We asked Parisians where to
escape from the hectic life in capital for a day or two and there it was - few hours later we were in the car heading to Normandy!
The villages that we had as an option to
visit are Deauville and Honfleur, but since we had only one free day we went
for Honfleur. It's also super recommendable to visit both cities since you can
go from one to the other in 15 minutes, by car.
Honfleur doesn't have its own train station, but the
closest train stations are those in Le Havre and Trouville-Deauville. The
return train ticket is around 60 euro. We used the blablacar.com, which turned out to be great option, since we traveled with two 25 year old Parisians and we
paid them around 30 euro in total (per person).
Honfleur, 194 northwest of Paris, is a lovely
medieval town on the coast of Normandy. Even though it's pretty touristy, it's
not a loud place. It's quiet and beautiful town with more then 60 museums and
galleries. The city is sooo picturesque. Its medieval streets, lovely port,
interesting architecture, beautiful parks, panorama and river cruises make you feel like in a fairy tale.
Simply walking
around is just enough. Honfleur is one of the biggest port of that part of
France. The harbor is simply breathtaking. The Vieux Bassin - old harbor is
lined with lot of cafés and restaurants, where you can have brunch/lunch.
We
suggest you to take a boat ride (we chose Jolie France). The ride is one hour
and 30 minutes long and it costs around 10 euros. You will be able to see their famous bridge, the place where the battle from II World War took place, and numerous other cool spots. Tip: It's pretty windy and chilly no matter how warm the day is, bear that in mind!
The
plage du Butin is the beach of Honfleur, which is on walkable distance from the
city centre. It is vast and sandy.
What to know?
Honfleur is recognized as one of the cradles of
impressionism. It is known as an artists' haven. The reason of that is because
numerous artists: painters, writers, musicians were fascinated by this
wonderful city. Claude Monet spent time there with his friend Eugène Boudin.
Beside them there were also: William Turner, Johan Bartold Jongkind, Gustave
Courbet, Charles Baudelaire, Erik Satie…
Church
of St. Catherine is one of those things that you must see. It was built in the
1500s, which makes it the oldest wooden church in France. The bell tower is
separate from the church.
The Tourist Office is always a perfect place where
you can inform yourself more about the city that you are visiting, so before discovering
the city go to the site of tourist office in Honfleur.
A & J
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