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Long a favourite with painters such as Monet, Normandy’s most charming port town is a popular day-trip destination for Parisian families. Though the centre can be overrun with visitors on warm weekends and in summer, it’s hard not to love the rugged maritime charm of the Vieux Bassin (Old Harbour), which evokes maritime Normandy of centuries past.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Honfleur was one of France’s most important ports for commerce and exploration. Some of the earliest French expeditions to Brazil and Newfoundland began here, and in 1608, Samuel de Champlain set sail from Honfleur to found Québec City.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Honfleur.
Museum
This unusual and intriguing complex captures the whimsical spirit of the eccentric avant-garde composer Erik Satie (1866–1925), who lived and worked in Honfleur and was born in one of the two half-timbered maisons Satie (Satie houses). Visitors wander through the beguiling rooms, each concealing a surreal surprise, as a headset plays Satie’s strangely familiar music. Les Maisons Satie is situated 350m northwest of the northern end of the Vieux Bassin.
Gallery
This museum features superb 19th- and 20th-century paintings of Normandy’s towns and coast, including works by Dubourg, Dufy and Monet. One room is devoted to Eugène Boudin, an early impressionist and marine painter (he was the son of a sailor), who was born in Honfleur in 1824 and whom Baudelaire called the ‘king of skies’ for his luscious skyscapes.
Church
Initially intended as a temporary structure, this extraordinary wooden church was built by local shipwrights during the late 15th and early 16th centuries after its stone predecessor was destroyed during the Hundred Years War. Wood was used so money would be left over to strengthen the city’s fortifications, though there are elements of stone (such as some of the pillar bases). From the inside, the remarkable twin naves and double-vaulted roof resemble two overturned ships’ hulls.
Historic Site
The old harbour, with its bobbing pleasure boats, is Honfleur’s focal point. On the west side, quai Ste-Catherine is lined with tall, taper-thin houses – many protected from the elements by slate tiles – dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. The Lieutenance, at the mouth of the old harbour, was once the residence of the town’s royal governor. Just northeast of the Lieutenance is the Avant Port, home to Honfleur’s dozen fishing vessels, which sell their catch at the Marché au Poisson.
Museum
Through multiple rooms, this museum gathers together exhibits on domestic and economic life in 16th- to 19th-century Normandy portraying traditional costumes, furniture and housewares. It's located in two adjacent 16th-century buildings: a one-time prison and a house, hence the name of the street. A pass for access to Musée d’Ethnographie et d’Art Populaire Normand, Musée Eugène Boudin and the Musée de la Marine is €13.
Church
Built between 1600 and 1613, this chapel sits on the Plateau de Grâce, a wooded, 100m-high hill about 2km west of the Vieux Bassin. The area offers great views of the Seine estuary, Le Havre, Honfleur and the Pont de Normandie.
Museum
Children and adults will enjoy this lush greenhouse that houses scores of species of free-flying tropical butterflies in the northwest of town, a short walk from other attractions and sights of note.
Market
A visit to this lively fish market to browse the day's catch is both fun and fascinating.
Museum
This museum displays model sailing ships, nautically themed engravings and watercolours, and a case that examines Honfleur’s role in the 17th- and 18th-century traite négrière (slave trade). It's located on the eastern shore of the Vieux Bassin, in the deconsecrated 13th- and 14th-century Église St-Étienne.