Low-emission zone of Rouen
The French city of Rouen in northwestern France introduced a low-emission zone on 1 July 2021. Within the low-emission zone, an emissions sticker is required for motorized vehicles. On this page you can read all about the situation in Rouen. More about the emissions sticker in general can be found on the main page of this website. For other cities with low-emission zones, check this map.
Map of the low-emission zone in Rouen
The low-emission zone of Rouen is marked in orange on the map above. It comprises a total of 13 municipalities of the Métropole Rouen Normandie:
- Amfreville-la-Mi-Voie
- Bihorel
- Bois-Guillaume
- Bonsecours
- Darnétal
- Déville-lès-Rouen
- Le Grand-Quevilly
- Le Mesnil-Esnard
- Le Petit-Quevilly
- Rouen
- Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville
- Saint Léger du Bourg Denis
- Sotteville-lès-Rouen
Unlike in most other French low-emission zones, Rouen’s zone has no exceptions for through traffic using major roads. If for example you take the A28, a popular route to drive from northern to western France, you will have to drive through the low-emission zone of Rouen. An emissions sticker is mandatory in this situation.
However, there are some exceptions to reach park-and-ride sites that are within the low-emission zone. This is useful if you are visiting the city itself. The exceptions are parts of the Route de Dieppe in Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville, the Route de Neufchâtel in Bois-Guillame and the Route de Paris in Le Mesnil-Esnard. They are indicated on the map by blue lines. You can read more under the heading on parking further down this page.
Rouen’s low-emission zone
Rouen’s low-emission zone operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This differs from low-emission zones such as those in Paris and Grenoble, where restrictions are in effect only between certain hours of the day. Rouen also does not have different rules for motorcycles and freight traffic, as is the case in for example Lyon.
In France, the low-emission zone of Rouen is usually referred to as the zone à faibles émissions or ZFE of the Métropole Rouen Normandie. This is because the low-emission zone also extends beyond the municipal boundaries of Rouen. Through cooperation between the 71 municipalities of the metropolis, the low-emission zone can be more easily expanded in the future. There are, however, currently no concrete plans for an expansion.
Parking outside the low-emission zone
Do you want to visit Rouen, but does your car not qualify for an emissions sticker? Then you can park outside the low-emission zone. It is best to do this near a station or stop of the tramway line or the TEOR. The latter is a network of four fast bus lines in Rouen that travel via completely separate roads. Here are some recommendations:
- P+R Zénith: avenue des Canadiens, 1300 parking spaces, near the Zénith-Parc Expo stop of TEOR line T4.
- P+R Rouges Terres: route de Neufchâtel, 120 parking spaces, at the Rouges Terres stop of line F1.
- Parking lots of the Université de Rouen Normandie: rue Thomas Becket, 800 parking spaces, stops Campus and Place Colbert on line T1.
- P + R Mairie – Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville: rue Sergent Boutard, 35 parking spaces, stop Mairie – V. Schoelcher on the streetcar line and line T4.
- Carrefour Le Mesnil-Esnard: rue Hector Malot, 240 parking spaces, Haut Hubert stop on line F5.
The parking sites are also indicated on the map.
Which emissions sticker in Rouen?
Only vehicles with green, purple, yellow or orange emissions stickers are allowed in Rouen’s low-emission zone. If you do not have an emissions sticker or if you have a red or gray sticker for older diesels, you risk a fine. A rule of thumb is that diesels manufactured before 2006 and other vehicles manufactured before 1997, are not allowed to drive within the low-emission zone of Rouen.
Other low-emission zones nearby
The only other low-emission zone near Rouen can be found in Paris, 145 kilometers to the southwest.
What to see and do in Rouen?
Photo of Rouen, photo by Herbert Frank (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Rouen is the capital of the Normandy region and a pleasant city to visit. Particularly recommended is the cathedral which has the tallest church tower in France. Another attraction is the Gros-Horloge. This is an astronomical clock from the 14th century that can be viewed in a beautiful arch above a shopping street. Also much visited is the Place du Vieux-Marché. Joan of Arc was sentenced to be burned at the stake here in 1431. Finally, as the largest city on the Seine downstream from Paris, Rouen also has a fairly large port.