Rouen & Etretat

The first thing I'd do is check to see whether there are indoor sights (museums, etc.) in either place that are important to me. Then I'd try to time things so I could enjoy as many of those as possible. I haven't been to Etretat, but I enjoyed three museums in Rouen. Rouen's lovely (rebuilt following WWII obliteration) historic center is quite large, but with the long summer days you'll be able to see it after things close. Still, I would prefer to have more than one full day in Rouen, not just part of a day. I can understand that getting to Etretat would be especially important for an artist, though.

I assume you'll be driving; I think bus service to Etretat is quite infrequent.

Rouen Cathedral ... Etretat ... Giverny ... let me guess... Monet fans?

My recommendation would be Rouen during the day (because its a city, and shops are open); and drive out to Etretat for the sunrise or sunset hours to capture the light as Monet did.

The drive is about an hour.

We spent a couple of days in Rouen and were very pleasantly surprised...enjoyed it more than we’d expected. There were several museums that were of interest to us, including wrought iron and ceramics, but perhaps not to everyone. We enjoyed walking and wandering around the half timbered buildings and streets. The sound and light show at the Rouen Cathedral was incredible, and if it is up and running , I’d plan my evening for that without question. We ate buckwheat crepes in multiple permutations. We did not go to Etretat. Safe travels.

I loved both -- and the Pont Normandie on your way to Etretat is stunning. We loved Etretat: Here are our snapshots:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/etretat-the-impressionists-had-an-eye-for-a-beautiful-place/

I would do Etretat in the morning and early afternoon and spend late afternoon and evening in Rouen. You may want to adjust depending on whether you will have a chance to see the many churches in Rouen during the hours you are there that first evening and last morning. When we were there on a day trip, two of the major churches that SHOULD have been open were 'exceptionally' closed. That happens fairly often off season in France. You do want to see those -- so you can always adjust your timing depending on such matters when you are there.

I echo Janet.

Etretat is a lovely place to visit but it doesn't take that long to visit. You'll want to grab a coffee at one of the cafes facing the cliffs.

Rouen is really a red-letter town. So much to see in a rather small city (also the smallest city in France to have a métro!) The cathedrals and churches in the city are worth a trip. The Musée des Beaux-Arts is quite nice, too. And the Joan of Arc museum is really state of the art!

Need some restaurant suggestions? La Couronne is the restaurant where Julia Child first fell in love with French food. It's a bit touristy now but the meal I had there was great. But even better (right down the road) is Le 6eme Sens that has a delightful tasting menu. And for lunch, there's a café called Chez PP-Jean that has the most wonderful ratatouille I've ever hard (and their meals are just amazing!)

For bakeries, Yvonne's right next to the train station is a true institution and has some unique items!

Thanks for all the great thoughts!
Yes, we plan on getting a car in Rouen.
That is a good idea to check the times sites are open. We know we want to walk the town, but we might want to go inside some things too.
Yes, Monet fans for but Etretat, the closing episode of Netflix's Lupin is also an inspiration!
Janet, I love that you post your blog, I had seen it on another post and got some great ideas, thanks for sharing!
We noticed Rouen had a subway and coming from Texas that is super impressive.
I don't know the term 'red-letter town'.
Thanks for the eating suggestions as well.

We visited these same places and loved them both....if you could add Honfleur you would enjoy it as well.....we spent a night there and it is a charming coastal town.

If you've traveled before and know this is a good pace for you then ignore the rest of this post.

If this is a first trip, then I'll suggest less is more. Rather than storming thru Normandy and Brittany you may enjoy the trip more by going fewer places and spending more time in each. Europe is filled with captivating places to visit and its tempting to try to get as many in as we can. But just in this region it would be easy to spend a day or two in Rouen itself, a day visiting Honfleur and Etretat and driving along the coast. Often the most memorable times are the unplanned ones. We were visiting the region and driving along the coast near Fort la Latte and saw a town with a farmers market set up. We decided to stop and walk around. Had a delightful lunch and an enjoyable time walking around. But the reason we could do this is we had a relaxed schedule for the day.

John, thanks, it is good to remember to slow down.
My first thought was a one nighter including Giverny, Rouen & Mont Saint-Michel but we're now hoping to stretch it out to 3 nights and only add a bit more.

Rouen to Etretat and back is nearly one full day, regardless whether you’re backtracking to Rouen for the night or staying in Etretat (personally, I would elect to go from Rouen to Etretat and then work my way south down the coast).

If you stop in Honfleur, give it a half-day or stop for dinner and spend the night. It’s a gorgeous port town.

Going south, consider taking a few hours to stop in Cabourg or Deauville. They’re both lovely and it will take longer than you anticipate to navigate the drive south through Normandy. Stop and enjoy the small towns.

We based ourselves for 5 nights in Bayeux and enjoyed so many area sights. It’s one of those towns that is endlessly fascinating and achingly beautiful to me. Please take at least one night there to enjoy dinner and stroll through the town.