Look, I’ve been living in Paris for the past five years, and after half a decade of wrestling with prefecture bureaucracy and enduring the passive-aggressive antics of boulangers in the 15th, I’ve had pleeenty of time to fall in love with France, grow to hate it, and then fall in love with it all over again.
There isn’t a moment when I despise this country more than when I have to visit my local mairie and deal with the utterly useless, glasses-perched-on-the-edge-of-a-wonky-nose Jeannines at reception.
And yet, almost immediately afterward, I find myself unable not to completely obsess over it when I accidentally stumble upon some ridiculously picturesque medieval town during another supposedly unremarkable weekend trip to my parents-in-law’s beach house up in Deauville, Normandy.
I mean, for most people, visiting family for a Sunday roast means lukewarm beer and overheated political debates over a bony rib.
Sure, there’s some of that here too, but then there’s also Honfleur, a fairytale harbor town just a 25-minute drive away:
If Amsterdam And Copenhagen Had A Lovechild, This Would Be It
Honfleur is a charming small town in Normandy located right on the most beautiful estuary, where the Seine river, which has traveled all the way from Paris upward, empties into the English Channel.
It’s also what I like to call a France-hater antidote. There’s no way you’d roll up to its timeless Vieux-Bassin, which is just French for Old Harbor, and still feel inclined to hop back on the hate bandwagon.
Well, unless you’re living in France for longer than a 2-week getaway and dealing with the administration, but hey, I digress again. Honfleur is just downright gorgeous, and it helps me remind myself why I even live here in the first place.
Though definitely not the only one, the harbor is the main point of interest here, and it’s hardly a surprise it drew the attention of renowned artists like Claude Monet and Honfleur’s own-native Eugène Boudin. The best way to describe it is if Amsterdam and Copenhagen had a lovechild:
An Impressionist Painting Come To Life
A literal Impressionist painting come to life, it is a row of tall, slated-roofed 17th century townhouses, reflecting in the water in every possible muted tone known to mankind.
They’re arranged so perfectly along the boat-lined waterline that they almost create a painting-like symmetry. I’ve been to Honfleur for at least five summers (and winters) now, and on all occasions, there were hardly any foreign tourists out and about.
It can get busy at the weekends, there’s no doubt, but it’s still mostly French visitors from neighboring towns, or Parisian day-trippers making the journey up here. I’m not sure about you, but not having beret-clad TikTokers setting up tripods every 20 meters also make it feel that much more authentic.
In the evenings, the lamplights casting their golden glow on the water, and on the weathered building façades make the whole thing feel like a storybook scene, and don’t get me started on all the traditional brasseries and seafood spots, with oysters so fresh they taste like they’ve been plucked straight from harbor minutes ago.
And I promise you that’s a good thing.
The Oldest Wooden Church In France!
French churches are known for their elaborate rose windows, imposing Gothic fronts and high buttresses. Oddly enough, Honfleur doesn’t have its own ‘Notre-Dame’, but here, that medieval grandeur gives way to understated, rustic elegance.
Église Sainte-Catherine is nothing short of France’s oldest wooden church still surviving. It was built in the 15th cenutry by shipbuilders following the Hundred Years’ War, and its use of oak timber, with no nails to support the main structure, on top of its intactness, is precisely what makes it a stand-out monument.
It’s free to visit, too. Not sure who needs to know this, but all religious monuments in France are.
The Old Town itself is as charming as they come, with cobble-paved alleys flanked by inclining half-timbered buildings, fromageries, where you can buy local Normand cheese, and souvenir shops. They all seem to feed into Rue de la Ville, literally ‘Town’s Street’, with that real French village feel.
I have to add, I’m not one to collect magnets myself, but whenever in Honfleur, I just have to restock on my Calvados de Sophie, a regional hard-hitter apple brandy sharper than any other brand you’re familiar with.
Hearty Nomand Food
Biensûr, it’s not a French weekend getaway without a grand tour of the local brasserie scene.
To me, Normandy is synonymous with oysters and Coquilles Saint-Jacques, and there’s nowhere better to gorge on the region’s fresh seafood than Le Bistro du Port, a beloved local classic with an ever-changing menu based largely on seasonal catches.
For that classic comfort French food after a full day of sightseeing, with a foie gras fait maison for starters, and frog legs accompanied by chips, Brasserie de L’église is my go-to dinner spot, right on Place Sainte‑Catherine—only a few steps away from the big wooden church.
Honfleur may be firmly planted in Northern Europe, directly facing England, but don’t underestimate how swelteringly-hot it can get in summer, and when the Normand sun is at its most unforgiving self, the only thing that can save you is a local farm-made glace.
Glaces de la Ferme du Bois Louvet is literal ice-cream heaven: all natural, seasonal ingredients, and a wide range of creative flavors to pick from. Piece of advice? Get yourself a mix of whatever calvados-spiked flavor they have on offer, and their signature salted butter caramel.
They truly put the ART in artisanal.
What To See In Honfleur This Year
For the museum frequenters like me, you don’t want to miss Maisons Satie, a museum entirely dedicated to the town’s Impressionist heritage. There’s plenty about Eugène Boudin, but also unsung artists you might have never heard of.
Over on the quayside, you’ll find many more cozy cafés with waterfront terraces and beautiful fishing boats. Just watch out for the gulls flying overhead, particularly if you’re taking your sweet time savoring your buttered croissant.
In the summer months, one of my favorite things to do is riding the Grand Roue, the 45-meter tall Ferris wheel set up right by the bassin area.
It’s no London eye, but you get a great panorama over Honfleur’s medieval townscape, and over in the distance on a clear day, even the landmark Pont de Normandie, a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Seine estuary, linking the industrial hub of Le Havre to Honfleur.
It costs only €5 (around $6) to go on, and it’s a view you’ll never forget.
How To Get To Honfleur From Paris
I’ve never used public transport traveling to Honfleur from Paris.
As I mentioned previously, I’m usually a guest at my parents-in-law’s over in neighboring Deauville, and while I agree having a car is more convenient for exploring not only Honfleur, but the wider Normandy, I do know that resorting to trains and buses is far from being the Homeric journey some paint it out to be.
It may be a tad trickier to plan a visit to Honfleur as a day-trip to Paris given the distances, and either way, I strongly encourage you to spend the night and not just rush through it.
Over a long weekend, based in either Deauville or Honfleur, you can even travel farther out to Étretat to see the world-famous white cliffs, or the Plages de Débarquement, the beaches where the Allies made landfall during World War II, on their way to liberate France.
If using public transportation, here’s how to go about planning your short stay in Honfleur:
- Take a SNCF train from Paris Saint-Lazare → Deauville (2h, every 1–2 hours)
- Bus No. 20 from Gare de Deauville → Honfleur (30–40 mins with Normandie Mobilité)
Tickets typically cost €20–€40 one-way ($$22–$44), and with the bus, that’s an added $4–$8.
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