Cathédrale Notre Dame

On a site occupied by churches since the 4th century, Rouen's magnificent cathedral was painted repeatedly by Claude Monet, who was fascinated by the subtle changes of light and colour on the cathedral's towering French Gothic facade. Built between 1201 and 1514, the building was damaged by time, WWII and a 1999 storm, and is still undergoing renovation. Monet would hardly recognise its recently cleaned facade, now almost white.

The Romanesque crypt was part of a cathedral completed in 1062 and destroyed by a conflagration that flattened much of the city at Easter in the year 1200. The free tours to the crypt, ambulatory and Chapel of the Virgin are in French, but some guides are happy to add English commentary. The Flamboyant Gothic late-1400s Tour de Beurre (Butter Tower), 75m high, was financed by local faithful who made donations to the cathedral in return for being allowed to eat butter during Lent – or so they say (some historians believe the name simply refers to the colour of the stone).