DK Travel : Normandy : Honfleur

Honfleur

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Seductively pretty, with cobbled streets and half-timbered or slate-fronted houses, Honfleur is a working port with a long maritime history. First mentioned in documents of the 11th century, by the 15th it had become a significant fortified port. Its heyday came some 200 years later, when it spawned intrepid explorers like Samuel de Champlain, who set out from here to found Québec. Le Vieux Bassin, the charming old dock at the heart of the town, is brimming with colourful sailing boats; artists have flocked here since the 19th century.

Honfleur artist
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Top 10 Sights

1. Le Vieux Bassin

This picturesque harbour was built in the 17th century at the behest of Colbert, Louis XIV’s chief finance minister, who also ordered the demolition of the ramparts. Quai Ste-Catherine is particularly attractive.
2. Musée Eugène Boudin

2. Musée Eugène Boudin

Now housing an exciting collection of 19th- and 20th-century art, the museum was founded in 1868 by Honfleur’s best-known artists, Boudin and Dubourg.
3. Église Ste-Catherine

3. Église Ste-Catherine

Built to celebrate the end of the Hundred Years’ War, the largest wooden church in France is half-timbered inside and out, with twin naves and tall oak pillars. The weight of the bells demanded a separate stone bell tower.
4. Greniers à Sel

Larger cod catches in the late 16th century increased the demand for salt as a preservative. To accommodate this, two huge salt stores were built in the main street of the enclos , the walled town. Stone from the old ramparts was used for the walls, and oak for the roofs – which are still in superb condition. Now they are used for meetings, exhibitions and concerts.
5. Église St-Léonard

5. Église St-Léonard

From its 16th-century Flamboyant door to its 18th-century octagonal bell tower, St-Léonard is a hotchpotch of styles. The copper lectern comes from Villedieu-les-Poêles.
6. Musée de la Marine

Housed in a 14th-century church, the Musée de la Marine traces the history of the port through scale models, instruments, engravings, cutlasses, cannons and other fascinating artifacts.
7. Musée d’Ethnographie et d’Art Populaire

Nine rooms crammed with objects, furniture and costumes transport you back through the centuries. Most delightful is the haberdasher’s shop, complete down to the ribbon samples.
8. Les Maisons Satie

8. Les Maisons Satie

A suitably offbeat tribute to the eccentric composer Erik Satie, born here in 1866. Videos, surreal room sets and life-size electronic sculptures recreate his fantasy world.
9. Chapelle Notre-Dame de Gràce

Explorers came to this enchanting little chapel to pray before setting sail. Built in the early 17th century to replace a chapel that fell into the sea, it remains a place of pilgrimage.
10. Pont de Normandie

Opened in 1995, this elegant space-age bridge links Honfleur and Le Havre. Its 856 m (2,800 ft) span held the record – albeit briefly –for the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge.

Practical Information

In summer, pick one of the pavement cafés in Le Vieux Bassin. Take a tour organized by the tourist office (English tours start 3pm Mon, May–mid–Oct; €6). Office du Tourisme: quai Lepaulmier 02 31 89 23 30 Musée Eugène Boudin: pl Erik Satie Open mid-Mar–Sep: 10am–noon, 2–6pm Wed–Mon; Oct–Dec, mid-Feb–mid-Mar: 2:30–5pm Mon, Wed–Fri, 10am–noon, 2:30–5pm Sat–Sun Adm charge Musée de la Marine (quai St-Etienne), Musée d’Ethnographie et d’Art Populaire (rue de la Prison): open mid-Feb–Mar, Oct–mid–Nov: 2–5:30pm Tue–Fri, 10am–noon, 2–5:30pm Sat–Sun; Apr–Jun, Sep: 10am–noon, 2–6pm Tue–Sun; Jul–Aug: 10am–1pm, 2–6:30pm daily Adm charge Les Maisons Satie: 67 blvd Charles V Open Wed–Mon Adm charge