Honfleur Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h and 20 audio reviews

Welcome to the heart of Honfleur, in front of the Old Basin. It is here that the soul of the city beats, with its narrow houses with slate roofs, their reflections in the water and the lively terraces.

Walking along the Old Basin, you arrive at the Quai Sainte-Catherine, probably the most emblematic of Honfleur. In front of you rise these tall narrow houses with slate facades that are reflected in the water.

Here you are in front of the Lieutenancy, this proud building that guards the entrance to the Old Basin. It is one of the last witnesses of the medieval ramparts of Honfleur, erected in the 14th century during the reign of King Charles V to protect the estuary of the Seine.

You are on the Rue de l’Homme de Bois, a mysterious name that has caused a lot of ink to spill. So where does it come from? There are several explanations, and none of them are entirely certain.

You are in front of Sainte-Catherine Church, probably one of the most amazing monuments in Normandy. It is the largest wooden church in France, built in the 15th century by the naval carpenters of Honfleur.

On your left you can see the entrance to the Musée Eugène Boudin, housed in this former 19th century chapel since 1924. Let's make some quick introductions with this local kid.

You arrive in front of red-timbered houses that immediately catch the eye. Erik Satie was born here in 1866, a pianist and composer with a background as original as his music.

Forking here, you enter the Little Mermaid alley. This narrow passage once connected Haute Street directly to the shore. Imagine it as a shortcut taken by sailors to reach their boats.

Along this pontoon, you are on the edge of the Honfleur outport. It is a transitional zone between the central basins and the offshore. If you followed this line of water further, it would suddenly widen to become the estuary of the Seine, the vast area where the river meets the English Channel.

Here you are in the heart of the peaceful Jardin Retrouvé, a pretty corner of greenery in the center of Honfleur. This garden has a prestigious sponsor: the filmmaker Yves Robert, director of several French films that have become cult, such as The War of the Buttons, The Great Blond with a black shoe or The Glory of my father.

You are on the Quarantine dock, a name that reminds us not of an existential crisis, but of an essential sanitary practice in the major ports of yesteryear. The word “quarantine” comes from the Italian quarantina, forty days: a symbolic period inherited from both the Bible and ancient medicine

On the other side of the Old Basin, you enjoy an emblematic viewpoint: on one side the beautiful 1900 carousel, on the other the tall and narrow houses, the slate roofs, the masts that swing gently according to the wind... But behind this postcard decor also hide amazing and sometimes a little mysterious stories.

You are on the Plaza del Inn, in the heart of the Enclos district. Before hosting the town hall in the 19th century, it was called Place d’Armes, and it saw amazing scenes pass.

You are in front of the Marine Museum, installed in the old church of Saint-Étienne. This gothic building, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, has known many lives. Desecrated to the Revolution, it served as a marine store before becoming a museum in 1976.

You are in the Rue de la Prison, one of the oldest in Honfleur. Its name intrigues, and it is not chosen by chance: here was once the prison of the viscounty of Roncheville, installed in a house with wood frames of the 16th century.

You are in the courtyard of Manoir de Roncheville, one of the oldest stately homes in Honfleur. From the Middle Ages it belonged to the powerful Bertran family, Barons of Roncheville, who were also lords of the city.

You are in front of the Salt Attics, two huge buildings with steep roofs that tell another facet of Honfleur’s story, less poetic than his painters but just as vital: that of salt.

The roundabout you see there, in front of the media library and the tourist office, is decorated with a symbolic fountain. Three bronze figures greet you: they are moulders, women who, in the past, collected shells on the banks of the estuary.

Here you are in St Leonard’s Square, dominated by the church with the same name. Its silhouette, a little different from the other monuments of Honfleur, quickly catches the eye with its flamboyant Gothic facade and its dome-shaped bell tower, something quite rare in Normandy. The history of this church begins long before what you see today.

You enter the Jardin du Tripot, a haven of greenery and water in the heart of Honfleur. Behind its peaceful appearance, however, this place tells an intense industrial history: from the Middle Ages, then especially in the 19th century, there were tanneries and a large dyeing factory, which used the river Claire to work hides and fabrics.