Cote Sainte Catherine in Rouen 15 copyright French Moments
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Last Updated: 5 March 2020

The hill of Sainte-Catherine (Côte Sainte-Catherine) offers a stunning panoramic view of the city of Rouen, its suburbs and the Seine. The hillside is covered by chalk meadows and reaches a height of 140 metres.


The panoramic view of Rouen from the Côte Sainte-Catherine

Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen 11 copyright French Moments
Côte Sainte-Catherine © French Moments

At a bend of the D95 road (Route de la Corniche) a terrace has been created to make the most of the splendid panoramic view overlooking Rouen, the Seine, and the neighbouring suburbs. Informative panels help locate the main landmarks and monuments of Rouen: the Cathedral, Saint-Maclou, the Parliament of Normandy, Saint-Ouen, the Archives Tower in the Left Bank…

Claude Monet painted several impressionist paintings of Rouen from there.

The abbey church of Saint-Ouen and the northern suburbs:

Côte Sainte-Catherine in Rouen copyright French Moments
Rouen © French Moments
General View of Saint Ouen Abbey Church in Rouen copyright French Moments
General View of Saint Ouen Abbey Church in Rouen © French Moments

The southern suburbs (left bank of River Seine):

Côte Sainte-Catherine in Rouen copyright French Moments
The southern suburbs © French Moments

The banks of River Seine and its bridges (Pont Mathilde, Pont Corneille, Pont Boieldieu, Pont Jeanne d’Arc (with the tram), Pont Guillaume le Conquérant and Pont Gustave Flaubert):

The River Seine in Rouen © French Moments
The River Seine © French Moments

The banks of River Seine and the Cathedral:

Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
The city of Rouen © French Moments
Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
The view over the city’s roofs © French Moments

The Tour Saint-André:

Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
Tour Saint-André © French Moments

The Rouen Cathedral and Saint-Maclou church:

Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
The city of Rouen © French Moments
Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
The view from the Côte © French Moments
Rouen cathedral seen from Côte Sainte-Catherine © French Moments
Rouen cathedral seen from Côte Sainte-Catherine © French Moments
Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
Rouen Cathedral seen from Côte Sainte-Catherine © French Moments
Côte Sainte Catherine in Rouen © French Moments
The view from the Côte © French Moments

A close-up view of Saint-Maclou church:

Saint Maclou from Cote Sainte Catherine copyright French Moments
Saint-Maclou Church © French Moments

Views of Rouen’s old town with Rouen’s three most beautiful churches: the Cathedral, Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen:

Cote Sainte Catherine in Rouen 15 copyright French Moments
View of Rouen from the Côte Sainte-Catherine © French Moments

Walking up the hill

A pathway with 525 steps leads to the top of the hill from the cemetery of Mont-Gargan.

Walk up the Cote Sainte Catherine

From Place du Canada, walk along the rue du Faubourg Martainville and just after passing under the bridge of the N28, take the stairs on the right. Cross the rue Henri Rivière and walk a few metres to the left before taking the pathway to the Côte Sainte-Catherine as indicated by a sign. The ascent first borders the cemetery wall in a forest. The climb takes approximately 15-30 min depending on your pace.

The pathway and its steps dates back to 1312.


Find out more about Rouen on the blog

Get more info on the Rouen Tourist Board website

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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