Ruan, Normandia. Consejos Prácticos, Recorrido Urbano, Área para Autocaravanas

Esta semana llegamos a Rouen (Ruan), en Normandía, Francia, una ciudad con uno de los centros históricos mejor conservados del país. Recorremos la costanera del río Sena a pie y en bicicleta, visitamos la imponente Catedral de Notre-Dame, el Gran Reloj y conocemos el barrio donde fue ejecutada Juana de Arco.

Además, descubrimos un área para autocaravanas con servicios excelentes por un precio sorprendente. Mostramos cómo moverse por la ciudad, qué comer barato y rico (como un kebab completo por solo 8 euros), y también visitamos un barrio multicultural para conocer la otra cara de Francia.

Y como si fuera poco, nos cruzamos con Zeus, el caballo gigante de metal que participó en la apertura de los Juegos Olímpicos París 2024.

Ubicación exacta del área de autocaravanas: (enlace en pantalla y descripción)
No vendemos nada, no tenemos patrocinadores. Solo mostramos los lugares tal como son.

Suscribite y activá la campanita para no perderte los próximos videos.
Si te gustó, dejá un like, y contanos en los comentarios si ya estuviste en Rouen o pensás visitarlo.

Gracias por acompañarnos. Esto es Autocaravana Práctica.

This week we meet Zeus, the famous horse from the Paris Olympics. We walk and bike along the Seine River to reach the best-preserved historic center in Normandy. We visit a famous cathedral, but since we’re not content with being content and want to see how people really live, we head to a very unique neighborhood. We also stay at a motorhome park that, given the services it offers, seems almost a steal. Because today we’re in Rouen, Normandy, France. Join me, my name is Carlos, and this is Practical Motorhome. The famous Joan of Arc was executed in Rouen. She was a French peasant who, back in the 15th century, in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, claimed to have received heavenly messages telling her that she would save France. At 17, she convinced the future King Charles VII to give her an army. Yes, to a girl with no education or military training. And, surprisingly, she won several key battles against the English, making her the national heroine of the day. But she ended it well. She was captured, tried for heresy and also for dressing as a man, and burned at the stake at the age of 19. Decades later, the Church recognized that she had gone too far and made her a saint. Today, she is a symbol of bravery, courage, and how with determination and effort, one can reach great heights. Although that, as is almost always the case, can be very, very expensive. But what we have reached is the campervan area we want to show you. And as we told you at the beginning, it’s practically a given for the services it offers. But as always, we’ll save that for the second part of the video. And now, without further ado, we’re going straight to the city of Rouen, which is approximately 3 kilometers away. It’s a beautiful, pleasant walk, over fairly flat terrain, but also quite long. You have to be prepared, with a little water if it’s hot, and perhaps be prepared to make a stop or two. To replenish our strength, have a coffee, a beer, whatever, depending on the time of day. And if we can’t forget that we’re on the famous Seine River, one of the longest in France. We already mentioned it in the previous video: 700-something kilometers. Up to here, to Rouen, it’s 151 kilometers from its mouth. And this is where large ships can reach. But these we’re looking at, which aren’t large, but are very luxurious, are also famous in this part of the river. These are cruises that last 3, 4, or 5 days, going from here to Lerjarve at the mouth. And, well, they have all the luxuries of a sea cruise. And some say much more. This is where they’re based. Of course, you have to pay for them; they cost between 4,000 and 6,000 euros for that time on the river. We also happened to be on that waterfront, and by chance, it was the famous Seuss metal horse. Yes, the one seen at the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games . It was designed by someone very famous, apparently, named Morgan Surgat. And it’s now touring many cities in France. I happened to be there at the time; there was a lot of police and private security. But they let you in without any problem, and admission was completely free. Just to walk around, spend a few minutes, watch those mechanical legs move , and everything else. Because it’s something that’s theoretically famous, it’s great. If you had to pay an entrance fee, it wouldn’t be worth it. Let’s continue on our way. And the path leads us toward the center. Be careful, Rouen isn’t one of those cities with a very , very compact center. We’re going to have to walk quite a bit. And also, as we said at the beginning, we’re going to have to walk more than 3 kilometers to get there from the motorhome area, which is located in the Rouen marina. In an area that is more or less, I don’t know if too much Convenient enough to walk back at night. In any case, we have public transportation. But unfortunately, it will leave us just over a kilometer from that RV park. Right where it gets the worst. What we did was walk there and rent a bike on the way back. In Rouen, anyone, even if they don’t live in the city, can rent a bike with an app called something like Lovelo. You pay a standard rate for the first 30 minutes. And then a charge of one euro every 30 minutes accumulates . Of course, there are weekly passes, but that’s not what we’re interested in here. It’s a pretty good option for exploring the city. Especially since there’s a bike station right at the entrance to the RV park. So if we’re lucky enough to find one there, the app will let us know if there’s availability or not. We’ll be able to take it there, tour all of Rouen, and then return and drop it off without any problems. The only problem with the bike is that it’s not an electric bike. It’s a conventional bike that works more or less like all the other bikes you can rent in the city. But considering that public transportation is complicated and the walk is quite long, it might be useful. We have to keep in mind that Rouen is a city where temperatures can reach 42 degrees Celsius in the middle of August. So keep that in mind; it can be very, very hot. The good thing is that winter is mild, at 12-14 degrees Celsius . And when we get to the city center, what we’ll definitely want to see are its attractions. First, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Great Clock. And of course, those buildings, those houses that are typical of both Brittany and Normandy. And that we can find here in a historic center that is one of the best preserved in France. Those houses that keep falling on top of you and seem to be constantly falling down. Most of course have been restored, but they make the surroundings very, very pleasant. Just as pleasant is the atmosphere in the city. Especially when it’s sunny, the French love the sun. They can endure 35-degree heat while sipping a glass of white wine or a beer. So enjoy the place because it’s very, very pleasant to be there. And there are hundreds of places to have a drink or eat. Yes, it’s very, very French food, but there are also very cheap alternatives . Here, as in most French cities, there are many kebab places. They also sell pizza and other types of food, like roast chicken. They’re delicious and very, very cheap. We paid one of the best kebabs we’ve eaten in France. With a drink, fries, and everything, it was only 8 euros. And that leaves you feeling completely stuffed. So there’s something for everyone. But we won’t leave the city center without first seeing its market. Its traditional market, where they sell a lot of food that, in our eyes, is gourmet. The prices are, at least, gourmet. The French are very fond of these types of markets where this very special food is sold. These prepared meats, cheeses, also some wines, very good vegetables, plenty of fruit. All of very good quality. But now we’re going to see the clock tower. The Grosse Horloge in Rouen. It’s a very old tower with a 14th-century clock. You’re practically obligated to stop by there and, of course, take a photo. It’s really very beautiful and justifies stopping for at least a minute. But without a doubt, the most architecturally impressive thing in Rouen is its famous Notre-Dame Cathedral. A place that’s truly worth seeing, like all cathedrals, like All the churches in France. Or at least most of them. There’s no admission fee. They’re open practically all day, and walking through them is a pleasure. Because you can discover the living history of what Europe was like throughout the Middle Ages. And then the Contemporary Age. If you have time, it doesn’t matter what religion you follow. If you follow a religion, it justifies stopping by. As I always say, even if it means leaving a coin. Because this has to be maintained. Either the State maintains it or the people maintain it with their own pockets. Because the worst thing that can happen here is that they charge us an entrance fee. Like there are so many now that charge in Spain and other places. And they charge us 7, 8, 15 euros. So you can see these relics that are truly worthwhile. But now we want to show you the other France. The real France. The one that’s constantly talked about so much. In France, there are approximately between 2 and 5 million people of color. Black people. It’s not known exactly how many because not everyone is registered that way. Well, there’s also approximately 6%. Nearly 4 million people of Arab origin. And the majority of this population belongs to the working classes, to the poorest classes. Probably because of their immigrant status. What happens? In big cities, especially in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille. These groups are concentrated in neighborhoods. And we wanted to go see one because we were interested in seeing what life is really like. In principle, the first thing people are going to think is that it’s an unsafe place. And everything else that has to do with that. It’s true that I’ve seen things in places in Paris where there’s this kind of immigration. Robberies in broad daylight, in plain sight . But we don’t feel too unsafe here. Not too different from what one feels in any other city in Europe or even in France. What does surprise us are the prices. The prices you get in those places because the markets are where people shop. And they’re prices people can afford. The merchandise, the food, was as good quality as what we had at the central market we saw a while ago. Maybe not as sophisticated, maybe not as gourmet. More local, what people eat, what ordinary people eat . We saw quite a bit of police, we didn’t see any kind of complicated intervention. Beyond that, I’ll tell you if you also like Arabic food. Everything that has to do with that kebab tradition and everything similar. These are the ideal neighborhoods to go to. As I said, it didn’t seem too unsafe to us. Maybe we were lucky; we were walking, we were carrying cameras. There weren’t any problems. At least that’s what we saw at the time. But now we want to tell you a little bit about the RV park. At first, we said, more or less jokingly, that it seemed like a bargain given the services it offered. And in reality, it’s very, very cheap. It’s located, as we said, in the Rouen marina. Quite far from the city, three kilometers or so. We’ve already explained the alternatives for getting around the city. If you’re comfortable with this, you’ll also be safe. Because it’s a place that closes at night and is heavily guarded during the day. In fact, there’s a gendarmerie station there. So from a security standpoint, which is so important in France, we won’t have any problems. It’s a place that fills up very, very early. You have to go at a reasonable time. Otherwise, we’ll be left without a seat, and then the gate closes. So forget it. You won’t be able to enter. We paid 14.70 euros in May 2025. Only 14.70 euros for the services we’re about to tell you about. Of course, a fairly large parking lot. Nothing out of the ordinary by French standards. In our case, it was located right in front of the Seine River. There was a second location that was a little more hidden. We had limited 10-amp electricity. It worked without any problems. Remember, 41 degrees, 42 degrees. It can be in the middle of summer. So if you have air conditioning, you’re definitely going to need that electricity. And of course, the difference it makes to this place. Restrooms for women and men, with limited hot showers. Plenty of room for changing. For showering. Hot water in the sinks, too. Also, the possibility of washing clothes and drying them. Because there was a washer and dryer. A pretty reasonable price. A place where we were treated very, very well. As the French usually do. Recommended from every point of view. The water change station is a little difficult to access because it was right next to the entrance. And it’s a station that, in addition to being used by motorhomes, is also used by boats, by the ships that go to this marina. So that could be perhaps the only mentionable drawback, in quotation marks, that this motorhome area has. But recommended from every point of view. With the bike rental station at the entrance, we could also get to the city center with an Uber. And if we feel like walking. Very close, about a kilometer, a kilometer and a bit. There’s an Aldi where we can do our shopping. If we need to. Very good prices. Remember, France has very good prices on food, especially when you go to these discount supermarkets. At this point, and as always, we invite you to subscribe to the channel and activate the notifications box. And if you liked the video, give it a like. Because the YouTube algorithm also likes this. We’re also posting the location right now. Of this RV park in the port of Rouen, which we’re showing you today. In case you’re in the area and want to visit. We also remind you that we don’t sell anything on this channel. We don’t promote anything, and we don’t talk about ourselves. No video is sponsored. There’s already too much of that on YouTube. Here, the protagonists are the places, the stories, and the people. But you’re also the protagonists. We invite you to leave a comment. If you’ve visited the area and have something to contribute, I’m sure this will be useful to others. And if you haven’t yet, the comments also serve as a way to ask questions to other people watching the video. So don’t hesitate to do so. We hope you appreciate the effort that goes into making these videos. And we also hope, as always, that it’s been useful to you. We also hope you liked it. And until next time. This is a practical RV video.