Rouen Museum of Fine Arts

Fellow art enthusiasts, trust me when I say Rouen won’t disappoint. You’re in for a treat! And you’ll see why as soon as you step into one of its many museums, several of which are even free! Take for example the Museum of Fine Arts, right before you. It first opened around 1801, in the wake of the French Revolution, and has continued to grow in size and stature with each passing year, thriving over the centuries. The key to its success? Always adding new pieces to its collections to keep visitors coming back for more. In 1878, Rouen’s Museum of Fine Arts was designated as having the second most extensive collection in France, after Paris. Today, it’s still one of the top museums of its kind in the country. Inside its sixty or so rooms, you’ll discover some 8,000 works from different periods, spanning from the 15th century to the present day. On display are sculptures, sketches, artwork and paintings by some of the world’s greatest artists, including Caravaggio, Rubens, Velasquez, Modigliani, Delacroix, Poussin and Anguier. You’ll see statues of the latter two on either side of the entrance. Thanks to a generous donation by the art collector and benefactor François Depeaux in 1909, the museum also boasts one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist paintings, including works by Monet and Sisley. And that’s just the permanent collection! The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions with innovative themes and extraordinary pieces. Here’s your chance to lose yourself in the magic of art! This place is a must-see!