Honfleur

The Vieux Bassin at Honfleur is lined with tall narrow houses faced in slate, built up to six storeys on a small footprint, reflected in the water; the composition drew painters from the 1820s. Eugene Boudin was born here and worked outdoors on the Normandy coast before it was normal to do so, and it was Boudin who persuaded the young Monet to leave the studio, which makes this one of the places Impressionism came from. Sainte-Catherine, built by shipwrights after the Hundred Years War using ships' carpentry, is the largest wooden church in France, with a bell tower standing separately across the square.

History

Honfleur is first recorded in 1025, and by the mid-12th century it was an important port for goods from Rouen to England. In the Hundred Years' War Charles V strengthened its defences to guard the Seine estuary, but the English held it in 1357 and again from 1419 to 1450. Maritime trade boomed afterwards until the end of the 18th century: Binot Paulmier de Gonneville sailed from here for Brazil in 1503, Jean Denis for Newfoundland in 1506, and in 1608 Samuel de Champlain's expedition left to found Quebec; the town traded with Canada, the West Indies, Africa and the Azores, and became one of the five main French ports of the slave trade, while Colbert had its fortifications demolished. The wars of the Revolution and Empire, and above all the continental blockade, ruined its trade, which recovered only partly in the 19th century with timber from northern Europe as the harbour silted and Le Havre grew (Wikipedia, Honfleur).

What to look for

• The Vieux Bassin - slate-fronted houses reflected in the old harbour.
• Sainte-Catherine - the largest wooden church in France, built by shipwrights.
• The separate bell tower - the campanile standing apart from the church.
• The Boudin museum - work by the painter who taught Monet to work outdoors.

When to go

April to October; Honfleur is extremely crowded in July and August and at weekends. Spring and September are better. The harbour is at its best early morning before the coaches.

Good to know

The town is small and gets overwhelmed by day-trippers and cruise passengers from Le Havre. Restaurants on the harbour are priced accordingly. Parking is difficult.

Nearby

Deauville lies west; Le Havre is across the Seine bridge.

Key facts