centre: the Saint-Maclou aître. Founded during the Great Black Death of 1348, this former mass grave, now classified as a Historic Monument, still has macabre ornaments on the half-timbered facades of its galleries. Built in the sixteenth century to serve as an ossuary, the latter are revealed in a peaceful courtyard with trees.

Another remarkable historical treasure is the Gros Horloge, consisting of a Gothic belfry, a Renaissance dial and a Louis XV fountain. It is in this belfry that the bells and the city clock are located, whose mechanism, which worked until 1928, was one of the oldest in Europe!

We cannot talk about Rouen without mentioning Joan of Arc. Several buildings allow you to retrace its history, from the Joan of Arc Tower, the former keep of the castle where her trial took place, to the Place du Vieux Marché where she was burned alive in 1431. A large cross indicates the location of the pyre. In the center of this square, the church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc houses remarkable stained glass windows of the sixteenth century from the former church of Saint-Vincent. To relive its entire history, the Joan of Arc Historial, located in the archiepiscopal palace, offers a very interesting scenographic tour.

The most important civil Gothic monument in France, the Parliament of Normandy has its origins dating back to the late Middle Ages. As you get closer, you'll see bullet holes on the facades, traces of the bombings of 1944. Today, it houses the Palais de Justice. And under the courtyard of the latter, you will find the Sublime House, a Romanesque Hebrew building made of stone, the oldest Jewish monument in the country. Discovered in 1976, its name follows the existence of a graffiti in Hebrew meaning "May this house be sublime".

Rouen will satisfy lovers of art, culture and traditions with the Museum of Fine Arts and its superb collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and art objects ranging from the fifteenth century to the present day, the Museum of Ceramics exhibiting remarkable old Rouen pieces, or the ironwork museum Le Secq des Tournelles, installed in the church of Saint-Laurent and dedicated to the iron arts.

After all these visits, go for a stroll along the banks of the Seine, carefully landscaped, or in the Jardin des Plantes, with both a French and an English garden. You will find many botanical varieties as well as a beautiful rose garden.

An innovative museum with cutting-edge technology, the Joan of Arc Historial offers an unusual and fascinating perspective on the extraordinary destiny of this major figure in French history. You will first be propelled into the centre of the famous judicial inquiry that took place in medieval Rouen, as an actor and witness.

From one room to another, a multimedia journey immerses visitors in this episode from the 15th century, with captivating and educational audiovisual effects. A virtual guide leads the way on this spectacular journey: Jean Juvénal des Ursins, who oversaw the posthumous trial to declare the heroine innocent in 1456.

Next, the mythotheque will take you to explore the legend that surrounds Joan of Arc. You will discover how the myth built up and took shape, and how people have memorised and interpreted this symbol over the centuries.

In the majestic premises of the Archbishop's Palace, a listed Historic Monument, take the opportunity to admire the medieval halls, the Romanesque and Gothic crypts, the old kitchens, the sumptuous State Hall, the 18th-century Aubigné Chapel, restored in 2014, or the watchtower from which you will have a beautiful view of the city's rooftops!

Founded in 1801, Rouen Museum of Fine Arts is located in the city centre near Square Verdrel.

There are 60 rooms open to visitors, in which the 17th and 19th centuries are particularly well represented.

The museum saw its collections expand during the 19th century. After its complete restructuring in the 1990s, it is now renowned for its extensive collections. Its graphic arts room alone contains around 8,000 works of art!

As for painting, all the major art movements are covered by the works on display: the Renaissance, Baroque Europe, the French Grand Siècle of the 17th century, Impressionism, Romanticism… not counting the collections on specific themes: still life, portraits, Rouen, etc.

Two inner courtyards have been fully renovated and covered with glass rooms to extend the museum area. The south courtyard in particular has been turned into a sculpture garden adorned with green plants, and its makeover also involved the creation of an auditorium.

Don't hesitate to enjoy a drink or snack at the MBA-Café, where sculptures and plants are bathed in the soft light falling through the glass roofs.

From its orientation table in the heights of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts, the viewpoint from the Côte des Deux-Amants (meaning "Two Lovers' Hill") offers a superb panoramic view of the Seine Valley, the locks at Amfreville, the dam at Poses and the lakes and leisure centre at Léry-Poses!

This hilltop site takes its name from a very sad legend in which a cruel lord, who had refused to give his daughter Calixte's hand in marriage to a young man named Raoul, finally agreed to their marriage on the condition that Raoul managed to climb the hill with his betrothed on his back, running without a break. After he died of exhaustion at the end of his frantic run, his beloved Calixte died of a broken heart by his side. Overcome with guilt, the father buried them together and erected a priory at the top of the hill...

Below, on the banks of the Seine, you can set off to discover the site of the Amfreville locks, where you can watch the passing barges, and take the footbridge to see how the locks work and watch the boats coming and going.

In the restful setting of the Normandy Seine Valley, not far from Rouen, Jumièges Abbey is a superb example of the Romanesque style in Seine-Maritime. Founded in the 7th century by St. Philibert, it was destroyed many times and is now one of France's most beautiful ruins. One remarkable feature is the two towers of the abbey church, in the Norman Romanesque style. They stand around fifty metres tall and are an admirable sight to behold. They frame a porch opening onto an incredible open-air nave. End your visit by taking a walk through the pleasant park with its hundred-year-old trees.

For an original and fun way to learn about the abbey's history, the Jumièges 3D app will take you on a virtual and augmented reality journey. Using a tablet or smartphone, travel through the centuries and see what this superb monument once looked like!

Nestling in a restful, verdant setting at the heart of the state-owned forest of Lyons, the charming village of Lyons-la-Forêt, the former place of residence of the Dukes of Normandy which is now listed among the most beautiful villages of France, forms a harmonious group that is typically Norman. Its central square is delightfully picturesque, with its old half-timbered façades, 18th-century wooden market halls, fountains and cafes with terraces providing an ideal place to relax.

Take a walk around Lyons and other attractions will be revealed: the elegant neo-Norman residence where the famous composer Maurice Ravel stayed, the birthplace of the poet Isaac de Benserade, and a little further along, near the River Lieure, the 12th-16th century Church of St. Denis. Also worth a look is the town hall, with its court room with original 18th-century décor.

Upper Normandy is one of the biggest producers of flax in Europe. The fibre from this plant, which has been used since Antiquity, is made into clothes, household linen and technical fabrics, while its seeds are used to make flaxseed oil - rich in omega-3 acids - in the form of a food supplement.

To discover the history of this virtuous plant, be sure to pay a visit to the House of Flax in Routot. There you can learn about the various stages of the transformation process and all the things flax is used for.

In June, don't miss the Flax Festival in Routot market hall, which celebrates flax with a variety of activities, tastings and stands selling flax-based products. This time of year is also when the flax plants flower...the fields blossoming with blue flowers are beautiful at this time of year!

Built in the 17th century for the Marshall de Créqui, on the site where a great battle took place between the two families in 935, the imposing castle of Champ de Bataille (meaning "Battlefield"), located at the heart of Normandy in the commune of Le Neubourg, is now owned by Jacques Garcia, a famous decorator and art collector, who began restoration work in 1992, at the same time as creating its magnificent French gardens. These are listed Remarkable Gardens and were based on a sketch attributed to Le Nôtre. They bring all the splendour of yesteryear back to life. Fountains, pools and waterfalls, a large canal, coppices and box embroidery hedges, make up a superb classical-style group, with an added modern touch inspired by Antiquity.

Open to the public from Easter to the end of October, on weekends and bank holiday afternoons, as well as every day in summer, Champ de Bataille Castle has a prestigious collection of furniture and royal and princely objects. The hall of honour, the splendid Hercules drawing room, the cabinet of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, the Louis XV drawing room, the parade room, the dining room with its lovely perspective view of the garden, the reception room, and the Louis XIV billiard table are some of the gems to be admired on a tour of the grand apartments.

Lying at the heart of the Norman Seine River Meanders Regional Nature Park, on the left bank of the Seine Estuary between Sainte-Opportune-la-Mare and Tancarville Bridge, the Vernier Marsh is a huge peat bog - the biggest in France, with its 4,500 hectares! - and a listed European area of ecological interest.

Occupying an old meander of the Seine, this peaceful and unspoilt area, made up of reed beds, peat bogs and humid prairies and home to beautiful Highland Cattle, is rich in important fauna and flora: plants such as alders, pollard willows, apple trees, wild orchids, reeds and irises; and wildlife such as grey herons, white swans, common teals, ospreys and other migrant birds. Along the paths and quiet little roads, discover all its natural treasures and traditional built heritage, made up of thatched cottages full of traditional charm...