Campervan Holiday Honfleur France

Campervan Holiday Honfleur France

Honfleur, Normandy, France is one of the most popular Ports on the Seinne. Attracting tourists to its Historic Port, Old Timber Houses and links to Famous Artists such as Gustave Courbet, Eugene Boudin and Claude Monet. The harbour was chosen for its strategic location on the bank of the Seine estuary. Honfleur made its fortune trading with North America. You will see the Timber and brick houses of ship owners who made their fortune and shaped the Town.

After leaving Fecamp we drove west towards Honfleur on our way to Blonville-sur-Mer. We had a booking for a few nights camping at a beachside campsite called The Blonville-sur-mer beach campsite. Stopping off first at Honfleur for a visit. Just before we arrived we stopped at Supermarket Lidl on the edge of town. Checking Google Maps to find a parking spot. This was a good move, being a Sunday Lidl was closed. I then noticed a few small campervans in the car park. A local couple had just parked up and I asked them if they knew about any parking restrictions. “It’s Sunday they replied, the shop is closed so parking is free”. That was a good result for us. Just behind Lidl there is a path that runs into Honfleur along Bassin Carnot, it’s a 15-minute walk.

Port of Honfleur

Bassin du Vieux port is where tourists and local people stop for their lunch. No better place to relax and admire the views of the Port. You can walk around this are and take in the atmosphere of Honfleur. Lots of local shops, cafes and bars. If you want to buy paintings or ceramics from galleries you will find them in this area. Probably everything you need to see is within 10 minute’s walk of the Port. Walking around the old streets was lovely, we visited a couple of Museums and galleries as well as the independently owned shops.

We bought some food from a local bakery and walked down to Le Jardin des Personnalités by the Sea. We had lunch on one of the many benches. The park is a great way to express gratitude to people important to Honfleur. We found another car park which was free but it was full of traders. It was a Sunday Car Boot sale, with stalls with collectables and some food stalls. We walked back into the Town along Blvd Chares V passing Vieux Phare de Honfleur a lighthouse. Then on past a leisure centre and some gardens back to the Port.

Places to visit in Honfleur

Museums of old Honfleur

Musée de la Marine

Located alongside the Old Harbour, the Musée de la Marine boasts a collection of model ships, objects and souvenirs of the town’s maritime history. The ethnography museum presents reproductions of typical Normandy interiors, wardrobes, buffets, objects, headdresses and costumes.

Address Musée de la Marine-Musée d’Ethnographie14600 Honfleur

Maisons Satie

The houses are home to a scenographic and musical trail that pays tribute to the musician and composer Erik Satie, born here in 1866. The display enables visitors to familiarise themselves with the work of Erik Satie. Audio-guided tour in French or English: 45 minutes/1 hour. Sale of “Pass’ Musées” passes offering access to 3 museums: Maisons Satie, Eugène Boudin Museum and the Musées du Vieux Honfleur.

Address Rue de l’Homme de Bois Rue de l’Homme de Bois 14602 Honfleur

Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum, in its current form, dates from  1976 and 2002. Designed by Pierre Orange, the then-curator. It was redesigned in 2002 keeping the spirit of its creation. A redeployment of the collections made it possible to group them by theme in a historical context.
The historical and maritime collections were constituted, like the ethnographic collections of objects and costumes, from  1899, during the major exhibition organized by the Société du Vieux-Honfleur, for the annual congress of the Société Nationale d’ Ethnography.

Address 11 Quai Saint-Etienne, 14600 Honfleur, France

Eugène Boudin Museum

On April 11, 1868, the city council deliberated and established the municipal museum, following the will of Louis-Alexandre Dubourg, an artist born in Honfleur (pictured opposite). The municipal council highlighted that this creation reflected “a love for art, a spirit of progress, and a selfless dedication to public affairs,” thereby paying tribute to the founder.

The museum bears, since 1960,  the name of Eugène Boudin, in memory of the one who in 1868 supported the first steps of the institution and endowed it  in 1899 with a prestigious legacy. Attached to his hometown and friend of Alexandre Dubourg, Eugène Boudin indeed brought his moral support during the installation of the museum, intended to give the people of Honfleur, a taste for the fine arts.

Address Place Erik Satie, rue de l’Homme de Bois14600 Honfleur

Church Of St. Catherine

One of the nicest churches I have visited in France. Being built of wood and not too high it felt welcoming. The Church of St. Catherine, dates from the second half of the 15th century. It replaced an older stone church which was destroyed during the Hundred Years War. It was built by the town’s inhabitants after the English occupants left. With the limited resources available at the time, they used wood from the nearby Touques forest as the principal raw material and they applied their naval construction skills.

Listed as a historic monument in 1879, it is the largest church in France to be entirely made of wood and with a separate belfry.

Address Place Sainte-Catherine 14600 Honfleur

Naturospace

Located in Honfleur, the indoor and air-conditioned Naturospace offers an astonishing journey in an Amazonian-style biotope where tropical butterflies fly free. It is home to around a hundred species from South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. The plant collections are an essential ingredient in reproducing a natural environment. These include several, often rare species, particularly from the Acanthus, Araceous, Heliconia or Orchid families. Particular attention is paid to floral diversity and the presentation of useful tropical plants (fruits and spices). Multicoloured tropical birds can be seen flying freely. The visit lasts 1 hour.

Address Boulevard Charles V 14600 Honfleur

Le Jardin des Personnalités

This space of 10 landscaped hectares offers a walk to discover the garden boats in the centre of which stand the busts of the actors of the historical and cultural heritage of Honfleur.

Among these personalities are the gifted children of the country. Natives of the small city but also personalities who have lived or stayed there, such as Claude Monet, and Charles Baudelaire to name but a few…

There is also an ornamental pond and a collection of roses beside a large lawn with a kiosk for summer entertainment.

Many trees provide some shade.

Parking for Honfleur

(Sunday’s) check for restrictions

Free Parking Le Jardin des Personnalité Honfleur

We also found some Free parking near the Le Jardin des Personnalités, This was used as a Market area on a Sunday.

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