Welcome to Honfleur
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.
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Honfleur activities
2-Day Normandy, Saint Malo and Mont St Michel Tour from Paris
Day 1: Paris — Rouen — Honfleur — D-Day Beaches — Caen (D)Board the luxury coach in central Paris and leave the hustle bustle behind as you travel through the Normandy countryside. Your first stop is Rouen, the capital of the region. This historic city was once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, and a capital of the Anglo-Norman dynasties. Hop out for a walking tour of Rouen’s top sights, including impressive Rouen Cathedral and the site where Joan of Arc was executed in 1431.Continue your tour to Honfleur, known for its picturesque old harbor captured countless times by the famous Impressionist painters, including Claude Monet. Tour the charming old town and have free time for lunch (own expense).In the afternoon, head to the beaches of Normandy, where the D-Day landings occurred during World War II. Hear stories about the Allied invasions of German-occupied France as you visit Omaha Beach, one of the most difficult landing sites. Visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, overlooking the sea, where you can pay your respects to the fallen soldiers of WWII. Make a short stop in the coastal city of Arromanches, another D-Day site, before continuing to the city of Caen for a group dinner and an overnight stay. Overnight: 3-star hotel in Caen Day 2: Caen — Saint-Malo — Mont St-Michel — Paris (B)Enjoy a buffet breakfast at your hotel before embarking on the second day of your tour. Venture to the heart of Brittany to your first stop, the walled port city of Saint-Malo. Take a guided walking tour along the ocean-front ramparts, and visit Saint-Malo Cathedral. Enjoy free time for lunch (own expense). Your 2-day tour culminates with a visit to one of France’s most iconic attractions, Mont St-Michel, a historic abbey situated amidst a vast bay. Walk up the hilly village for a guided walking tour of the fascinating 8th-century Benedictine abbey, founded as a monastery by Archangel St Michael. Learn about its history, architecture and many uses over the years, including a prison, a castle, a strategic fortification and a major cultural and pilgrimage center during the Middle Ages. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.At the top of the hill, enjoy views over the bay, and don’t miss the amazing spectacle of the tide coming in and surrounding the entire island! Follow your tour with free time to explore and shop around the village. At the end of the day, hop back on the coach and relax on the drive back to Paris, arriving at night.
Normandy, St-Malo, Mont St-Michel, and Loire Valley from Paris
Begin with a visit to the delightful town of Rouen and explore the medieval Old Town with your guide, then head onward to the beautiful port of Honfleur. Discover the famous Omaha Beach — site of the Normandy landings in WWII — and visit the American Cemetery of Saint-Laurent and Arromanches. Take a guided tour of Saint-Malo then continue on to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mont Saint-Michel and visit the ancient abbey. Head deep into the French countryside and marvel at the plush interior and stately beauty of the medieval Château de Langeais. Conclude your tour in the Loire Valley with a tour of the Château de Chenonceau — widely considered one of the finest châteaux in France — then travel back to Paris where your tour will come to an end.
Normandy, Saint-Malo, Mont St-Michel and Chateaux 4-Day Tour
Visit the delightful town of Rouen and tour the medieval Old Town with your guide before continuing on to the charming seaside port of Honfleur. At the beaches of Normandy, gaze upon the famous Omaha Beach — site of the Normany landings in World War II — and visit the American Cemetery of Saint-Laurent and Arromanches.Enjoy a guided visit of Saint-Malo before heading onward to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mont Saint-Michel for a tour of the ancient abbey. Begin your discovery of France’s famous château country with a visit to the medieval Château de Langeais, before heading to the Château du Clos Lucé, an official residence of Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century. Discover the beautiful gardens at Château de Villandry before heading onward to explore the historic city of Tours.End your tour in the Loire Valley with guided visits to the famous châteaux of Chenonceau, Cheverny and Chambord — widely considered among France’s finest castles. After a farewell lunch at the Hotel Saint-Hubert in Cheverny, return to Paris where your tour will come to an end.
Giverny, Rouen, Honfleur Private Tour from Le Havre Port
When your ship docks at the Le Havre port, your guide will pick you up from the cruise terminal and take you on your full-day private shore excursion to Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur. Choose any two of these three at the time of booking! Drive 1.5 hours through Normandy to the village of Giverny, where Monet and his family lived until the artist's death in 1926. It was here that Monet painted some of his most famous artworks, including the water lily series. You’ll feel as if you’ve entered an Impressionist painting as you wander Monet’s vibrant gardens filled with flowers, bamboo trees and willows surrounding a large glassy pond. Follow your garden stroll with a visit to the artist's former house and see his collection of Japanese prints. Leaving Giverny behind, drive an hour north to the historic city of Rouen, one of the most significant and prosperous cities of medieval Europe. Here you’ll visit Rouen Cathedral, a remarkable Gothic church topped by the tallest spire in France. Monet painted this cathedral many times, highlighting its exceptional beauty at different times of day. Inside, you'll see stained-glass windows that date back to the 13th century. Look out for other Gothic monuments as you walk along Rouen's cobblestone streets lined with old half-timbered houses — some that have barely changed since medieval times. See the Great Clock (Gros Horloge), an emblem of Rouen, and visit the square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Your guide will explain the story behind Joan of Arc’s heroic expedition through France during the Hundred Years’ War against England. Continue driving an hour west to your last stop, Honfleur, an authentic town with a long and fascinating past. Learn about Honfleur’s Viking invasions, 16th-century seafarers and Impressionist art movement as you walk through town to the beautiful old port, captured by numerous artists including Impressionist painters Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin and Johan Jongkind. See remnants of the medieval ramparts at Porte de Caen (Caen Gate) and St Catherine's Church, touted as the largest wooden church in France, built after the Hundred Years' War by Honfleur’s ship-builders. Finish with a walk up Côte de Grâce, a 10th-century pilgrimage site, for a great view of Honfleur and the notable Normandy Bridge. Le Havre is just a quick 30-minute drive away. Your guide will drop you back off at the port. Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the Le Havre port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Private Tour to Bayeux, Honfleur and Pays d' Auge from Bayeux
Departing in a minivan from Bayeux, your full-day tour of the best of Normandy starts with the magnificent Bayeux Cathedral, which dates from 1077 and was built in both Roman and Gothic styles. Bayeux was the first town to be liberated by the Allies at the end of World War Two and survived intact; it boasts an impressive array of architecture dating from antiquity to the Renaissance to the modern day.Also in Bayeux, you will see the famous Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth more than 200 feet (60 meters) long. This cloth, which was originally housed in the Bayeux Cathedral, tells the story of William the Conqueror, from the build-up to the invasion of England to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William defeated King Harold to become King of England. The tapestry is now located in the purpose-built Bayeux Tapestry Museum.Continue your tour to the port town of Honfleur, with its picturesque and colorful harbor located on an estuary of the Seine River. The colors of the timber-framed houses and the quaint backstreets have inspired famous painters such as Monet and Courbet. It is no wonder that for many years, Honfleur was regarded as the cradle of Impressionism. See also the Saint Catherine church, the largest church constructed from wood in France. Finally, make your way to Pays d'Auge, where you will feast your senses on the range of culinary delights the region has to offer. Apple-based drinks are ubiquitous in the region – Calvados, an apple brandy, is a firm favorite, while cider, made from fermented apple juice, was for a long time the second-most popular beverage in France after wine. Also famous from the region is Camembert, the soft, creamy cow’s cheese, first made in the 18th century in Normandy.
Le Havre to Honfleur, Pays d'Auge Shore Excursion Private Tour
When your cruise ship docks at the Le Havre port, you’ll be picked up by your guide for a full-day private shore excursion to Honfleur and the Pays d’Auge region. As this is a private tour, you can customize your itinerary depending on what you’d like to do and see, and your guide will provide commentary along the way.After a 30-minute drive, arrive in the port town of Honfleur, whose picturesque harbor has inspired many artists over the years. In fact, Honfleur was regarded as the cradle of the Impressionist movement. See where Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin, Johan Jongkind and other famous painters sat to capture the lovely setting: boats bobbing on the water and colorful timbered houses stacked along the shore. Following your guide, stroll down the cobblestone streets to St Catherine's Church, touted as France’s largest wooden cathedral, built by Honfleur’s ship-builders after the Hundred Years' War. Your tour continues to the nearby Pays d'Auge, an agricultural region straddling the departments of Calvados and Orne that's known for a range of culinary delights — most notably its apple and dairy products. The Pays d'Auge is designated as an AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) for its apple cider and calvados, an apple brandy.Here you’ll visit the lovely villages of Beaumont-en-Auge, Pierrefitte-en-Auge and Beuvron-en-Auge, which is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. Beuvron was a former stronghold of the House of Harcourt family and lies on the Cider Route in the heart of the countryside.Your guide will take you to some of their favorite places to taste a few regional specialties: calvados — a favorite among locals — and cider, made from fermented apple juice, which for a long time remained the second-most popular beverage in France (after wine, of course). Grab a fresh baguette to pair with Camembert, a soft, creamy cow’s cheese, first made in the 18th century in Normandy.After your time in the Pays d’Auge, your guide will take you back to Le Havre to conclude your tour.Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the Le Havre port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.