This post is all about your next Normandy trip: destination Honfleur!
You have many perfect weekend destinations, really close to Paris. Honfleur is definitely one of those! It is a lovely little harbor city on the coast of Normandy. It will take you only a little over 2hours by car to reach it from Paris, making it a perfect weekend destination!
Despite being a very quaint little city, it has had a big impact on many impressionist painters of the 19th and 20th centuries such as Monet, Eugène Boudin, and Gustave Courbet.
So if you are up for a quiet weekend, in a history-filled place, on the seaside, with good food and fresh air, you should definitely consider visiting Honfleur!
This post is all about your perfect trip to Normandy, in the lovely city of Honfleur!
Normandy trip: let’s go to Honfleur!
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How to get there?
You have several options to get to Honfleur: by car or by train.
If you are going by car, you have several parking options around the city, making it a quite convenient way to get there.
Should you wish to go by train from Paris, the best way would be to start your journey in Gare Saint-Lazare. There is currently no direct train journey to Honfleur. So you will have to go to the Trouville – Deauville station first, which is a 2hour journey. You’ll have to change to a second train and 40minutes later, you’ll be arriving in Honfleur.
If you are unsure of how to book your train tickets in France, you can go and have a read of this very helpful post!
Where to sleep?
There are many hotels and accommodations available in Honfleur.
When we went last time, we stayed at the “Cap sur Honfleur B&B“. The room was very clean, newly refurbished, and very nice.
The location of the B&B was perfect. Honfleur is not a big city anyway, so it’s easy to get around. Plus, it is located on a quieter street, just behind some busy restaurants and bars streets, making it the perfect place to sleep.
Where to eat?
If there is one thing that Honfleur is not lacking, it’s restaurants!
I had the opportunity of trying some good places whilst I was there, so here are my recommendations:
L’Ecailleur
It was the first restaurant I went to for lunch. The atmosphere of the restaurant is polished and cozy. If you like oysters, you’ll be very pleased in this restaurant and in Honfleur in general!
If you are going there at the height of the touristic season, you might want to call them ahead to book a table.
L’Ecailleur: 1 rue de la république, 14100 Honfleur
L’Envie
I went to this restaurant for dinner. It was a very nice little restaurant, right in the center of Honfleur. The portions were very generous and the food very good!
L’Envie: 14 Place de la porte de Rouen, 14600 Honfleur
L’Escale & L’Endroit
These are 2 restaurants I did not manage to get to, but they looked very good. Maybe you’ll have the time to check them out!
L’Escale: 3 rue de la Ville, 14600 Honfleur
L’Endroit: 3 Rue P et Charles Bréard, 14600 Honfleur
What to see?
Honfleur is a lovely little city with quite a few things to see. Here are the main events you do not want to miss:
Eglise Sainte-Catherine
This church was one of the highlights of Honfleur for me. From the outside, you could think this could be an indoor market. That’s because the whole building is made of wood! There aren’t too many churches left made solely from wood in France. The oldest part of the church dates back to the 15th century.
Musée Eugène Boudin
Eugène Boudin is a French pre-impressionist painter born in Honfleur. The museum showcases famous painters that came to Honfleur to paint the beautiful nature.
The museum is not too big, you can even find a corner for children to play and draw.
My favorite part was one of the rooms at the top, which had a big window on the Normandy bridge.
Le Jardin des Personnalités
If you follow the coastline of Honfleur, you’ll soon arrive at the Jardin des Personnalités. A big garden that honors the various celebrities, authors, painters, and other creators originating from Honfleur or that came here to create and innovate.
It was a lovely stroll amongst all the locals taking their dogs for a walk.
Plage du Butin
If you continue your walk along the coastline, you’ll arrive at the beach called “la plage du Butin“.
We were in Honfleur in March, so there was no way I would have gone in the water, but I’m sure that this beach is much more crowded in summer.
It’s so nice to have the fresh air from the sea just minutes away by foot.
Pont de Normandie
The Normandy bridge crosses over the Seine river. You can see it from different places in Honfleur, like the Jardin des Personnalités or the museum Eugène Boudin.
Walking the streets of honfleur
I would highly recommend just walking in the various streets of Honfleur. You could discover some great little finds: small churches, old butcher stalls, and wonderful shops.
If there is one thing I would not recommend if you visit Honfleur it’s the House of Erik Satie. I found it lacking in explanations. You were just walking from one room to the next, looking at things that are not really coherent. Once back on the streets of Honfleur I did not have a better understanding of his work or what he stood for.
This post was all about your next trip to Normandy to visit Honfleur!
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