The Normandy coast has several interesting towns to visit during your stay in the area, among which a trip to Honfleur should be among your priorities.
This coastal town is located on the Seine estuary just south of Le Havre, and is now easily accessible by the new bridge the 'Pont de Normandie'. This elegant bridge briefly held the record as the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge.
Explore Honfleur
The pretty port and houses around Le Vieux Bassin (the harbour area) are the main attraction in Honfleur now, as they were 120 years ago when visitors started arriving at Honfleur.
This port was built in the 17th century and apart from the narrow entrance for boats is surrounded on all sides by beautiful, tall, narrow buildings. Don't forget, you can also pick up your fresh fish in the market here!
You will notice that many of the ancient houses have facades clad in tiles, a traditional technique in Normandy and Brittany. Between the houses and the harbour you will find numerous cafes, and this is a very lively place for a promenade in the summer.
On one side of the port you will notice the unusual wooden spire of the 15th century church of Saint Etienne. This is the oldest church in Honfleur and is now home to the town’s maritime museum, the Musée de la Marine.
Wander behind the church and you will see the towns famous salt storage buildings, the ‘Greniers à sel’. These 17th century buildings were used to store salt which was in turn used to preserve the cod caught by the town’s fishing fleet.
These buildings are now used for exhibitions and concerts in Honfleur and you can go inside and admire the wonderful wooden roofs.
Although it is the tall houses around the harbour that have made Honfleur famous, the streets here in Honfleur old town also contain lots of interesting medieval houses, many now converted into shops and cafes.
On the other side of the port you can see the wonderful Church of Saint Catherine. The church was built of wood due to a shortage of stone at the time the church was built at the end of the Hundred Years War.
With the large numbers of ship builders in the area wood became the obvious choice of building material, and Saint-Catherine’s church is the largest wooden church in France and it is lovely.
Take a look inside the church, it has a much warmer feel to it than churches made of stone and is in the form of an upturned boat, with windows on all sides that allows lots of light into the church.
The church of Saint-Catherine is slightly separate from its belltower. The bells for the church were so heavy that a separate bell-tower had to be built and this lovely and unusual tower has inspired many artists to paint it, including Monet and Boudin.
Museums in Honfleur
Eugene Boudin was born in Honfleur and he gave 53 of his paintings to the town. These are exhibited in the Museum Eugene Boudin, located in a chapel. Works by Monet and other impressionist paintings are also displayed here.
Another interesting museum in Honfleur is Les Maisons Satie. Satie was born in Honfleur in 1866 and worked with several of the great artists of the time, including Picasso, and inspired composers including Stravinsky and Ravel. The Maisons Satie are a musical and visual tribute to him.
Housed in the old prison and 16th century houses there is also a Museum of life in Normandy, with traditional rooms and costumes at the Musee d’Ethnographie et d’Art Populaire.
Attractions nearby
Further west along the coast from Honfleur the popular beach resorts at Trouville and Deauville are also highly recommended for a visit.
See more of the popular beaches and resorts in Normandy
You can find more travel ideas in the Calvados guide and the Normandy guide.
Photos of Honfleur
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Arrange a visit to Honfleur
Hotels in Honfleur
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Map of Honfleur and places nearby
Visit near Honfleur with France This Way reviews
Villerville
Less popular than neighbours Deauville and Trouville, the resort at Villerville also has a long beach
Villerville guide
Trouville
The long established resort at Trouville has retained lots of its 19th century villas, which provide much of the character of the town
Trouville guide
Le Havre
Le Havre centre is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, for the concrete city built after the destruction of the town in WW2
Le Havre guide
Deauville
The resort of Deauville, established in the 19th century, is still one of the most upmarket beach resorts in Normandy
Deauville guide
Villers-sur-Mer
Villers-sur-Mer is one of several friendly beach resorts along the Normandy coast
Villers-sur-Mer guide
Pont-Audemer
The canals and rivers are the highlight in Pont Audemer, famous for its traditional canalside washouses
Pont-Audemer guide... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Calvados
Tourist classifications for Honfleur
Honfleur has received the following tourist classifications: recommended detour town (plus beau detour); historical protected town centre' (secteur sauvegardé); village in bloom (ville fleurie) 4*
Address: Honfleur, Lisieux, Normandy, 14600, France || GPS coordinates: latitude 49.4197, longitude 0.233889
Plan your visit to Honfleur, Calvados
Sightseeing & tourist attractions to visit nearby
- Le Havre: town of art and history (12 km)
- Touques: ville fleurie 4* (13 km)
- Pont-Audemer: recommended detour (22 km)
- Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon: ville fleurie 4* (25 km)
- Boutemont: remarkable garden (26 km)
- Parc zoologique de Lisieux: zoo or wildlife park (27 km)
- Cabourg: ville fleurie 4* (29 km)
- Falaises d'Etretat: site of natural beauty (32 km)
- Beuvron: most beautiful village (33 km)
- Fecamp: town of art and history (39 km)
- Cote d'Alabatre: site of natural beauty (40 km)
- Jardin d'art et d'essais: remarkable garden (40 km)
Market days in Honfleur, France
Regular market(s) are held in Honfleur each Saturday. (Markets are held in the morning unless stated.)
The French version of this page is at Honfleur (Francais)