Hotel Restaurant Le Belvedere

Vieux Bassin

by MikeAtSea

Built in 1681 to replace the town’s original harbour, Vieux Bassin (Old Dock) with its boats, quays and signature tall, narrow, slate-fronted waterside houses, is often considered the heart of Honfleur.

Eglise Ste-Catherine

by sue_stone

The Eglise Ste-Catherine is located just up the hill from Vieux Bassin, in place Ste-Catherine. The church is unusual as it is built from wood, not stone.

The original stone church was destroyed in the Hundred Years' War, and was re-built using wood during the 15th & 16th centuries. The building work was mainly done by shipbuilders, and many people think that the church looks a bit like an up-turned boat

It is said that wood was used to re-construct the church as they wanted to save the stone for use in strengthening the fortifications that once surrounded the old town of Honfleur.

The church is open daily 9:00–18:30 in summer, off-season 9:00–12:00 & 14:00–18:00 (except during services). Admission is free.

Unfortunately when we got to the church it was after 6pm, so had to make do with a good look around the outside.

An Old Active Seaport Still Lives

by hquittner

"A Living Old d Port"

Honfleur (pop. 8,5K) is an old town. It is hard to believe that it once was a major seaport or that it is still an active commercial one. The Old Basin is now a yacht harbor, but it is surrounded by cramped tall 16-17C buildings. Not surprising with its ambience, that it is also a tourist attraction. Add to that its artistic notoriety which began with de Jongkind's advocacy in 1824 followed by the Impressionists and their contacts in other fields.

"Our Visit"

We deferred a visit to Honfleur in our earliest adventures around France due to lack of accommodations.. Subsequently we only spent the better part of a day there on our way through Normandy to Touraine. In that time we first visited the Boudin Museum since we had never seen a significant group of his works at one time. The wooden church was not a new experience for us, since we had found a similar one (wood, unequal double nave with inverted ship-keel ceiling in Meslay-le-Grenet; See our Chartres>Off the Beaten Path) All the remaining time was spent in gorging on raw seafood and walking the town.

"The Lasting Impression"

The crowding of the tall old houses around the yacht basin sticks in the mind. Few of the Dutch canal houses are that tall. We do not remember seeing another wooden church until we got to visit Scandinavia. Of course where we live (in the USA) most of the early churches are of wood.

Don't miss Honfleur

by sue_stone

Honfleur is a beautiful little Normandy town located on the mouth of the Seine River.

Home to colourful skinny houses and a picturesque harbour it certainly is a lovely place, and I hope to return one day to fall further under its spell.

On your way to/from Honfleur make sure you drive across the spectacular Pont de Normandie.

HONFLEUR

by BerniShand

Friends who visit the Loire regularly stop off at Honfleur and had mentioned how charming it is, and they were so right, it`s what you imagine a small port would be.

The half timbered houses and narrow streets of the town centre take you back hundreds of years and the quayside is a delight with lots of cafes for people-watching

This is the port authourity building, one of those lovely higgeldy-piggledy constructions that is different from every side

If like my husband you are a `boat person` there are many lovely boats to drool over here, be warned if you sit at the quayside early in the morning, the smell of bacon cooking whafting from the British boats makes you very hungry !