This historic Norman port has narrow cobblestone streets leading to a 17th-century harbor, lined with tall slate-roofed houses. Local art galleries and seafood restaurants fill the old town.
Honfleur sits along the Normandy coast, where narrow houses from the 1600s line the old harbor. You can visit Sainte-Catherine's Church with its wooden architecture, walk through streets where Monet and Boudin painted their famous harbor scenes, or explore the experimental Maisons Satie, where music and art installations bring the composer's work to life. The town's markets, art galleries, and maritime atmosphere make it a common stop on Normandy itineraries.
Exploring the Old Harbor
The Vieux Bassin remains at the center of daily life in Honfleur. Ships once departed from here to North America in the 1600s, and today you'll see pleasure boats and fishing vessels coming and going. The houses around the basin reach up to seven stories high, each with weathered slate covering their facades in different patterns. A walk around the harbor takes about 15 minutes, and you'll find cafes and benches where you can watch the boats.
Visiting Sainte-Catherine's Church
The wooden vaulting inside Sainte-Catherine's Church curves like a ship's hull - a design created by local shipwrights in the 1400s. The church has two parallel naves, and its bell tower stands separately across the square to protect the wooden structure from potential fires. Look for the wooden carvings throughout the interior and the statue of Saint Catherine, which shows her holding a wheel and sword.
Following the Impressionists' Path
The Eugène Boudin Museum displays more than 200 paintings by artists including Monet, Courbet, and Boudin himself. Located in a 19th-century chapel, the museum includes paintings of the harbor at different times of day, along with exhibits about local clothing from past centuries and traditional Norman arts. The museum helps explain why many French landscape painters chose to work in this small port town.
Discovering Maisons Satie
Erik Satie's birthplace now contains an interactive museum dedicated to the composer's work. As you walk through the rooms, an audio guide plays Satie's music while visual installations reflect his artistic style. Each room focuses on a different period of his life or aspect of his work, with mechanical sculptures and projected images adding to the experience.
Getting Around Honfleur
You can walk across the town center in about 20 minutes. To reach Honfleur from Paris, take a train to Deauville or Le Havre, then connect by bus (30-45 minutes). If you're driving, park at the Bassin du Centre lot near the old town. The Normandy Bridge connects Honfleur to Le Havre across the Seine estuary.
Local Food and Markets
The market sets up around Sainte-Catherine's Church every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Local vendors sell Normandy cheeses, fresh seafood, and regional cider. Restaurants near the harbor serve local dishes such as moules marinière (mussels cooked in white wine) and apple-based Calvados spirits. In the old town's small shops, you can buy local specialties including butter caramels and apple brandy.
