Rouen is determined to win back its river and its banks, the city is changing and puts on its sailor's cap!
The banks of the river Seine are now bordered with trendy places that young people love: concert halls, restaurants, bars, sports centres, museums, etc. People in Rouen love being by the water! At weekends, inhabitants and their families take over the banks of the river Seine, with their bikes or roller skates for the more energetic ones. And off they go on a walk or a ride all the way to the Maritime Museum (on the right bank). As for the left bank of the river, it invites people to wander through the new landscaped parkland such as the Prairie Saint-Sever. At the far end, the Rollet Peninsula also provides a nice place to stroll at the foot of the huge silos of the Port of Rouen. By the way, you can visit it by boat, on board one of the port's speedboats.
Proud to be from Rouen
Victor Hugo used to say "It is Rouen that caught you!"; people from Rouen will always tell you: "People don't pass through Rouen, they come back!" Proof is, the Armada, its large sailing ships and their crews of sailors and seamen have been coming back for more than 20 years. They moor along the quays in Rouen every 4 or 5 years to celebrate sea, water and sailing during one joyful week. The streets and the shop windows in Rouen are decorated in the event's colours, which has been a source of pride for all the people of Rouen and Normandy.