Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Honfleur
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.
Top 10 Sights
1 Le Vieux Bassin
2 Musée Eugène Boudin
3 Église Ste-Catherine
4 Greniers à Sel
5 Église St-Léonard
6 Musée de la Marine
7 Musée d'Ethnographie et
d'Art Populaire
8 Les Maisons Satie
9 Chapelle Notre-Dame de
Grâce
0 Pont de Normandie
Le Vieux Bassin
This picturesque harbour
(below)
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.
Honfleur artist
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).
• Map F3
•
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
Musée Eugène
Boudin
Now housing an exciting
collection of 19th- and
20th-century art, the
museum
(above)
was
founded in 1868 by
Honfleur's best-known
artists, Boudin and
Dubourg.
Greniers à Sel
Larger cod catches in
the late 16th century
increased the demand
for salt as a preserv-
ative. 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, exhib-
itions and concerts.
Église Ste-
Catherine
Built to celebrate
the end of the
Hundred Years'
War, the largest
wooden church
in France
(right)
is half-timbered inside and
out, with twin naves and tall
oak pillars. The weight of
the bells demanded a
separate stone bell tower.
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