Where to Stay in Rouen, France

Maybe you want to do a LOT of sightseeing in Rouen and don’t want to bother commuting back to Paris at the end of the day. Or maybe you want to stop in Rouen as part of a longer tour of France? In either case, you’ll need somewhere to stay and I’ve got some info for you on aparthotels, hotels and hostels in Rouen.

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Which Part of Rouen to Stay In

If you’re only going to stay in Rouen for a night or two, then I recommend grabbing a hotel as close to the center as you can. There are some very nice-looking ones (and even small apartments) in historical neighborhoods that would do fine for a short stay. Since you’re in the city center, you can start sightseeing ASAP as soon as you check in.

For a longer stay, I recommend going out towards the edges of town, where it’s quieter. If you don’t have a car, then staying near the metro or bus line would be good, but even if you’re a 15-30 minute walk away it won’t be too bad. Rouen has a lot of cool buildings to look at during walks.

Looking for ideas on what to see in Rouen?

Accommodation: Hotels

While Rouen is a large city and there’s plenty of hotels, it does get very busy during high tourist season (the summer). If you’re looking for a specific place to stay, I recommend booking it as early as possible so you’re sure to get a room. A basic hotel room in the city center area runs about $75-150 USD per night, with 5-star boutique hotels running about $200-250+ USD/night.

Here’s some picks based on ratings, location and amenities:

• Hotel Morand — located in the historic city center, a renovated 17th-century coaching inn turned hotel! Continental breakfast is available for purchase, and there’s a lounge with a fireplace for guests to hang out in. Rouen Cathedral is 2 minutes walk away.
• Hôtel de Bourgtheroulde, Autograph Collection — an amazing boutique hotel located right next to the Gros Horloge in the center of historic Rouen! Air conditioned rooms with soundproof walls, flat-screen TVs and private bathrooms.
• Comfort Hotel Rouen Alba — more modern hotel located closer to the Seine River, but still only about 5 minutes walking from the main tourist sights. Breakfast available on site for an extra cost, and guests can request a free refrigerator in their rooms.

Accommodation: Hostels

There’s actually not that many hostels in Rouen, for some reason! The only one I found is the Auberge de Jeunesse HI Rouen, part of the Hostelling International family. It’s built inside the former Auvray family’s dyeing factory building!

They have 4, 6, and 8 bed male dorms, 6 and 8 bed mixed dorms, and a few private rooms available. Free breakfast is included, and there’s a shared kitchen that guests can use.

The location is a little far from tourist sites, about 30 minutes walking to the Cathedral but it’s right next to a metro station and you can snag that to get to the city center in about 10 minutes. Score!

Accommodation: Aparthotels

I stayed in Rouen for 3 weeks and used aparthotels (apartment hotels) as I wanted a kitchen to cook in and save a bit of money. There’s actually TONS of apartments for short-term rental in Rouen, but here’s the three I stayed at and my thoughts on each.

I split my time between 3 apartment rentals, with a week’s stay at each. While not as big of a savings as if I’d booked somewhere for a month, I did get a small discount by staying 7 nights at each spot. I spent roughly $300 USD/week for private apartments with laundry and kitchenettes. Two were studios and one was a 1 bedroom/loft situation.

To be honest, I’m glad I tried out different apartments and locations. Two of them were unsuitable for long stays IMO and the third one would’ve been fine, if a little constrained due to the small kitchen.

The first apartment was in a converted shop turned studio apartment. It’s an intriguing decision that works only in the sense that yes, it was successfully converted. As a solo female traveler, I felt uncomfortably exposed because the whole front was windows (with curtains, admittedly) and the door opens directly onto the street, with only a small lock. It also felt slightly grimy. The upside was the nice kitchen with a big table (perfect for working), the responsive staff, and that the street was quiet and basically residential. Here’s an apartment tour video I took.

The next apartment was about 20 minutes walking from the first one, near a university and the Seine river. This one was much bigger, a one bedroom with the bedroom up on the second floor (which was more like a loft). There was an excellent grocery store about 6 minutes walking, and the neighborhood was super quiet even though I’m pretty sure it was were all the university students lived. Downside: the kitchen was tiny, the downstairs window looked out onto the parking lot, and the stairs up to the loft took a bit of getting used to.

My final apartment in Rouen was another 20 minutes walking from the previous one, in the central area close to all the tourist stuff. This was one of those buildings where the whole thing is short-term rentals, which I don’t love, but the staff were very responsive and sent someone over immediately when the minifridge started leaking.

Downsides to this place were: it was a pullout couch bed (ugh), fairly loud street noise, and the entrance was down an alleyway which felt slightly iffy. Upsides were its location to two grocery stores and tourist area, and the decent-sized kitchen. Plus the bathroom had a heated towel rack!

Looking for more ideas on places to stay in France? Check out my recommendations here.

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Have you stayed in Rouen before? Where would you recommend?

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