The Armada de Rouen is the world's largest gathering of tall ships, but even among hundreds of world-class vessels, one name stands out for French visitors: the Belem. She is the last of the great French three-masted cargo sailing ships still sailing — a living museum that has been trading, racing and dazzling crowds for 130 years.
If you're planning a trip to the Armada (17–27 June 2027), the Belem is one of the few ships you can be sure will be there, and she's genuinely worth planning around. This guide tells you what makes her special, where she'll be moored, and exactly how to see her during the festival.
Year she was launched in Nantes
Length overall, with three steel masts
Years sailing — France's oldest active barque
Visitors drawn by the Armada in 2023
⚓ Why the Belem matters
The Belem is often called "le fleuron du patrimoine maritime français" — the jewel of French maritime heritage. She is one of the only large merchant sailing ships from the golden age of sail that still makes regular voyages, and she has been registered as a French Monument Historique since 1984.
Two things mark her out. First, she is a genuine working ship, not a static display: her crew — including volunteer trainee sailors — actually sails her thousands of nautical miles every year. Second, she has a story that spans three very different lives: a hard-working cargo carrier, a private yacht for an English duke, and finally a French national treasure. Few ships in the world have been all three.
📜 130 years of maritime history
The Belem was built in 1896 at the Chantenay shipyard in Nantes, France, on the orders of the Crouan family of shipping merchants. Named after the Brazilian port town of Belém (Pará), she spent her first three decades hauling cargo across the Atlantic — most famously cocoa from Brazil's Amazon region and sugar from the French West Indies, sailing the route from Nantes to the tropics.
In 1914 she was sold to an English owner, the Duke of Westminster, who converted her into a luxury private yacht and renamed her. Later she served as a British training ship before returning, in 1979–1980, to France where a banking foundation purchased her, restored her, and returned her French name. The Belem was transformed into the elegant, gleaming barque you'll see today, painted with the black hull and white name that makes her instantly recognisable.
In recent years she has toured the world as an ambassador of French sailing — carrying the Olympic flame at the start of its sea journey in 2024, and taking part in tall ship gatherings across Europe. For more context on the ships you'll see and how Rouen's maritime tradition came to be, see our guide to the Armada fleet and the history of the Armada.
🎏 Confirmed for Armada Rouen 2027
The Belem was among the very first vessels announced for the 8th Armada de Rouen, which will moor on the Seine from 17 to 27 June 2027. She is a regular and much-loved participant — in fact, she made an early symbolic stopover in Rouen in June 2026, exactly one year before the festival, docking on the right bank opposite the Musée Maritime and letting the public aboard for free.
Alongside the Belem, early announcements for 2027 include ships like the Eendracht, the Français, the Gulden Leeuw and the Santa Maria Manuela, with more than 40 vessels expected in total. As always, the exact final list will be confirmed closer to the event — watch our Armada 2027 news page and our rundown of the first ten confirmed tall ships for updates.
🗺️ Where she berths on the quays
During the Armada, most of the international vessels line the right bank of the Seine along the famous quays — Quai de la Bourse, Quai du Havre and nearby stretches — in the heart of Rouen, steps from the old town. When she visited in 2026 for her one-year-to-go stopover, the Belem was moored on the right bank facing the Musée Maritime, Fluvial et Portuaire, next to the Pont Flaubert.
The official 2027 mooring plan is usually published a few weeks before the festival opens, but you can expect the Belem to take a prominent position on the right bank among the largest sailing ships. A good rule for seeing her without the crush of the crowds is to arrive early in the morning or just as the quays open.
Not sure where to stand? Start with our best viewpoints in Rouen and our guide to where to watch the Grande Parade of sail, when dozens of ships — the Belem among them — raise their sails as they leave the port at the end of the festival.
🎟️ How to visit & board her
🎯 Visiting the Belem at a festival stopover
During most Armada stopovers, several tall ships are open for free deck visits — the public can climb the gangway and walk the wooden deck under the supervision of the crew. This was exactly how the Belem worked during her June 2026 Rouen stopover:
- Visits were free, simply show up at the ship during opening hours
- Slot times included mid-morning and mid-afternoon windows
- Access was not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs due to the gangway and deck configuration
- Queues were manageable, but busiest on the Saturday afternoon
Official 2027 opening times and boarding rules are confirmed closer to the event. For ships that aren't open to the public, deck views are still spectacular from the quayside.
Some tall ships at the Armada also offer paid excursions — a Seine cruise or a multi-hour sail under auxiliary power, sometimes with meals on board. These are separate from the free open-deck visits and typically require booking in advance. For options, see our Seine cruises guide.
📋 Belem fast facts
| Name | Belem (three-masted barque) |
| Launched | 1896, Nantes (Chantenay), France |
| Length overall | ≈ 58 metres (51 m registered length) |
| Rig | Three-masted barque |
| Original trade | Cocoa & sugar cargo runs to Brazil and the West Indies |
| Status | Monument Historique (France) · active sail training vessel |
| Owner | Belem (Fondation Belem) — French heritage foundation |
| Armada 2027 | Confirmed — Rouen, 17–27 June 2027 |
🧭 Practical tips for your visit
Because the Belem is one of the most photographed ships at the festival, here's how to get the most out of seeing her:
- Go early — before 10:00 for the calmest view and shortest queue if deck visits are on.
- Look up — the rigging detail is best shot against a clear morning sky.
- Be patient at departure — if she sails out in the end-of-festival fleet, she's magnificent underway.
- Book any paid sail ahead — these sell out weeks in advance.
- Combine with the old town — she berths minutes from the Cathédrale and the Gros-Horloge (see our things to do in Rouen guide).
For the rest of your trip — where to sleep, eat and how to plan — browse our planning guide and where to stay pages, or read our history of the Armada to set the scene before you sail in. The festival is enormous; a little planning means you'll actually stand on a deck like the Belem's instead of just seeing masts over the crowd.
What's still to be confirmed
The Belem's presence at the Armada 2027 is confirmed, but several practical details are announced closer to June 2027:
- Her exact berth along the right bank
- Free deck-visit times for the festival days
- Whether paid excursions will be offered over the 10 days
- The full 40+ ship list accompanying her on the Seine
We'll update this guide as information is released. Bookmark our blog for ongoing coverage, and check our living Armada 2027 news page for the latest ship announcements.
Sources: France 3 Normandie — "L'Armada de Rouen 2027, c'est dans un an !" (18 June 2026); Office de Tourisme Rouen; armada.org; Fondation Belem. All information correct as of 17 August 2026 but subject to change.