Honfleur
A small port town of the Calvados department, Honfleur is situated in the estuary of the Seine, opposite Le Havre, 120 miles west of Paris. Close to Deauville-Trouville (11 miles), Honfleur is famous for its port “The Vieux Bassin” and its picturesque houses covered in blue slate. This small town, made up of small streets and houses that exude the classic normandic charm, is an enjoyable place to visit all year round.
The Honfleur sailors were among the best in the kingdom. In 1608, the expedition led by explorer Samuel de Champlain led to the foundation of the Franco-Canadian town of Quebec.
Another not-to-be-missed landmark of Honfleur is Saint Catherine’s Church. Built in the 15th Century after the Hundred Years War, it is the biggest wooden church in France with a separate steeple. The architecture dazzles the viewer; the church is composed of two naves, one of which is shaped like the hull of an overturned ship. This romantic panorama was immortalised time and time again by the painters Corot and Turner, as well as by the “Ecole de Honfleur”, a group composed of Courbet, Boudin and Monet, which contributed to the beginning of the impressionist movement. It is also here in Honfleur that the French composer and musician Erik Satie was born in 1866. The museum “Les Maisons Satie” is dedicated to him.
Other museums to discover in Honfleur are the Naval Museum, the Eugène Boudin Museum and the Naturospace butterfly house, a magical little place where tropical butterflies can be seen in a recreated natural environment.
Benefit from two days to Normandy, Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel to discover the town and its regional specialties during the course of a delicious lunch, available at ParisCityVision.com