Things to do in Honfleur – charming port town in Normandy

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | Honfleur is a charming port town in Normandy, known for its old harbor, narrow houses, artists and seafood restaurants. We arrived here by motorhome after following the beautiful Alabaster Coast and immediately fell for the French small town charm. Here are some tips on things to see and do in Honfleur.

Honfleur in Normandy

Honfleur is located at the mouth of the Seine in Normandy, across the river from Le Havre. We came from the north and had driven along the Côte d'Albâtre, the Alabaster Coast, with its dramatic white limestone cliffs.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a completely different environment. Honfleur is a wonderfully picturesque town with narrow alleys, old houses and a charming harbor where boats are moored closely. Around the quays there are cafes and restaurants, and in the neighborhoods behind the harbor there are small shops, galleries and antique stores.

This is the kind of place where you don't need to be in a big hurry. It's quite long enough to stroll around, look at the houses and sit down at a café.

Things to do in Honfleur – 10 tips

So what should you see and do in Honfleur? Here are our tips for attractions and experiences in the charming port city.

1. Experience the Vieux Bassin

The Vieux Bassin, the old harbor basin, is the very heart of Honfleur and probably the view most people associate with the city. Tall, narrow houses stand close together along the Quai Sainte-Catherine, reflecting in the water where pleasure boats are moored.

There are plenty of restaurants and outdoor seating here, and it's hard not to fall for the atmosphere. We thought Honfleur looked almost surreally enchanting.

2. Stroll through the old quarter

Leave the harbor for a while and venture into the old quarters. Here you will find cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, slate-clad facades, small shops, antique stores and art galleries.

Honfleur is not a city where you need to follow a precise route. A big part of the experience is simply walking around and seeing what appears around the next corner.

3. Visit the wooden church of Sainte-Catherine

Église Sainte-Catherine is one of Honfleur's most special attractions. The church was built in the second half of the 15th century after the Hundred Years' War and was built of wood by local shipbuilders.

The knowledge of boatbuilding is also evident in the construction. If you look up into the church, the roof almost resembles the hull of an upside-down ship. Sainte-Catherine is the largest wooden church in France and also has a separate bell tower on the other side of the square.

4. See The Lieutenancy

At the entrance to the Vieux Bassin stands La Lieutenance, one of the most characteristic buildings in Honfleur. It marks the site of one of the gates in the city's old fortifications and takes its name from the royal lieutenant who lived here in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The building has been restored and now houses a visitor center where you can learn more about Honfleur's maritime history. From here you also have a nice view of the old port.

5. Discover Honfleur as a city of art

The special light over the Seine estuary attracted artists to Honfleur early on. One of the most important was Eugène Boudin, who was born in the town in 1824 and became famous for his paintings of the sea, sky and coastal life.

During the 19th century, artists such as Boudin, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Claude Monet gathered in Honfleur and the surrounding area. The meetings and the way of painting the landscape outdoors were important for the development towards Impressionism. Art is still clearly visible in Honfleur, not least through all the galleries located around the city.

6. Visit the Eugène Boudin Museum

Those who want to delve into Honfleur's art history can visit the Musée Eugène Boudin. The museum was founded in the 19th century and has collections of works by Boudin and other artists associated with Honfleur and Normandy. We didn't have time to go into the museum ourselves, but for those interested in art it is a natural stop in the city.

7. Discover Erik Satie at Maisons Satie

Honfleur is not only associated with visual arts. It was also the birthplace of the French composer Erik Satie in 1866. His birthplace is now home to Maisons Satie, a museum that presents the composer in a much more playful way than a traditional museum. The visit combines music with sound, images and scenography.

8. See the old salt warehouses

Les Greniers à Sel, the old salt warehouses, tell the story of a time when Honfleur was an important trading and fishing port. Three large warehouses were built in the 17th century and two still exist today. Here, enormous quantities of salt could be stored, including for the fishing ships that set off on long voyages after cod off Newfoundland.

Today, the buildings are used primarily for exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events.

9. Stroll towards the Jardin des Personnalités

From the center, you can continue along the water and out towards the Seine estuary. Here you will find the Jardin des Personnalités, a large park where people associated with Honfleur are presented through busts placed in small green ”boats”.

Here you will meet Eugène Boudin, Claude Monet, Erik Satie and the explorer Samuel de Champlain, among others. It is also a quieter environment than the neighborhoods around the Vieux Bassin and a nice area for a walk.

10. Make your way up to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

If you have a little more time, you can head up to the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Grâce above Honfleur. The chapel has long had a strong connection to the city's sailors, who came here to ask for protection on their voyages.

From here and from nearby Mont-Joli you also get a nice view of Honfleur, the Seine estuary and the Pont de Normandie. From the Vieux Bassin there is a walking trail of about 2.5 kilometers that leads up to the chapel and the viewpoints.

Honfleur, seafaring and dark history

Honfleur's location at the mouth of the Seine made it an important port, from where ships set off on trading voyages, fishing expeditions and voyages of discovery across the Atlantic.

One of the most famous figures in the city's maritime history is Samuel de Champlain. In 1608, he left Honfleur on an expedition to North America, where he founded Québec later that year.

Ships from Honfleur also sailed to Newfoundland to fish for cod, and the salt needed to preserve the fish was stored in the city's large salt warehouses, among other places.

But maritime history also has a darker side. Honfleur was one of the French ports that participated in the transatlantic slave trade. Although the activity was less extensive here than in several of France's major slave trading ports, it is part of the city's history.

Eating seafood in Honfleur

With its location by the sea, Honfleur is of course a place where seafood feels like a natural choice. Restaurants are located close together around the Vieux Bassin and on the menus you will find mussels, oysters, shrimps and various fish dishes.

Normandy is also famous for apples, cider and calvados, so there are plenty of local flavors to discover even for those who are not so fond of seafood. We bought fish and mussels ourselves in a grocery store in town and took them back to the camper.

Is Honfleur worth a visit?

For us, Honfleur became one of those small French towns that you fall for immediately. The old harbor, the narrow houses, the art and the people around the quays created exactly the French atmosphere we had hoped for.

It's also a city that's easy to explore on foot. You don't really need to do much. Stroll around the Vieux Bassin, get lost in the alleys, pop into a shop, and sit down at a café.

Then, of course, reality awaited us back home in the camper. The fridge was broken and the drain needed to be checked. But first, we were going to eat fish and mussels.

The next day our journey continued through Normandy, towards Arromanches and further along the Côte Fleurie and through the Pays d'Auge, where, among other things, the famous apple brandy calvados is produced.

See more in Normandy

Want to see and experience more during your trip to Normandy? Here you will find more tips and reports:

• Veulettes-sur-Mer
• Arromanches-les-Bains
• Sainte-Mere-Eglise
• Mont-Saint-Michel