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How to Get to Rouen

In Just 1 Hour From Paris by Train

Studying French in Rouen provides a full immersion experience for students from around the world. Rouen is the capital of Normandy and a well-known destination for it’s medevial history, architecture, and gastronomy.

Rouen is easily accessible by vehicle, rail, or airline from Paris, Brussels or London. Students can fly into Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports in Paris or take the Eurostar train to Gare du Nord. From there, students can take a train, cab, or navette to Rouen.

Arriving in Paris

Charles de Gaulle airport

The French airports provide a Navette (bus) service that runs from the airports to the Opéra in the heart of Paris. The navette from CDG airport to Opéra costs 13.70 €, and the bus from Orly airport to Denfert Rochereau costs 9.30 €. The bus runs every 15/20 minutes. Opéra is within walking distance to Gare St Lazare (or a short metro ride).

Orly airport

A bus service runs every 15 minutes from Orly to Montparnasse station or the Champs Elysées. The metro is easily accessible from there. A single metro ticket costs 1.90 €, while a book of ten tickets costs 16.90 €.

At the airport:

Look for a driver carrying a signboard with our logo and your name when you exit the Customs hall. In the event that you are unable to locate your driver, you should ask the airport information desk to page the driver in English and in French, « Le chauffeur FRENCH IN NORMANDY est prié de venir chercher Monsieur / Madame… »). (then say your name).

Eurostar

The Eurostar arrives in Gare du Nord, and the fastest and quickest way to go from Gare du Nord to Gare St Lazare is to take a taxi or Uber. Metro is also an option.

Taxi

If you have a lot of luggage, a taxi or Uber is an easy and economical option to get around Paris.

Arriving in Rouen

The easiest way to Rouen from Charles de Gaulle airport is to take the bus!

Direct bus from CDG to Rouen

Take the Flixbus from Terminal 3. Tickets range in price from 5 to 20 euros and may be purchased online prior to departure. The journey is simple and comfortable; the buses have WiFi and travel directly to Rouen Bus Station, where you will be picked up by your host family. If you have booked one of our student residences, the Rouen metro station is only a 4-minute walk away and will transport you directly to Voltaire (tram stop in front of the student residence).

By rail from Paris

Students will need to take the navette or the airport bus into the city and arrive to Gare St Lazare train station. Trains from Gare St Lazare to Rouen run every hour. There are both direct rapid trains, and slower trains. The trip takes between 1 – 1.5 hours. A single second-class railway ticket costs roughly 10 euros when purchased online and around 25 euros when purchased at the ticket office on the day of travel.

Ferry to Normandy

Ferries sail from the UK to three Normandy ports: Dieppe, Caen, and Le Havre, all of which are near Rouen which can be reached by car, bus or train.

From Le Havre

Either take a taxi to Rouen or travel from Le Havre to Rouen by train.

Arriving at the train station in Rouen (Gare de Rouen)

We ask that our families meet students at the station when they arrive by train. When you arrive at the train station in Rouen, ride the escalator upstairs to meet your host family, who will be holding a card with your name written on it.

French in Normandy may arrange shared and private trips from any Paris airport or other location.

Transfer information should be given to us at least seven days prior to the student’s arrival. We ask for the flight number, arrival time, and the student’s cellphone number when students schedule an airport transport. ALL students under the age of 18 must book and pay for transportation on arrival and departure unless accompanied by an adult. Transfers that are missed are not refundable.