Rouen • Honfleur • Bayeux • D-Day Beaches • Mont St-Michel
Sweeping coastlines, half-timbered towns, fortified farmsteads, and thatched roofs decorate the rolling green hills of Normandy (Normandie). Parisians call Normandy “the 21st arrondissement.” It’s their escape—the nearest beach. Brits consider this area close enough for a weekend away (you’ll notice that the BBC comes through loud and clear on your car radio).
Despite the peacefulness you sense today, the region’s history is filled with war. Normandy was founded by Viking Norsemen who invaded from the north, settled here in the ninth century, and gave the region its name. A couple of hundred years later, William the Conqueror invaded England from Normandy. His 1066 victory is commemorated in a remarkable tapestry at Bayeux. A few hundred years after that, France’s greatest cheerleader, Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc), was convicted of heresy in Rouen and burned at the stake by the English, against whom she rallied France during the Hundred Years’ War. And in 1944, Normandy was the site of a WWII battle that changed the course of history.
The rugged, rainy coast of Normandy harbors wartime bunkers and enchanting fishing villages like Honfleur. And, on the border Normandy shares with Brittany, the almost surreal island-abbey of Mont St-Michel rises serene and majestic, oblivious to the tides of tourists.
For many, Normandy makes the perfect jet-lag antidote: A good first stop for your trip is Rouen, which is quick to reach by car or train from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle or Beauvais airports. Honfleur, the D-Day beaches, and Mont St-Michel each merit overnight visits. At a minimum, you’ll want a full day for the D-Day beaches and a half-day each in Honfleur, Bayeux, and on Mont St-Michel.
If you’re driving between Paris and Honfleur, Giverny (see previous chapter) and Rouen are easy to visit. The WWII memorial museum in Caen works well as a stop between Honfleur and Bayeux (and the D-Day beaches). Mont St-Michel must be seen early or late to avoid the masses of midday tourists. Dinan, just 45 minutes by car from Mont St-Michel, offers a fine introduction to Brittany (see next chapter). Drivers can enjoy Mont St-Michel as a day trip from Dinan.
For practical information about Normandy, see www.normandie-tourisme.fr.
This region is ideal with a car. If you’re driving into Honfleur from the north, take the impressive but pricey Normandy Bridge (Pont de Normandie, €5.40 toll). If you’re driving from Mont St-Michel into Brittany, follow my recommended scenic route to the town of St-Malo (see here).
Trains from Paris serve Rouen, Caen, Bayeux, Mont St-Michel (via Pontorson or Rennes), and Dinan, though service between these sights can be frustrating (try linking by bus—see next). Mont St-Michel is a headache by train, except from Paris. Enterprising businesses in Bayeux run shuttles between Bayeux and Mont St-Michel—a great help to those without cars (see here).
Buses link Giverny, Honfleur, Arromanches, and Mont St-Michel to train stations in nearby towns (less frequent on Sundays). To plan ahead, visit the websites for Bus Verts (for Le Havre, Honfleur, Bayeux, Arromanches, and Caen, www.busverts.fr), Keolis (for Mont St-Michel, www.destination-montsaintmichel.com), and Tibus or Illenoo (for Dinan and St-Malo, www.tibus.fr or www.illenoo-services.fr). Bus companies commonly offer good value and multiride discounts—for example, Bus Verts offers a 20 percent discount on a shareable four-ride ticket.
Another good option is to use an excursion tour to link destinations. Westcapades provides trips to Mont St-Michel from Dinan and St-Malo, and Afoot in France leads quality tours for small groups or individuals (for details, see here).
Normandy is known as the land of the four C’s: Calvados, Camembert, cider, and crème. The region specializes in cream sauces, organ meats (sweetbreads, tripe, and kidneys—the gizzard salads are great), and seafood (fruits de mer). You’ll see crêperies offering inexpensive and good-value meals everywhere. A galette is a savory buckwheat crêpe enjoyed as a main course; a crêpe is sweet and eaten for dessert.
Dairy products are big, too. Local cheeses are Camembert (mild to very strong; see sidebar), Brillat-Savarin (buttery), Livarot (spicy and pungent), Pavé d’Auge (spicy and tangy), and Pont l’Evêque (earthy).
What, no local wine? Oui, that’s right. Here’s how to cope. Fresh, white Muscadet wines are made nearby (in western Loire); they’re cheap and a good match with much of Normandy’s cuisine. But Normandy is famous for its many apple-based beverages. You can’t miss the powerful Calvados apple brandy or the Bénédictine brandy (made by local monks). The local dessert, trou Normand, is apple sorbet swimming in Calvados. The region also produces three kinds of alcoholic apple ciders: Cidre can be doux (sweet), brut (dry), or bouché (sparkling—and the strongest). You’ll also find bottles of Pommeau, a tasty blend of apple juice and Calvados (sold in many shops), as well as poiré, a tasty pear cider. And don’t leave Normandy without sampling a kir Normand, a mix of crème de cassis and cider. Drivers in Normandy should be on the lookout for Route du Cidre signs (with a bright red apple); this tourist trail leads you to small producers of handcrafted cider and brandy.
Remember, restaurants serve only during lunch (11:30-14:00) and dinner (19:00-21:00, later in bigger cities); cafés serve food throughout the day.
This 2,000-year-old city mixes Gothic architecture, half-timbered houses, and contemporary bustle like no other place in France. Busy Rouen (roo-ahn) is France’s fifth-largest port and Europe’s biggest food exporter (mostly wheat and grain). Its cobbled old town is a delight to wander.
Rouen was a regional capital during Roman times, and France’s second-largest city in medieval times (with 40,000 residents—only Paris had more). In the ninth century, the Normans made the town their capital. William the Conqueror called it home before moving to England. Rouen walked a political tightrope between England and France for centuries and was an English base during the Hundred Years’ War. Joan of Arc was burned here (in 1431).
Rouen’s historic wealth was built on its wool industry and trade—for centuries, it was the last bridge across the Seine River before the Atlantic. In April 1944, as America and Britain weakened German control of Normandy prior to the D-Day landings, Allied bombers destroyed 50 percent of Rouen. Although the industrial suburbs were devastated, most of the historic core survived, keeping Rouen a pedestrian haven.
If you want a dose of a smaller—yet lively—French city, Rouen is an easy day trip from Paris, with convenient train connections to Gare St. Lazare (nearly hourly, 1.5 hours).
If you’re planning to get a car in Paris, save headaches by taking the train to Rouen and picking up a rental car there (spend a quiet night in Rouen and pick up your car the next morning). From Paris you can also take an early train to Rouen, pick up a car, stash your bags in it, leave it in the secure rental lot at the train station, and visit Rouen before heading out to explore Normandy (for car-rental companies, see “Helpful Hints,” later).
Those relying on public transportation can visit Rouen on your way from Paris to other Normandy destinations, thanks to the good bus and train service (see under “Arrival in Rouen, By Train” for bag storage).
Although Paris embraces the Seine, Rouen ignores it. The area we’re most interested in is bounded by the river to the south, the Museum of Fine Arts (Esplanade Marcel Duchamp) to the north, Rue de la République to the east, and Place du Vieux Marché to the west. It’s a 20-minute walk from the train station to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and everything else of interest is within a 10-minute walk of the cathedral.
The TI faces the cathedral. They rent €5 audioguides covering the cathedral, Rouen’s historic center, and the history of Joan of Arc in Rouen (though this book’s self-guided walk is enough for most). If driving, get information about the Route of the Ancient Abbeys (May-Sept Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-18:00; Oct-April Mon-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 13:30-18:00, closed Sun; Wi-Fi, 25 Place de la Cathédrale, tel. 02 32 08 32 40, www.rouentourisme.com).
By Train: Rue Jeanne d’Arc cuts straight from Rouen’s train station through the town center to the Seine River. Day-trippers can walk from the station down Rue Jeanne d’Arc toward Rue du Gros Horloge—a busy pedestrian mall in the medieval center and near the starting point of my self-guided walk. There’s no bag storage at the train station, but the Holibag service lets you store bags at a handful of businesses in central Rouen (tel. 02 35 76 47 80, www.holibag.io).
Rouen’s subway (Métrobus) whisks travelers from under the train station to the Palais de Justice in one stop (€1.70 for 1 hour; buy tickets from machines one level underground, then validate ticket on subway two levels down; subway direction: Technopôle or Georges Braque). Returning to the station, take a subway in direction: Boulingrin and get off at Gare-Rue Verte.
Taxis (to the right as you exit station) will take you to any of my recommended hotels for about €8.
By Car: Finding the city center from the autoroute is tricky. Follow signs for Centre-Ville and Rive Droite (right bank). If you get turned around (likely, because of the narrow, one-way streets), aim toward the highest cathedral spires you spot.
As you head toward the center, you should see signs for P&R Relais. These are tram stops outside the core where you can park for free, then hop on a tram into town (€1.70 each way). In the city, you can park on the street (metered 8:00-19:00, free overnight), or pay for more secure parking in one of many well-signed underground lots (€5/3 hours, €13/day; see map on here for locations). For day-trippers taking my self-guided walk of Rouen, the garage under Place du Vieux Marché is best. For those staying overnight, Parking Cathédrale–Office du Tourism (between the cathedral and the river) is handy.
When leaving Rouen, head for the riverfront road, where autoroute signs will guide you to Paris or to Le Havre and Caen (for D-Day beaches and Honfleur). If you’re following the Route of Ancient Abbeys from here, see here.
Exchange Rate: €1 = about $1.10
Country Calling Code: 33 (see here for dialing instructions)
Closed Days: Many Rouen sights are closed midday (12:00-14:00), and most museums are closed altogether on Tuesdays. The cathedral doesn’t open until 14:00 on Monday, and the Joan of Arc Church is closed Friday and Sunday mornings.
Market Days: The best open-air market is on Place St. Marc, a few blocks east of St. Maclou Church. It’s filled with antiques and other good stuff (all day Tue, Fri, and Sat; Sun until about 13:30). A smaller market is on Place du Vieux Marché, near the Joan of Arc Church (Tue-Sun until 13:30, closed Mon).
Supermarket: A big Monoprix is on Rue du Gros Horloge (groceries at the back, Mon-Sat 8:30-21:00, Sun 9:00-13:00).
Cathedral of Light: In summer, Rouen’s cathedral generally sports a dazzling light show on its exterior after dark (June-Sept at about 23:00).
Wi-Fi: You’ll find Wi-Fi at several cafés within a few blocks of the train station on Rue Jeanne d’Arc. Wi-Fi is free (but slow) at the TI.
English Bookstore: ABC Bookshop has nothing but English-language books—some American, but mostly British (Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, closed Sun-Mon, just south of St. Ouen Church at 11 Rue des Faulx, tel. 02 35 71 08 67).
Taxi: Call Les Taxi Blancs at 02 35 61 20 50.
Car Rental: Agencies with offices in the train station include Europcar (tel. 02 35 88 21 20), Avis (tel. 02 35 88 60 94), and Hertz (tel. 02 35 70 70 71).
SNCF Boutique: For train tickets, visit the SNCF office at the corner of Rue aux Juifs and Rue Eugène Boudin (Mon 12:30-19:00, Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, closed Sun).
(See “Rouen” map, here.)
On this 1.5-hour self-guided walk, you’ll see the essential Rouen sights (all but the Joan of Arc Museum are free) and experience the city’s pedestrian-friendly streets. This walk is designed for day-trippers coming by train, but works just as well for drivers (ideally, park at Place du Vieux Marché, where the walk begins). We’ll stroll the length of Rue du Gros Horloge to Notre-Dame Cathedral, visit the plague cemetery (Aître St. Maclou), loop up to the church of St. Ouen, and return along Rue de l’Hôpital. The walk ends at the Museum of Fine Arts, a short walk back to the train station. The map on the next page highlights our route.
• If arriving by train, walk down Rue Jeanne d’Arc and turn right on Rue du Guillaume le Conquérant (notice the Gothic Palace of Justice building across Rue Jeanne d’Arc—we’ll get to that later). This takes you to the back door of our starting point...
Stand in the small garden near the entrance of the striking Joan of Arc Church. Surrounded by half-timbered buildings, this old market square houses a cute, covered produce and fish market, a park commemorating Joan of Arc’s burning, and a modern church named after her. Find the towering aluminum cross. This marks the spot where Rouen publicly punished and executed people. The pillories stood here, and during the Revolution, the town’s guillotine made 800 people “a foot shorter at the top.” In 1431, Joan of Arc—only 19 years old—was burned right here. Find her flaming statue (built into the wall of the church, facing the cross). As the flames engulfed her, an English soldier said, “Oh my God, we’ve killed a saint.” Nearly 500 years later, Joan was canonized, and the soldier was proved right.
• Now step inside...
This modern church is a tribute to the young woman who was canonized in 1920 and later became the patron saint of France. The church, completed in 1979, feels Scandinavian inside and out—another reminder of Normandy’s Nordic roots. Sumptuous 16th-century windows, salvaged from a church lost during World War II, were worked into the soft architectural lines. The pointed, stake-like support columns to the right seem fitting for a church dedicated to a woman burned at the stake. This is an uplifting place to be, with a ship’s-hull vaulting and sweeping wood ceiling sailing over curved pews and a wall of glass below. Make time to savor this unusual sanctuary.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Thu and Sat 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, Fri 10:00-12:00, Sun 14:00-17:30, closed during Mass, 50-cent English pamphlet describes the stained-glass scenes. A public WC is 30 yards straight ahead from the church doors.
• Turn left out of the church.
As you leave the church, you’re stepping over the ruins of a 15th-century church (it was destroyed during the French Revolution). Just beyond that, in a charming half-timbered building, is the recommended Restaurant La Couronne, reputedly the oldest restaurant in France. It was here, in 1949, that American chef and author Julia Child ate her first French meal, experiencing a culinary epiphany that changed her life (and the eating habits of a generation of Americans). In the lobby are lots of historic photos of happy diners, including Julia (bottom of stairs, just above eye level on the right).
• Leave the square and join the busy pedestrian street, Rue du Gros Horloge—an important thoroughfare in Roman times, it’s been the city’s main shopping street since the Middle Ages. A block up on your right (at #163) is Rouen’s most famous chocolate shop.
The chocolatiers at Auzou would love to tempt you with their chocolate-covered almond “tears (larmes) of Joan of Arc.” Although you must resist touching the chocolate fountain, you are welcome to taste a tear (delicious). The first one is free; a small bag costs about €9.
Before moving on, notice the architecture. The higher floors of the Auzou house lean out, evidence that the building dates from before 1520, when such street-crowding construction was prohibited. (People feared that houses leaning over the street like this would block breezes and make the city more susceptible to disease.) Look around the corner and down the lane behind the Auzou building to see a fine line of half-timbered Gothic facades. Study the house just across the lane at #161. You can tell it was built after 1520 (because its facade is flat) and that it’s Renaissance (because of the characteristic carved wooden corner-posts). We’ll see more houses like this later on our walk.
• Your route continues past a medieval McDonald’s to busy Rue Jeanne d’Arc. Pause here and look both ways. With the 19th-century Industrial Age, France expanded its transportation infrastructure. A train line connecting Paris to Rouen arrived in the early 1840s, and major roads like this were built to get traffic efficiently to the station. The facades here date from the 1860s and are in the Haussmann style so dominant in Paris in that era.
Cross the street and continue straight to the...
This impressive, circa-1528 Renaissance clock, the Gros Horloge (groh or-lohzh), decorates the former City Hall. Originally, the clock had only an hour hand but no minute hand. In the 16th century, an hour hand offered sufficient precision; minute hands became necessary only in a later, faster-paced age. The silver orb above the clock makes one revolution in 29 days. (The cycle of the moon let people know the tides—of practical value here as Rouen was a seaport.) The town medallion (sculpted into the stone below the clock) features a sacrificial lamb, which has both religious meaning (Jesus is the Lamb of God) and commercial significance (wool was the source of Rouen’s wealth). The clock’s artistic highlight fills the underside of the arch (walk underneath and stretch your back), with the “Good Shepherd” and loads of sheep.
Bell Tower Panorama: To see the inner workings of the clock and an extraordinary panorama over Rouen and its cathedral, climb the clock tower’s 100 steps. You’ll tour several rooms with the help of a friendly, 40-minute audioguide and learn about life in Rouen when the tower was built. The big one- and two-ton bells ring on the hour—a deafening experience if you’re in the tower. Don’t miss the 360-degree view outside from the very top (€6, includes audioguide; Tue-Sun 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-19:00, shorter hours off-season, closed Mon year-round).
• Walk under the Gros Horloge and continue straight a half-block, then take a one-block detour left (up Rue Thouret) to see the...
Rouen is the capital of Normandy, and this building is its parliament. The section on the left is the oldest, in Flamboyant Gothic style dating from 1550. Normandy was an independent little country from 911 to 1204, and since then, while a part of France, it’s had an independent spirit and has enjoyed a bit of autonomy.
Behind you is the historic Rue aux Juifs (Street of the Jews)—a reminder that this was the Jewish quarter from the 10th century until the early 14th century, when the Jews were expelled from France. Their homes were destroyed and the city took their land. Later, the empty real estate was used for the parliament.
• Double back and continue up Rue du Gros Horloge. In a block you’ll see a stone plaque dedicated to Cavelier de la Salle (high on the left), who explored the mouth of the Mississippi River, claimed the state of Louisiana for France, and was assassinated in Texas in 1687. Soon you’ll reach...
This cathedral is a landmark of art history. You’re seeing essentially what Claude Monet saw as he painted 30 different studies of this frilly Gothic facade at various times of day. Using the physical building only as a rack upon which to hang light, mist, dusk, and shadows, Monet was capturing “impressions.” One of these paintings is in Rouen’s Museum of Fine Arts; others are at the Orsay Museum in Paris. Find the plaque showing one of the paintings (in the corner of the square, about 30 paces to your right if exiting the TI).
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 8:00-19:00 (Nov-March closed 12:00-14:00); Mon 14:00-19:00. The cathedral is closed during Mass (Tue-Sat at 10:00, July-Aug also at 18:00, Sun and holidays at 8:30, 10:30, and 12:00).
There’s been a church on this site for more than a thousand years. Charlemagne honored it with a visit in the eighth century before the Vikings sacked it a hundred years later. The building you see today was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries, though lightning strikes, wars (the cathedral was devastated in WWII fighting), and other destructive forces meant constant rebuilding.
Central Facade: Look up at the elaborate, soaring facade, with bright statues on either side of the central portal—later, we’ll meet some of their friends face-to-face inside the cathedral. The facade is another fine Rouen example of Flamboyant Gothic, and the spire, soaring nearly 500 feet high, is awe-inspiring. Why such a big cathedral here? Until the 1700s, Rouen was the second-largest city in France—rich from its wool trade and its booming port. On summer evenings, there’s usually a colorful light show on the cathedral’s facade (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier).
Above the main door is a marvelous depiction of the Tree of Jesse. Jesse, King David’s father, is shown reclined, resting his head on his hand, looking nonplussed. The tree grows from Jesse’s back; the figures sprouting from its branches represent the lineage of Jesus.
Many statues on the facade are headless. In 1562, during the French Wars of Religion, Protestant iconoclasts held the city for six months—more than enough time to deface the church.
• Head inside.
Cathedral Interior: Look down the center of the nave. This is a classic Gothic nave—four stories of pointed-arch arcades, the top filled with windows to help illuminate the interior. Today, the interior is lighter than intended because clear glass has replaced the original colored glass (destroyed over the centuries by angry Protestants, horrible storms, changing tastes, and WWII bombs).
Circle counterclockwise around the church, starting down the right aisle. The side chapels and windows, each dedicated to a different saint, display the changing styles through the centuries. Photos halfway down on the right show WWII bomb damage to the cathedral.
At the high altar, look across and up at the north transept rose window, which dates from around 1300. It survived a hurricane in 1683. During World War II the glass was taken out, but the stone tracery did not survive. On the right (in the south transept) is a chapel dedicated to Joan of Arc. Its focal point is a touching statue of the saint being burned. The chapel’s modern 1956 windows replaced those destroyed in the war.
Passing through an iron gate after the high altar, you come to several stone statues. Each is “bolted” to the wall—as they originally were in their niches high above the street centuries ago. These figures were lifted from the facade during a cleaning and provide a rare chance to stand toe-to-toe with a medieval statue.
Several stone tombs on your left date from when Rouen was the Norman capital. The first tomb is for Rollo, the first duke of Normandy who died about 932 (he’s also the great-great-great-great grandfather of William the Conqueror, seventh duke of Normandy, c. 1028). Rollo was chief of the first gang of Vikings (the original “Normans”) who decided to settle here. Called the Father of Normandy, Rollo died at the age of 80, but he is portrayed on his tomb as if he were 33 (as was the fashion, because Jesus died at that age). Thanks to later pillage and plunder, only Rollo’s femur is inside the tomb.
And speaking of body parts, the next tomb once contained the heart of English King Richard the Lionheart, famous for his military exploits in the Third Crusade (he died in 1199). Over the years, people forgot about the heart, and it was only rediscovered in 1838. It was eventually analyzed by forensic scientists, who concluded that the king had died from a festering arrow wound (not poison, as popularly thought).
Circle behind the altar. The beautiful windows with bold blues and reds are generally from the 13th century. Opposite Richard the Lionheart’s tomb is a fine window dedicated to St. Julian, patron of hoteliers and travelers (with pane-by-pane descriptions just below).
Continue a few paces, then look up to the ceiling over the nave (directly above Rollo’s femur). You can see the patchwork where, in 1999, a fierce winter storm caused a spire to crash through the roof.
• Exit while you can, through the side door of the north transept. (If the door is closed, leave through the main entrance, turn right, then loop back alongside the church.)
North Transept Facade: Outside, look back at the facade over the door of the north transept. The fine carved tympanum (the area over the door) shows a graphic Last Judgment. Jesus stands between the saved (on the left) and the damned (on the right). Notice the devil grasping a miser, who clutches a bag of coins. On the far right, look for the hellish hot tub, where even a bishop (pointy hat) is eternally in hot water. And is it my imagination, or are those saved souls on the far left high-fiving each other?
Most of the facade has been cleaned—blasted with jets of water—but the limestone carving is still black. It’s too delicate to survive the hosing. A more expensive laser cleaning has begun, and the result is astonishing.
• From this courtyard, a gate deposits you on a traffic-free street facing the elegant Art Nouveau facade of the recommended Dame Cakes tea shop. This was originally the workshop of the church’s lead 19th-century craftsman, Ferdinand Marrou. To showcase his work, he fashioned the wrought iron on this door as well as the fine touches inside.
Turn right and walk along the appealing Rue St. Romain.
Spire View: In a short distance, look up through an opening above the entrance to the Joan of Arc Museum and gaze back at the cathedral’s prickly spire. Made of cast iron in the late 1800s—about the same time Gustave Eiffel was building his tower in Paris—the spire is, at 490 feet, the tallest in France. You can also see the smaller (green) spires—one of which was blown over in that violent 1999 storm and crashed—all 30 tons of it—through the roof to the cathedral floor. Replaced in 2013, you can bet it’s now bolted down really good.
• To learn more about Rouen’s most famous figure, consider touring the...
Rouen’s Archbishop’s Palace, where in 1431 Joan of Arc was tried and sentenced to death, now hosts a multimedia experience that tells her story. Equipped with headphones, you’ll walk for 75 minutes through a series of rooms, each with a brief video presentation that tries very hard to teach and entertain. Your tour ends in the Officialité—the room where the trial took place. The presentation is creative and dramatic, but it’s slow-moving, and both kids and adults may find it boring. You won’t see many artifacts, but several interesting rooms at the end display posters and books that illustrate the martyr’s impact on modern French culture.
Cost and Hours: €9.50, required tours depart on the quarter-hour Tue-Fri from 11:00, Sat-Sun and July-Aug from 10:00, last tour generally at 17:45 (earlier off-season), closed Mon year-round, 7 Rue St. Romain, tel. 02 35 52 48 00, www.historial-jeannedarc.fr.
• From the museum, continue down atmospheric Rue St. Romain. A bit farther down the street at #26, find the shop marked...
Monsieur Augy and his family welcome shoppers to browse his studio/gallery/shop and see Rouen’s earthenware “china” being made in the traditional faience style (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, closed Sun, shipping available, 26 Rue St. Romain, www.fayencerie-augy.com). First, the clay is molded and fired. Then it’s dipped in white enamel, dried, lovingly hand painted, and fired a second time. Rouen was the first city in France to make this colorfully glazed faience earthenware. In the 1700s, the town had 18 factories churning out the popular product. For more faience, visit the local Museum of Ceramics (see “Sights in Rouen”).
• Before continuing along Rue St. Romain, peek down Rue des Chanoines for a skinny example of the higgledy-piggledy streets common in medieval Rouen. Back on Rue St. Romain, walk along the massive Archbishop’s Palace, which (after crossing Rue de la République) leads to the fancy...
This church’s unique, bowed facade is textbook Flamboyant Gothic. Notice the flame-like tracery decorating its gable. Because this was built at the very end of the Gothic age—and construction took many years—the carved wooden doors are from the next age: the Renaissance (c. 1550). Study the graphic Last Judgment above the doors, and imagine the mindset of the frightened parishioners who worshipped here. If it’s open, the bright and airy interior is worth a quick peek.
• Leaving the church, turn right, and then take another right (giving the little boys on the corner wall a wide berth). Wander past a fine wall of half-timbered buildings fronting Rue Martainville, to the back end of St. Maclou Church.
Because the local stone—a chalky limestone from the cliffs of the Seine River—was of poor quality (your thumbnail is stronger), and because local oak was plentiful, half-timbered buildings became a Rouen specialty from the 14th through 19th century. There are still 2,000 half-timbered buildings in town; about 100 date from before 1520. Cantilevered floors were standard until the early 1500s. These top-heavy designs made sense: City land was limited, property taxes were based on ground-floor square footage, and the cantilevering minimized unsupported spans on upper floors. The oak beams provided the structural skeleton of the building, which was then filled in with a mix of clay, straw, or whatever was available.
Until the Industrial Age, this was the textile district where cloth was processed, dyed, and sold. When that industry moved across the river in the 19th century, the neighborhood was mothballed and forgotten. After World War II it was recognized as historic and preserved. Eventually rents went up, and gentrification crept in.
• About 50 yards past the end of the church, on the left at 186 Rue Martainville, a covered lane leads to the...
During the great plagues of the Middle Ages, as many as two-thirds of the people in this parish died. For the decimated community, dealing with the corpses was an overwhelming task. This half-timbered courtyard (c. 1520) was a mass grave, an ossuary where the bodies were “processed.” Bodies were dumped into the grave (an open pit where the well is now) and drenched in liquid lime to help speed decomposition. Later, the bones were stacked in alcoves above the once-open arcades that line this courtyard. Notice the colonnades with their ghoulish carvings of gravediggers’ tools, skulls, crossbones, and characters doing the “dance of death.” In this danse macabre, Death, the great equalizer, grabs people of all social classes. As you leave, spy the dried black cat (in tiny glass case to the left of the door). Perhaps to overcome evil, it was buried during the building’s construction.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 9:00-18:00.
Nearby: Farther down Rue Martainville, at Place St. Marc, a colorful market is lively Sunday until about 13:30 and all day Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
• Our tour is over. To return to the train station or reach the Museum of Fine Arts, turn right from the boneyard, then right again at the little boys (onto Rue Damiette), and hike up antique row to the vertical St. Ouen Church (a 7th-century abbey turned church in the 15th century; fine park behind). Cross the big square and walk down traffic-free Rue de l’Hôpital (which becomes Rue Ganterie). Turn right on Rue de l’Ecureuil to find the museum directly ahead. To continue to the train station, turn left onto Rue Jean-Lecanuet, then right onto Rue Jeanne d’Arc.
These museums, all within blocks of one another, are all free, closed on Tuesdays, and never crowded.
Paintings from many periods are beautifully displayed in this overlooked two-floor museum, including works by Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Paolo Veronese, Jan Steen, Velázquez, Théodore Géricault, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Eugène Delacroix, and several Impressionists. With its free admission and calm interior, this museum is worth a short visit for the Impressionists and a surgical hit of a few other key artists. The museum café is good for a peaceful break.
Cost and Hours: Free, €11 for frequent and impressive special exhibitions—check website; open Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue; bag check available, peaceful café, a few blocks below train station at Esplanade Marcel Duchamp, tel. 02 35 71 28 40, www.musees-rouen-normandie.fr.
Visiting the Museum: Pick up the essential museum map at the info desk as you enter, then climb the grand staircase that divides the museum into two wings.
Turning right when you reach the second floor, you’ll pass through a few rooms, then start seeing some names you recognize: Ingres and Jacques-Louis David (Room 2.21) and then a good collection of works by Géricault (Room 2.22—find a small version of his famous Raft of the Medusa). Turn left into Room 2.33, with one of Monet’s famous paintings of the Rouen cathedral facade. Now loop through this wing to enjoy scenes inspired by Normandy’s landscape and works by Impressionist greats (Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, and Corot). Make a point to appreciate beautiful paintings by Impressionists whose names you may not recognize. Room 2.25 showcases a scene of Rouen’s busy port in 1855.
Paintings on the other side of the grand staircase are devoted to French painters from the 17th and 18th centuries (Boucher, Fragonard, and Poussin) and Italian works, including several by Veronese. A gripping Caravaggio canvas (Room 2.4), depicting the flagellation of Christ, demands attention with its dramatic lighting and realistic faces.
Stairs at the rear, near the Caravaggio, lead down to an intriguing collection of works by 16th-century Dutch and Belgian artists and a small room of medieval icons. On the other side of the first floor, pass through the bookstore to find a collection of paintings by hometown boy Raymond Duchamp-Villon (brother of the famous Dadaist Marcel Duchamp), several colorful Modiglianis, and a grand-scale Delacroix.
This deconsecrated church houses iron objects, many of them more than 1,500 years old. Locks, chests, keys, tools, thimbles, coffee grinders, corkscrews, and flatware from centuries ago—virtually anything made of iron is on display. You can duck into the entry area for a glimpse of a medieval iron scene without passing through the turnstile.
Cost and Hours: Free, no English explanations, Wed-Mon 14:00-18:00, closed Tue, behind Museum of Fine Arts at 2 Rue Jacques Villon, tel. 02 35 88 42 92, www.museelesecqdestournelles.fr.
This fine old mansion is filled with examples of Rouen’s famous faience earthenware, dating from the 16th to 18th century. There are also examples of Sèvres and Delft wares—but not a word of English.
Cost and Hours: Free, Wed-Mon 14:00-18:00, closed Tue, 1 Rue Faucon, tel. 02 35 07 31 74, www.museedelaceramique.fr.
This massive tower (1204), part of Rouen’s brooding castle, was Joan’s prison before her execution. Cross the deep moat and find three small floors (and 122 spiral steps) covering tidbits of Rouen’s and Joan’s history. The top floor gives a good peek at an impressive wood substructure but no views.
Cost and Hours: Free, Wed-Sat and Mon 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, Sun 14:00-18:30, closed Tue, one block uphill from the Museum of Fine Arts on Rue du Bouvreuil, tel. 02 35 98 16 21, www.tourjeannedarc.fr.
This driving route—punctuated with medieval abbeys, apples, cherry trees, and Seine River views—provides a pleasing detour for those with cars connecting Rouen and Honfleur or the D-Day beaches. The only “essential” stop on this drive is the Abbey of Jumièges.
From Rouen, follow the Seine along its right bank and track signs for D-982 to Duclair. Fifteen minutes west of Rouen, drivers can stop to admire the gleaming Romanesque church at the Abbey of St. Georges de Boscherville (skip the abbey grounds). This perfectly intact and beautiful church makes for interesting comparisons with the ruined church at Jumièges. The café across from the church is good for meals or drinks.
Leaving Duclair, follow D-65 to Jumièges. Here you’ll find the Abbey of Jumièges, a spiritual place for lovers of evocative ruins (worth ▲). Founded in A.D. 654 as a Benedictine abbey, it was leveled by Vikings in the 9th century, then rebuilt by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. This magnificent complex thrived for centuries as Normandy’s largest abbey. It was part of the great monastic movement that reestablished civilization in Normandy from the chaos that followed the fall of Rome (for more about the power of the Benedictines, read about Cluny Abbey on here).
The abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution, when it was used as a quarry, and it has changed little since then. Today there is no roof, and many walls are entirely gone. But what remains of the abbey’s Church of Notre-Dame is awe-inspiring. Study its stark Romanesque facade standing 160 feet high. Stroll down the nave’s center; notice the three levels of arches and the soaring rear wall capped by a lantern tower to light the choir. Find a seat in the ruined choir and imagine the church before its destruction. You’ll discover brilliant views of the ruins and better appreciate its importance by wandering into the park (€6.50, helpful English handout, daily mid-April-mid-Sept 9:30-18:30, mid-Sept-mid-April 9:30-13:00 & 14:30-17:30, consider the detailed booklet but skip the unnecessary videoguide, tel. 02 35 37 24 02, www.abbayedejumieges.fr). Decent lunch options lie across the street from the abbey, and there’s a TI for the village of Jumièges in front of the parking lot.
From near Jumièges you can cross the Seine on the tiny, free, and frequent car ferry, then connect with the A-13—or continue following the right bank of the Seine and cross at the Pont de Tancarville bridge (free) or the magnificent Normandy Bridge (Pont de Normandie, €5.40). By either route allow 45 minutes from Rouen to Jumièges and another 75 minutes to Honfleur, or two more hours to Bayeux.
These hotels are perfectly central, within two blocks of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
$$$ Hôtel Mercure*** is a concrete business hotel with a professional staff, a stay-awhile lobby and bar, and 125 well-equipped and thoughtfully appointed rooms. Suites come with views of the cathedral, but are pricey and not much bigger than a double (some rooms with balconies, air-con, elevator, pay parking garage, 7 Rue Croix de Fer, tel. 02 35 52 69 52, www.mercure.com, h1301@accor.com).
$$ Hôtel le Cardinal** is a solid value with 15 sharp, well-designed rooms, most with point-blank views of the cathedral and all with queen-size beds and modern bathrooms (larger but pricier fourth-floor rooms with balconies and great cathedral views; elevator, 1 Place de la Cathédrale, tel. 02 35 70 24 42, www.cardinal-hotel.fr, hotelcardinal.rouen@wanadoo.fr).
$ Hotel Morand,** a five-minute walk from the train station, is a time-warp place with an Old World hunting-lodge feel and simple but good rooms at fair rates (1 Rue Morland, tel. 02 35 71 46 07, www.morandhotel.com, contact@morandhotel.com).
$ Hôtel des Arcades* is bare-bones basic, but as cheap and central as it gets (52 Rue des Carmes, tel. 02 76 27 67 62, www.hotel-des-arcades.fr, hotel_des_arcades@yahoo.fr).
(See “Rouen” map, here.)
To find the best eating action, prowl the streets between the St. Maclou and St. Ouen churches (Rues Martainville and Damiette) for crêperies, wine bars, international cuisine, and traditional restaurants. This is Rouen’s liveliest area at night (except Sunday and Monday, when many places are closed).
$$$ Restaurant La Couronne is a venerable and cozy place to dine very well. Reserve ahead to experience the same cuisine that Julia Child tasted when she ate her first French meal here in 1948 (31 Place du Vieux Marché, tel. 02 35 71 40 90, www.lacouronne.com.fr).
$ Crêperie le St. Romain, between the cathedral and St. Maclou Church, is an excellent budget option. Gentle Mr. Pegis serves filling crêpes with small salads in a warm setting (tables in the rear are best). The hearty gatiflette—a crêpe with scalloped potatoes—is delicious (lunch Tue-Sat, dinner Thu-Sat, 52 Rue St. Romain, tel. 02 35 88 90 36).
$ Dame Cakes is ideal if it’s lunchtime or teatime and you need a Jane Austen fix. The decor is from a more precious era, and the baked goods are out of this world. Locals adore the tables in the back garden, while tourists eat up the cathedral view from the first-floor room (garden terrace in back, Mon-Sat 10:30-19:00, closed Sun, 70 Rue St. Romain, tel. 02 35 07 49 31). For more on the history of this place, see here.
$ Au P’it Verdot is a lively wine bar-café where locals gather for a glass of wine and meat-and-cheese plates in the thick of restaurant row (no lunch, light meals only, Tue-Sat 18:00-24:00, closed Sun-Mon, 13 Rue Père Adam, tel. 02 35 36 34 43).
$$ Le Parvis, facing St. Maclou Church, is a good bet for classic Norman dishes. You’ll get good views of the pretty church from comfortable tables inside and out (ask about their bouillabaisse à la mode Normande, closed for dinner Sun and all day Mon, 7 Place Barthlémy, tel. 02 35 15 28 80).
$$ La Petite Auberge, a block off Rue Damiette, is the most traditional place I list. It has an Old World interior, reasonable prices, and it’s also open on Sunday (closed Mon, 164 Rue Martainville, tel. 02 35 70 80 18).
Rouen is well served by trains from Paris and Caen, making Bayeux and the D-Day beaches a snap to reach.
From Rouen by Train to: Paris’ Gare St. Lazare (nearly hourly, 1.5 hours), Bayeux (14/day, 2.5 hours, change in Caen), Caen (14/day, 1.5 hours), Pontorson/Mont St-Michel (2/day, 4 hours, change in Caen; more with change in Paris, 7 hours).
By Train and Bus to: Honfleur (6/day Mon-Sat, 3/day Sun, 1-hour train to Le Havre, then easy transfer to 30-minute bus over Normandy Bridge to Honfleur).
Route Tips for Drivers: Those continuing to Honfleur or the D-Day beaches should consider the Route of the Ancient Abbeys, outlined on here.
Gazing at its cozy harbor lined with skinny, soaring houses, it’s easy to overlook the historic importance of Honfleur (ohn-flur). For more than a thousand years, sailors have enjoyed this port’s ideal location, where the Seine River greets the English Channel. William the Conqueror received supplies shipped from Honfleur. Samuel de Champlain sailed from here in 1603 to North America, where he founded Quebec City. The town was also a favorite of 19th-century Impressionists who were captivated by Honfleur’s unusual light—the result of its river-meets-sea setting. The 19th-century artist Eugène Boudin lived and painted in Honfleur, attracting Monet and other creative types from Paris. In some ways, modern art was born in the fine light of idyllic little Honfleur.
Honfleur escaped the bombs of World War II, and today offers a romantic port enclosed on three sides by sprawling outdoor cafés. Long eclipsed by the gargantuan port of Le Havre just across the Seine, Honfleur happily uses its past as a bar stool...and sits on it.
Honfleur is popular—expect crowds on weekends and during summer. All of Honfleur’s appealing lanes and activities are within a short stroll of its old port, the Vieux Bassin. The Seine River flows just east of the center, the hills of the Côte de Grâce form its western limit, and Rue de la République slices north-south through the center to the port. Honfleur has two can’t-miss sights—the harbor and St. Catherine Church—and a handful of other intriguing monuments. But really, the town itself is its best sight.
The TI is in the glassy public library (Mediathéque) on Quai le Paulmier, two blocks from the Vieux Bassin (July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:30-19:00, Sun 10:00-17:00; Sept-June Mon-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-18:30, Sun 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-17:00 except closed Sun afternoon Oct-Easter; free WCs, tel. 02 31 89 23 30, www.ot-honfleur.fr). Here you can rent a €5 audioguide for a self-guided town walk, pick up regional bus and train schedules, and find information on the D-Day beaches.
By Bus: Get off at the small bus station (gare routière), and confirm your departure at the helpful information counter. To reach the TI and old town, turn right as you exit the station and walk five minutes up Quai le Paulmier. Note that the bus stop on Rue de la République may be convenient for some accommodations (see map on here).
By Car: Follow Centre-Ville signs, then find your hotel and unload your bags (double-parking is OK for a few minutes). Parking is a headache in Honfleur, especially on summer and holiday weekends. Some hotels offer pay parking; otherwise, your hotelier knows where you can park for free. If you don’t mind paying for convenience, check first for a space in the small lot directly in front of the TI (€2/hour, €8/24 hours); if that’s full, continue a couple of blocks farther to Parking du Bassin (€2/hour, €14/24 hours) or across the short causeway to Parking du Môle (€4/day). Free parking is available farther out at the Naturospace Museum (15-minute walk up Boulevard Charles V, near the beach) and Parking Beaulieu (take Rue St-Nichol to Rue Guillaume de Beaulieu). Street parking, metered during the day, is free from 20:00 to 8:00. See the map on here for parking locations.
Museum Pass: The €11 museum pass, sold at participating museums, covers the Eugène Boudin Museum, Maisons Satie, and the Museum of Ethnography and Norman Popular Arts (www.musees-honfleur.fr).
Market Day: The area around St. Catherine Church becomes a colorful open-air market every Saturday (9:00-13:00). A smaller organic-food-only market takes place here on Wednesday mornings, and a flea market takes center stage here the first Sunday of every month and also on Wednesday evenings in summer.
Grocery Store: There’s one with long hours near the TI (daily July-Aug, closed Mon off-season, 16 Quai le Paulmier).
Regional Products with Panache: Visit Produits Regionaux Gribouille for any Norman delicacy you can dream up (Mon-Tue and Thu-Fri 9:30-12:45 & 14:00-18:30, Sat 9:30-19:00, Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Wed, 16 Rue de l’Homme de Bois, tel. 02 31 89 29 54).
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi is available on the port at Travel Coffee Shop and at several other cafés, including the recommended L’Albatross and Le Perroquet Vert café/bars.
Laundry: Lavomatique is a block behind the TI, toward the port (self-service only, daily 7:30-21:30, 4 Rue Notre-Dame). La Lavandière has handy drop-off service (Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun, two blocks from the harbor at 41 Rue de la République).
Taxi: Call mobile 06 08 60 17 98.
Tourist Train: Honfleur’s petit train toots you up the Côte de Grâce—the hill overlooking the town—and back in about 45 minutes (€6.50, June-Sept daily 10:30-17:30, weekends only rest of year, departures on the hour except at lunchtime, leaves from across gray swivel bridge that leads to Parking du Môle).
▲▲St. Catherine Church (Eglise Ste. Catherine)
HONFLEUR’S MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
▲Museum of Ethnography and Norman Popular Arts (Musée d’Ethnographie et d’Art Populaire Normand)
▲Côte de Grâce Walk (or Drive)
Normandy Bridge (Pont de Normandie)
Stand near the water facing Honfleur’s square harbor, with the merry-go-round across the lock to your left, and survey the town. The word “Honfleur” is Scandinavian, meaning the shelter (fleur) of Hon (a Viking warlord). This town has been sheltering residents for about a thousand years. During the Hundred Years’ War (14th century), the entire harbor was fortified by a big wall with twin gatehouses (the one surviving gatehouse, La Lieutenance, is on your right). A narrow channel allowing boats to pass was protected by a heavy chain.
After the walls were demolished around 1700, those skinny houses on the right side were built for the town’s fishermen. How about a room on the top floor, with no elevator? Imagine moving a piano or a refrigerator into one of these units today. The spire halfway up the left side of the port belongs to Honfleur’s oldest church. The port, once crammed with fishing boats, now harbors sleek sailboats.
Walk toward the Lieutenance gatehouse. In front of the barrel-vaulted arch (once the entry to the town), you can see a bronze bust of Samuel de Champlain—the explorer who, 400 years ago, sailed with an Honfleur crew—famous for their maritime skills—to make his discoveries in the New World. Champlain is acknowledged as the founder of the Canadian city of Quebec—which remains French-speaking to this day.
Turn around to see various tour and fishing boats and the masts of the high-flying Normandy Bridge (described later) in the distance. Fisherfolk catch flatfish, scallops, and tiny shrimp daily to bring to the Marché au Poisson, located toward the river (look for white metal structures with blue lettering). Thursday through Sunday, you may see fishermen’s wives selling crevettes (shrimp). You can buy them cuites (cooked) or vivantes (alive and wiggly). They are happy to let you sample one (rip off the cute little head and tail, and pop what’s left into your mouth—délicieuse!), or buy a cupful to go for a few euros.
You’ll probably see artists sitting at easels around the harbor, as Boudin and Monet did. Many consider Honfleur the birthplace of 19th-century Impressionism. This was a time when people began to revere the out-of-doors, and pretty towns like Honfleur and the nearby coast made perfect subjects (and still are), thanks to the unusual luminosity of the region. And with the advent of new railway lines in the late 1800s, artists could travel to the best light like never before. Monet came here to visit the artist Boudin, a hometown boy, and the battle cry of the Impressionists—“Out of the studio and into the light!”—was born. Artists set up their easels along the harbor to catch the light playing on the line of buildings, slate shingles, timbers, geraniums, clouds, and reflections in the water—much as they still do today.
If you’re an early riser, you can watch what’s left of Honfleur’s fishing fleet prepare for the day, and you just might experience that famous luminosity.
A chance to study the Lego-style timber-frame houses of Honfleur awaits just off the harbor. On the southern quay, next to the Church of St. Etienne, head up Rue de la Prison (past the Museum of Ethnography; see here) and bend around to Rue des Petites Boucheries for some prime examples. The beams of these buildings were numbered so they could be disassembled and moved. Wandering through the stony courtyard of the fancy 15th-century House of the Lord of Honfleur, you’ll come to Rue de la Ville with more historic Norman architecture. Across from #16 is one of three huge 17th-century salt warehouses. It’s worth entering (often €1 for a local exhibit) to see the huge room with its fine wooden ceiling and imagine the importance of salt as a preservative before refrigeration existed.
Strategically positioned Honfleur guarded Paris from a naval attack up the Seine. That’s why the king fortified it with a wall in the 1300s. In the 1600s, when England was no longer a threat, the walls were torn down, leaving the town with some wide boulevards (like the one in front of the TI) and plenty of stones (like those that made the salt warehouse).
St. Catherine’s replaced an earlier stone church, destroyed in the Hundred Years’ War. In those chaotic times, the town’s money was spent to fortify its walls, leaving only enough funds to erect a wooden church. The unusual wood-shingled exterior suggests that this church has a different story to tell than most. In the last months of World War II, a bomb fell through the church’s roof—but didn’t explode—leaving this unique church intact for you to visit today.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily July-Aug 9:00-18:30, Sept-June until 17:15, Place Ste-Catherine.
Visiting the Church: Walk inside. You’d swear that if it were turned over, the building would float—the legacy of a community of sailors and fishermen, with loads of talented boat-builders (and no church architect). When workers put up the first (left) nave in 1466, it soon became apparent that more space was needed—so a second was built in 1497 (on the right). Because it felt too much like a market hall, they added side aisles.
The oak columns were prepared as if the wood was meant for a ship—soaked in seawater for seven years and then dried for seven years. Notice some pillars are full-length and others are supported by stone bases. Trees come in different sizes, yet each pillar had to be the same length.
The pipe organ (from 1772, rebuilt in 1953) behind you is popular for concerts, and half of the modern pews are designed to flip so that you can face the music. Take a close look at the balustrade (below the organ) with carved wooden panels featuring 17 musical instruments used in the 16th century.
Find a seat, and enjoy the worshipful ambience of this beautiful space. But don’t sit in the box in the center; this was reserved for the local noble lord and his family. If you want to gossip, head to the “cackling zone”—an open-air narthex just outside where historically (and perhaps hysterically) people gathered after Mass.
Bell Tower: The church’s bell tower was built away from the church to avoid placing too much stress on the wooden church’s roof, and to help minimize fire hazards. Notice the funky shingled chestnut beams that run from its squat base to support the skinny tower, and find the small, faded wooden sculpture of a tiny St. Catherine over the door. Until recently the bell ringer lived in the bell tower (not worth the €2 to enter, but you can peek inside for free to appreciate the ancient wood framing).
Eugène Boudin established Honfleur’s artistic tradition. The town remains a popular haunt for artists, many of whom display their works in Honfleur’s many art galleries (the best ones are along the streets between St. Catherine Church and the port). As you stroll around the town taking in its old sights, take time to enjoy today’s art, too.
This pleasing little museum has three interesting floors with many paintings of Honfleur and the surrounding countryside. The first floor displays Norman folk costumes, the second floor has the Boudin collection, and the third floor houses 20th-century works. (The museum has undergone a major renovation; expect changes to this description.)
Cost and Hours: €6, more during special exhibits, covered by museum pass; May-Sept Wed-Mon 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Tue, shorter hours off-season; audioguide-€2, elevator, Rue de l’Homme de Bois, tel. 02 31 89 54 00, www.musees-honfleur.fr.
Visiting the Museum: Pick up a map at the ticket counter, tip your beret to Eugène Boudin, and climb the stairs (or take the elevator).
First Floor: Monsieur and Madame Louveau (see their photo as you enter) gave Honfleur this quality collection of local traditional costumes. The hats, blouses, and shoes are supported by paintings that place them in an understandable historical and cultural context. Of special interest are the lace bonnets, typical of 19th-century Normandy. You could name a woman’s village by her style of bonnet. The dolls are not toys for tots, but marketing tools for traveling clothing merchants—designed to show off the latest fashions. The men’s department is in the back of the room.
Born in Honfleur, Boudin was the son of a harbor pilot. As an amateur teenage artist, he found work in an art-supply store that catered to famous artists from Paris (such as landscapists Corot and Millet) who came to paint the seaside. Boudin himself studied in Paris and his work was exhibited there, but he kept his hometown roots.
At age 30 Boudin met the teenage Claude Monet. Monet had grown up in nearby Le Havre and, like Boudin, sketched the world around him—beaches, boats, and small-town life. Boudin encouraged him to don a scarf, set up his easel outdoors, and paint the scene exactly as he saw it. Today, we say: “Well, duh!” But “open-air” painting was unorthodox for artists trained to thoroughly study their subjects in the perfect lighting of a controlled studio setting. Boudin didn’t teach Monet as much as give him the courage to follow his artistic instincts.
In the 1860s and 1870s, Boudin spent summers at his farm (St. Siméon) on the outskirts of Honfleur, hosting Monet, Edouard Manet, and other hangers-on. They taught Boudin the Impressionist techniques of using bright colors and building a subject with many individual brushstrokes. Boudin adapted those “strokes” to build subjects with “patches” of color. In 1874, Boudin joined the renegade Impressionists at their “revolutionary” exhibition in Paris.
Second Floor: Making a right off the stairs leads you into a large room of appealing 20th-century paintings and sculpture created by artists while living in Honfleur (special exhibits sometimes occupy this space). A left off the stairs leads into the Salle Eugène Boudin, a small gallery of 19th-century paintings. Boudin’s artwork is shown alongside that of his colleagues and contemporaries (usually Claude Monet and Gustave Courbet), letting you see how those masters took Boudin’s approach to the next level. Find the glass display case in the rear titled Précurseur de l’Impressionisme, with little pastel drawings, and follow Boudin’s art chronologically, as it evolves.
When Boudin and other Honfleur artists showed their work in Paris, they created enough of a stir that Normandy came into vogue. Many Parisian artists (including Monet and other early Impressionists) traveled to Honfleur to dial in to the action. Boudin himself made a big impression on the father of Impressionism by introducing Monet to the practice of painting outside. This collection of Boudin’s paintings—which the artist gave to his hometown—shows how his technique developed, from realistic portrayals of subjects (outlines colored in, like a coloring book) to masses of colors catching light (Impressionism). Boudin’s beach scenes, showing aristocrats taking a healthy saltwater dip, helped fuel that style. His skies were good enough to earn him the nickname “King of Skies.”
Third Floor: Follow the steps that lead up from the Boudin room to the small, enjoyable Hambourg/Rachet collection, which is largely from the mid-20th century. Don’t miss the smashing painting of Honfleur at twilight. Also on the third floor is a worthwhile collection of 20th-century works by artists who lived and learned in Honfleur, including the Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy. Be sure to take in the brilliant view of the Normandy Bridge through the windows.
If Honfleur is over-the-top cute, this museum, housed in composer Erik Satie’s birthplace, is a burst of witty charm—just like the musical genius it honors. If you like Satie’s music, this is a delight—a 1920s “Yellow Submarine.” If not, it can be a ho-hum experience.
Cost and Hours: €6.30, includes audioguide, covered by museum pass; May-Sept Wed-Mon 10:00-19:00, shorter hours off-season, closed Jan-mid-Feb and Tue year-round; last entry one hour before closing, 5-minute walk from harbor at 67 Boulevard Charles V, tel. 02 31 89 11 11, www.musees-honfleur.fr.
Visiting the Museum: As you wander from room to room with your included audioguide, infrared signals transmit bits of Satie’s dreamy music, along with a first-person story. As if you’re living as an artist in 1920s Paris, you’ll drift through a weird and whimsical series of old-school installations—winged pears, strangers in windows, and small girls with green eyes. The finale—performed by you—is the Laboratory of Emotions pedal-go-round, a self-propelled carousel where your feet create the music (pedal softly). For a relaxing finale, enjoy the 12-minute movie (plays by request, French only) featuring modern dance springing from Parade, Satie’s collaboration with Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau. You’ll even hear the boos and whistles that greeted these ballets’ debuts.
Honfleur’s engaging little Museum of Ethnography and Norman Popular Arts (pick up English translation at the desk) is located in the old prison and courthouse a short block off the harbor. It re-creates typical rooms from Honfleur’s past and crams them with objects of daily life—costumes, furniture, looms, and an antique printing press. You’ll see the old yard and climb through two stories of furnished rooms. The museum paints a picture of daily life in Honfleur during the time when its ships were king and the city had global significance. (The adjacent Museum of the Sea is skippable.)
Cost and Hours: €4.20; Tue-Sun 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:30, shorter hours off-season, closed mid-Nov-mid-Feb and Mon year-round, Rue de la Prison, www.musees-honfleur.fr. The museum is located in the heart of Old Honfleur (see here).
For good exercise and a bird’s-eye view of Honfleur and the Normandy Bridge, take the steep 30-minute walk (or quick drive) up to the Côte de Grâce—best in the early morning or at sunset. From St. Catherine Church, walk up Rue du Puits (or drive up Rue Brulée and make a right on Rue Eugène Boudin), then follow the blue-on-white signs to reach the splendid view over Honfleur at the top of the ramp (benches and information plaque). Piétons (walkers) should veer right up La Rampe du Mont Joli; conducteurs (drivers) should keep straight. Walkers can continue past the view for about 300 yards to the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Grâce, built in the early 1600s by the mariners and people of Honfleur (open daily 8:30-17:15). Model boats hang from the ceiling, pictures of boats balance high on the walls, and several stained-glass windows are decorated with images of sailors at sea praying to the Virgin Mary. Find the 23 church bells hanging on a wood rack to the right as you leave the church and imagine the racket they make (the bells ring four times an hour).
Below the chapel, a lookout offers a sweeping view of super-industrial Le Havre and the Seine estuary where the river hits the Manche (English Channel). The Normandy Bridge is just visible to your right.
Take a level stroll in Honfleur along the water past the Hôtel le Cheval Blanc to find the mouth of the Seine River and big ships at sea. You’ll pass kid-friendly parks carpeted with flowers and grass, and continue past the lock connecting Honfleur to the Seine and the sea. Grand and breezy vistas of the sea and smashing views of the Normandy Bridge reward the diligent walker (allow 20 minutes from the harbor to reach the best views).
Boat trips in and around Honfleur depart from various docks between Hôtel le Cheval Blanc and the opposite end of the outer port (Easter-Oct usually about 11:00-17:00). The tour boat Calypso takes good 45-minute spins around Honfleur’s harbor (€6, mobile 06 71 64 50 46, Jetée de la Lieutenance). Other cruises run to the Normandy Bridge, which, unfortunately, means two boring trips through the locks (€9.50/1.5 hours, choose between Jolie France, near Parking du Môle, mobile 06 71 64 50 46, Jetée du Transit; or L’Evasion near Hôtel le Cheval Blanc, mobile 06 31 89 21 10, Quai des Passagers).
The 1.25-mile-long Normandy Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western world (€5.40 toll each way, not worth a detour). This is a key piece of European expressway that links the Atlantic ports from Belgium to Spain. View the bridge from Honfleur (better from an excursion boat or the Jetty Walk described earlier, and best at night, when bridge is floodlit). Also consider visiting the bridge’s free Exhibition Hall (under tollbooth on Le Havre side, daily 8:00-19:00). The Seine finishes its winding journey here, dropping only 1,500 feet from its source, 450 miles away. The river flows so slowly that, in certain places, a stiff breeze can send it flowing upstream.
France’s answer to the White Cliffs of Dover, these chalky cliffs soar high above a calm, crescent beach. Walking trails lead hikers from the small seaside resort of Etrétat along a vertiginous route with sensational views (and crowds of hikers in summer and on weekends). You’ll recognize these cliffs—and the arches and stone spire that decorate them—from countless Impressionist paintings, including several at the Eugène Boudin Museum in Honfleur. The small, Coney Island-like town holds plenty of cafés and a TI (Place Maurice Guillard, tel. 02 35 27 05 21, www.etretat.net).
Getting There: Etrétat is north of Le Havre. To get here by car (50 minutes), cross the Normandy Bridge and follow A-29, then exit at sortie Etrétat. Buses serve Etrétat from Le Havre’s gare routière, adjacent to the train station (5/day, 1 hour, www.keolis-seine-maritime.com).
Sleeping in Etrétat: $$$$ Dormy House has a brilliant setting and makes a nice splurge (Route du Havre at the edge of Etrétat, tel. 02 35 27 07 88, www.dormy-house.com, info@etretat-hotel.com).
($$$$ = Splurge, $$$ = Pricier, $$ = Moderate, $ = Budget)
Though Honfleur is popular in summer, it’s busiest on weekends and holidays (blame Paris). English is widely spoken (blame vacationing Brits). A few moderate accommodations remain, but most hotels are pretty pricey. Only two hotels have elevators (Hôtel le Cheval Blanc and Ibis Budget Honfleur), but Hotel Monet has ground-floor rooms.
$$$$ La Maison de Lucie*** is a fine Normand splurge and greets its guests with a garden courtyard, sumptuous lounges, and antique-filled rooms (suites available, 44 Rue des Capucines, tel. 02 31 49 41, www.lamaisondelucie.com, info@lamaisondelucie.com).
$$$ L’Absinthe Hôtel*** offers 11 tastefully restored rooms with king-size beds in two locations. The older rooms in the main (reception) section come with wood-beamed decor and share a cozy public lounge with a fireplace). Five rooms are located above their next-door restaurant and have views of the modern port and three-star, state-of-the-art comfort (air-con in both buildings, private pay parking, 1 Rue de la Ville, tel. 02 31 89 23 23, www.absinthe.fr, reservation@absinthe.fr).
$$$ Hôtel le Cheval Blanc*** is a waterfront splurge with port views from all of its 35 plush and pricey rooms (many with queen beds), plus a rare-in-this-town elevator and a spa, but no air-conditioning—noise can be a problem with windows open (family rooms, 2 Quai des Passagers, tel. 02 31 81 65 00, www.hotel-honfleur.com, info@hotel-honfleur.com).
$$ Hôtel du Dauphin,*** wrapped in a half-timbered shell, is ideally located, with narrow stairs (normal in Honfleur) and an Escher-esque floor plan. The 30 mostly small rooms (in two buildings) are an acceptable value, though the place could use some work (Wi-Fi in main building only, a stone’s throw from St. Catherine Church at 10 Place Pierre Berthelot, tel. 02 31 89 15 53, www.hoteldudauphin.com, info@hoteldudauphin.com). The same owners also run the $$ Hôtel des Loges*** a few doors up, with larger rooms with Wi-Fi, but less personality). Both hotels offer the first breakfast free for Rick Steves readers in 2017—ask for details when you reserve.
$ Hôtel Monet,** on the road to the Côte de Grâce and a 10-minute walk down to the port, is an overlooked find. This tranquil spot houses 16 good-value rooms, all with private patios that surround a central courtyard. Christophe and Sylvie take fine care of their guests (family rooms, free and easy parking, Charrière du Puits, tel. 02 31 89 00 90, www.hotel-monet-honfleur.com, contact@hotel-monet-honfleur.com). Reception is closed from 13:00-17:00.
$ L’Ex Voto is a small place off a main road with four sweet and simple rooms at good rates (8 Place Albert Sorel, tel. 02 31 89 19 69, www.hotel-honfleur-exvoto.com, honfleurexvoto@gmail.com).
$ Ibis Budget Honfleur is modern, efficient, trim, and cheap, with prefab bathrooms and an antiseptically clean ambience (family rooms, reception closed 21:00-6:00 but automatic check-in with credit card available 24 hours, elevator, across from bus station and main parking lot on Rue des Vases, tel. 08 92 68 07 81, www.ibisbudget.com, h2716-re@accor.com).
The TI has a long list of Honfleur’s many chambres d’hôtes (rooms in private homes), but most are too far from the town center. Those listed here are good values.
$$ Le Fond de la Cour, run by British expats Amanda and Craig, offers a good mix of crisp, modern, and comfortable accommodations around a peaceful courtyard. There’s a large cottage that can sleep four, two apartments with small kitchens, and three standard doubles (standard rooms include English-style breakfast, free breakfast for Rick Steves readers who rent an apartment, free street parking, limited private pay parking, 29 Rue Eugène Boudin, mobile 06 72 20 72 98, www.lefonddelacour.com, amanda.ferguson@orange.fr).
$$ La Cour Ste. Catherine, kitty-corner to Le Fond de la Cour, is an enchanting bed-and-breakfast run by the cheery and open-hearted Madame Giaglis (“call me Liliane”) and her husband, Monsieur Liliane (Antoine). Their six big, modern rooms—each with a separate sitting area—surround a perfectly Norman courtyard with a small terrace, fine plantings, and a cozy lounge area ideal for cool evenings (includes good breakfast, small apartments and cottage with kitchen available, cash only, ask about free parking when you book, 200 yards up Rue du Puits from St. Catherine Church at #74, tel. 02 31 89 42 40, www.coursaintecatherine.com, coursaintecatherine@orange.fr).
Eat seafood, crêpes, or cream sauces here. Choose between an irresistible waterfront table at one of the many look-alike places lining the harbor, or finer dining elsewhere in town. It’s best to call ahead to reserve (particularly on weekends).
Survey the eateries lining the harbor (all open Wed when other places are closed). The food isn’t great, but you’ll find plenty of salads, crêpes, and seafood—and a great setting. Heaters and canopies make dining outdoors a good option even in chilly weather. On a languid evening, it’s hard to pass up. Along with the restaurant row on the Quai Ste. Catherine, consider $$$ Café Les Impressionnistes, with the best afternoon sun, on the other side of the harbor (Place de l’Hôtel de Ville). Even if you dine elsewhere, come to the harbor for a before- or after-dinner drink.
While I wouldn’t blame you for enjoying a forgettable meal in an unforgettable setting on the harborfront, consider these finer alternatives a couple blocks away.
$$$$ Le Bréard is a nice place to dial it up a little and eat very well for a fair price. The decor is low key but elegant, the cuisine is inventive, delicious, and not particularly Normand, and the service is excellent (closed Mon, 7 Rue du Puits, tel. 02 31 89 53 40).
$$$ Le Bouilland Normand hides a block off the port on a pleasing square and offers true Normand cuisine at reasonable prices. Claire and chef-hubby Bruno provide quality dishes and enjoy serving travelers (closed Wed and Sun, dine inside or out, 7 Rue de la Ville, tel. 02 31 89 02 41).
$$ Le Bacaretto wine bar-café is run by laid-back Hervé, the antithesis of a wine snob. This relaxed, tiny, wine-soaked place offers a fine selection of well-priced wines by the glass and a small but appealing assortment of appetizers and plats du jour that can make a full meal (closed Wed-Thu for lunch and Sun for dinner, 44 Rue de la Chaussée, tel. 02 31 14 83 11).
$$$ Bistro des Artistes is a two-woman operation with a pleasant little dining room (call ahead for a window table). Hardworking Anne-Marie cooks up huge portions; one course is plenty...and maybe a dessert (closed Wed, 30 Place Berthelot, tel. 02 31 89 95 90).
$$$ Au P’tit Mareyeur is whisper-formal, intimate, all about seafood, and a good value. The ground floor and upstairs rooms offer equal comfort and ambience (famous €35 Bouillabaisse Honfleuraise, closed Tue-Wed and Jan, 4 Rue Haute, tel. 02 31 98 84 23, www.auptitmareyeur.fr, Julie speaks some English).
At $$$ La Tortue, the owner/chef prepares delicious cuisine, including good vegetarian dishes, and serves it in a pleasing setting (open daily in summer, closed Tue-Wed rest of year, tel. 02 31 81 24 60, 36 Rue de l’Homme de Bois).
$$$ L’Homme de Bois combines way-cozy ambience with authentic Normand cuisine (daily, a few outside tables, skip the upstairs room, 30 Rue de l’Homme de Bois, tel. 02 31 89 75 27).
$ Travel Coffee Shop is an ideal breakfast or lunch option for travelers wanting conversation—in either English or French—and good food at very fair prices (April-Sept Thu-Mon 8:00-16:00, closed Tue-Wed; closed Oct-March; 6 Place du Puits).
Breakfast: If it’s even close to sunny, skip your hotel breakfast and eat on the port, where several cafés offer petit déjeuner (€4-7 for continental fare, €7-14 for more elaborate choices). Morning sun and views are best from the high side of the harbor. If price or companionship matter, head to the Travel Coffee Shop for a good breakfast deal (described above).
Dessert: Honfleur is ice-cream crazy, with gelato and traditional ice-cream shops on every corner. If you need a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream fix or a scrumptious dessert crêpe, find the waterfront stand at the southeast corner of the Vieux Bassin.
Nighttime Food to Go: Order a tasty pizza to-go until late from $ Il Parasole (2 Rue Haute, tel. 02 31 98 94 29), and enjoy a picnic dinner with port views a few steps away at the Lieutenance gatehouse.
Nightlife: Nightlife in Honfleur centers on the old port. Several bar/cafés line the high-building side of the port, including these down-and-dirty watering holes: pub-like L’Albatross (a fun and smoky clubhouse) and Le Perroquet Vert (also cool but more existential—“those lights are so...”). Le Vintage, just off the port, has live piano and jazz on weekend nights (closed Tue, 8 Quai des Passagers, tel. 02 31 89 05 28).
There’s no direct train service to Honfleur, so you must connect by bus or car. The handy, express PrestoBus (line #39) links Honfleur with train service in Caen and Le Havre, but runs only twice a day. Bus #50 runs between Le Havre, Honfleur and Lisieux; the scenic par la côte bus #20 connects Le Havre, Honfleur, Deauville, and Caen. Although train and bus service usually are coordinated, confirm your connection with the helpful staff at Honfleur’s bus station (English info desk open Mon-Fri 9:30-12:00 & 13:15-18:00, in summer also Sat-Sun, tel. 02 31 89 28 41, www.busverts.fr). If the station is closed, you can get schedules at the TI. Rail-pass holders will save money by connecting through Deauville, as bus fares increase with distance.
From Honfleur by Bus and/or Train to: Caen (express PrestoBus 2/day, 1 hour; bus #20 4/day direct, 2 hours); Bayeux (2-3/day, 1.5 hours; first take PrestoBus #39 or bus #20 to Caen, then 20-minute train to Bayeux); Rouen (6/day Mon-Sat, 3/day Sun, bus-and-train combo involves 30-minute bus ride over Normandy Bridge to Le Havre, then easy transfer to 1-hour train to Rouen); Paris’ Gare St. Lazare (13/day, 2-3.5 hours, by bus to Caen, Lisieux, Deauville, or Le Havre, then train to Paris; buses from Honfleur meet most Paris trains).
Route Tips for Drivers: If driving to Rouen, see the Route of the Ancient Abbeys on here. If connecting to the D-Day beaches, consider taking the scenic route “par la côte” to Trouville and pass sea views, thatched hamlets, and stupendous mansions. From Honfleur, drive to the port, pass Hôtel du Cheval Blanc, and stick to this road (D-513) to Trouville, then follow signs for A-13 to Caen.
Only six miles from the D-Day beaches, Bayeux was the first city liberated after the landing on June 6, 1944. Incredibly, the town was spared the bombs of World War II. The Allied Command needed an intact town from which to administer the push to Berlin. And after a local chaplain made sure London knew that his city was neither strategically important nor a German headquarters, a scheduled bombing raid was canceled—making Bayeux the closest city to the D-Day landing site not destroyed. Even without its famous medieval tapestry and proximity to the D-Day beaches, Bayeux would be worth a visit for its enjoyable town center and awe-inspiring cathedral, beautifully illuminated at night. Its location and manageable size (pop. 14,000) make Bayeux an ideal home base for visiting the area’s sights, particularly if you lack a car.
Bayeux grew up along the Aure River. Its main street (Rue St. Jean) was a Roman road. The river powered the town’s waterwheels and flushed its waste as its industry grew. The TI is located in the old fish market over the river, and the nearby waterwheel was part of the tanning and dyeing industry in the 15th century. Across from the Bayeux Tapestry museum, another waterwheel once powered a flour mill (now a crêpe restaurant); it’s lock created a mill pond which did double-duty as the bishop’s fish pond.
The TI is on a small bridge two blocks north of the cathedral. Ask for bus schedules to the beaches and inquire about special events and concerts. World War II buffs can buy the D-Day map (about €5) showing troop deployments and more (June-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00; April-May and Sept-Oct Mon-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00; shorter hours off-season; on Pont St. Jean leading to Rue St. Jean, tel. 02 31 51 28 28, www.bessin-normandie.com).
By Train and Bus: Trains and buses share the same station (no bag storage). It’s a 15-minute walk from the station to the tapestry, and 15 minutes from the tapestry to Place St. Patrice. To reach the tapestry, the cathedral, and recommended hotels, cross the major street in front of the station and follow Rue de Cremel toward l’Hôpital, then turn left on Rue Nesmond. Find signs to the Tapisserie (tapestry) or continue on to the cathedral. Taxis usually wait at the station—allow €9 to any recommended hotel or sight in Bayeux, and €21 to Arromanches (€32 after 19:00 and on Sundays, taxi tel. 02 31 92 92 40 or mobile 06 70 40 07 96).
By Car: Look for the cathedral spires and follow signs for Centre-Ville, and then signs for the Tapisserie or your hotel (individual hotels are well-signed from the ring road). Day-trippers will find pay parking lots in the town center (including at the Hôtel de Ville near the TI, and at Place St. Patrice; €1/hour, 3-hour limit). A few other parking lots are free but require a cardboard clock on your dashboard (buy at any tabac, 4-hour limit). Time limits are not enforced from 12:00 to 14:00, allowing you to stretch your stay. To park for longer, find the free, unlimited lots along the southern ring road (along Boulevard Marechal Leclerc and Boulevard Sadi Carnot).
Drivers connecting Bayeux with Mont St-Michel should use the speedy, free A-84 autoroute (from near the train station, follow signs to Villars-Bocage, then A-84).
By Airport Transfer from Paris: It’s possible to link Paris and Normandy without driving or connecting by train. Albion (run by American Adrienne Sion) organizes transfers between Paris airports and Bayeux (1-3 people-€450, up to 8 people-€600, transfers from central Paris possible, extra for stops en route at Giverny or Honfleur, tel. 02 31 78 88 88, www.albion-voyages.com).
Market Days: The Saturday open-air market on Place St. Patrice is Bayeux’s best, though the Wednesday market on pedestrian Rue St. Jean is pleasant. Both end by 13:00. Don’t leave your car on Place St. Patrice on a Friday night, as it will be towed early Saturday.
Grocery Store: Carrefour City, at Rue St. Jean 14, is next to the recommended Hôtel Churchill (daily).
Laundry: A launderette is a block behind the TI, on Rue Maréchal Foch. Two more launderettes are near Place St. Patrice, at 4 Rue St. Patrice and 69 Rue des Bouchers (all open daily 7:00-21:00).
Bike Rental: Vélos Location will deliver to outlying hotels (daily April-Oct 8:00-20:30, closes earlier off-season, inside grocery store across from TI at Impasse de Islet, tel. 02 31 92 89 16, www.velosbayeux.com).
Taxi: Call 02 31 92 92 40 or mobile 06 70 40 07 96.
Car Rental: Bayeux offers a few choices. Renault Rent is handiest, just below the train station at the BP gas station. A rental at about €70/day with a 200-kilometer limit is sufficient to see the key sights from Arromanches to Utah Beach—you’ll drive about 180 kilometers (16 Boulevard Sadi Carnot, tel. 02 31 51 18 51). Hertz is the only agency in town that allows you to drop off in a different city (located west of the city center on Route de Cherbourg, off D-613, tel. 02 31 92 03 26).
Calvados Tasting: For a fun and easy cider sampling, drop by the recommended Logis les Remparts B&B (Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, closed Sun-Mon, 4 Rue Bourbesneur, tel. 02 31 92 50 40).
Self-Guided Walking Tour: Pick up the map called Découvrez Vieux Bayeux at the TI, which corresponds to bronze info plates embedded in sidewalks around town.
Guided Walks of Old Bayeux: For a chatty, anecdote-filled stroll through the historic center—with no interiors but plenty of factoids—join Christèle or Marie-Noëlle for a guided walk (€15, daily April-Sept, 2-hour walk generally at 9:30 and 1.5-hour walk at 17:00, rain or shine, leave from TI, private tours possible year-round, confirm schedule at www.discovery-walks.org).
Touristy Choo-Choo Train: Bayeux’s tourist train leaves hourly from the TI for a 35-minute ride through town with recorded English commentary (€6, pay driver).
Sightseeing Pass: Bayeux’s three main museums—the Bayeux Tapestry, Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum, and MAHB—offer combo-tickets that will save you money if you see more than one sight. Combo-tickets covering two sights cost €12; for all three it’s €15 (buy at the first sight you visit).
Made of wool embroidered onto linen cloth, this historically precious document is a mesmerizing 70-yard-long cartoon. The tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s rise from duke of Normandy to king of England, and shows his victory over England’s King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Long and skinny, the tapestry was designed to hang in the nave of Bayeux’s cathedral as a reminder for locals of their ancestor’s courage. The terrific museum that houses the tapestry is an unusually good chance to teach your kids about the Middle Ages. Models, mannequins, a movie, and more make it an engaging, fun place to visit.
Cost and Hours: €9, combo-ticket with other Bayeux museums, includes excellent audioguide for adults and special kids’ version; daily May-Aug 9:00-19:00, March-April and Sept-Oct until 18:30, Nov-Feb 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing; 13 bis Rue de Nesmond, tel. 02 31 51 25 50, www.bayeuxmuseum.com. Photography of the actual tapestry is not allowed, but you can take pictures of a replica.
Planning Your Visit: To avoid crowds, arrive before 10:00 or late in the day. It’s busiest in August, and most crowded from 10:00 to 17:00. As audiotours cannot be paused, you are limited to 25 minutes with the tapestry. It’s a strict one-way route. Allow at least a full hour for your complete museum visit.
Film: When buying your ticket, get the schedule for the English version of the 16-minute battle film (runs every 40 minutes). Because you can watch the film only after viewing the tapestry, and the last show time is about an hour before closing, arriving late means no film.
Visiting the Museum: Your visit starts with the actual tapestry, accompanied by an included audioguide that gives a top-notch, fast-moving, 25-minute scene-by-scene narration complete with period music (no pausing or rewinding—if you lose your place, find subtitles in Latin). Remember, the tapestry is Norman propaganda: The English (the bad guys, referred to as les goddamns, after a phrase the French kept hearing them say) are shown with mustaches and long hair; the French (les good guys) are clean-cut and clean-shaven—with even the backs of their heads shaved for a better helmet fit.
Appreciate the fun details—such as the bare legs in scene 4 or Harold’s pouting expressions in various frames—and look for references to places you may have visited (like Dinan). Pay strict attention to scene 23, where Harold takes his oath to William; the importance of keeping one’s word is the point of the tapestry. Get close and (almost) feel the tapestry’s texture.
Next you’ll climb upstairs into a room filled with engaging exhibits, including a full-size replica of a Viking ship much like the one William used to cross the Channel (Normans inherited their weaponry and seafaring skills from the Norsemen). You’ll also see mannequins (find William looking unmoved with his new crown), a replica of the Domesday Book (an inventory of noble’s lands as ordered by William), and models of castles (who knew that the Tower of London was a Norman project?). Good explanations outline the events surrounding the invasion and the subsequent creation of the tapestry, and a touchscreen lets you see the back side of the embroidery.
Your visit finishes with a 16-minute film that ties it all together one last time (in the cinema upstairs, skippable if you’re pressed for time). Just before the theater you reach a full-sized replica of the tapestry (which you are welcome to photograph).
This massive building, as big as Paris’ Notre-Dame, dominates the small town of Bayeux. Make a point to enjoy the cathedral rising over the town after dark, when it’s beautifully illuminated.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily July-Aug 8:30-19:00, Sept-June until 18:00, 4 Rue du Général de Dais.
Visiting the Cathedral: To start your visit, find the small square opposite the front entry (info board about the cathedral facade in rear corner). Notice the two dark towers—originally Romanesque, they were capped later with tall Gothic spires. The cathedral’s west facade is structurally Romanesque, but with a decorative Gothic “curtain” added.
Now step inside the cathedral. The magnificent view of the nave from the top of the steps shows a mix of Romanesque (ground floor) and soaring Gothic (upper floors). Historians believe the Bayeux tapestry originally hung here. Imagine it draped halfway up the big Romanesque arches. Try to visualize this scene with the original, richly colored stained glass in all those upper windows. Rare 13th-century stained-glass bits are in the high central window above the altar; the other glass (below) is from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Walk down the nave and notice the areas between the big, round arches. That busy zigzag patterning characterizes Norman art in France as well as in England. These 11th-century Romanesque arches are decorated with a manic mix of repeated geometric shapes: half-circles, hash marks, full circles, and diagonal lines. Notice also the creepy faces eyeing you, especially the ring of devil heads lining the third arch on the right.
More 13th-century Norman Gothic is in the choir (the fancy area behind the central altar). Here, simple Romanesque carvings lie under Gothic arches whose characteristically tall, thin lines add a graceful verticality to the interior.
For maximum 1066 atmosphere, step into the spooky crypt (beneath the central altar), which originally was used as a safe spot for the cathedral’s relics. The crypt displays two freestanding columns and bulky capitals with fine Romanesque carving (midway up the nave against the walls). During a reinforcement of the nave, these two columns were replaced. Workers removed the Gothic veneer and discovered their true inner Romanesque beauty. Orange angel-musicians on other columns add color to this somber room.
Nearby: Leaving the church, walk around to the right to a big tree in a little courtyard, and look high on the church’s spire to spy a little rectangular stone house. This was the watchman’s home, from which he’d keep an eye out for incoming English troops during the Hundred Years’ War...and for Germans five centuries later (it didn’t work—the Germans took the town in 1940). Bayeux was liberated on D-Day plus one: June 7. According to an interesting (but likely false) legend, about the only casualty that day was the lookout, who supposedly was shot while watching from the window of this stone house.
The big tree is a Liberty Tree. These were planted in cities throughout France in 1793 (when the king was beheaded) to celebrate the end of the Old Regime and the people’s hard-won freedom. When the tree was planted, the cathedral kicked off a decade in which it was not considered a church but a revolutionary “temple of reason.”
A block in front of the cathedral (up Rue Maîtrise) is a big, empty-yet-historic square—once the site of a 10th-century castle. The statue in the center is Poppa, the mistress or wife of the Viking conqueror Rollo who, in 911, became first duke of Normandy. The people of Normandy came from this union (not to mention many English royals—Rollo’s descendants include William the Conqueror). On June 14, 1944, this square hosted the first public appearance of Charles de Gaulle in newly freed France. The self-appointed leader of the Free French Forces, now with Churchill’s endorsement, proceeded to rally the French to rise up and help push out the Germans. This event helped initiate de Gaulle’s legitimacy as head of the Free French. And Bayeux later served as the first administrative capital of post-Nazi-occupied France.
Join the locals and promenade along the meandering walking path that follows the little Aure River for about 2.5 miles through Bayeux. The path runs both ways from the TI (find the waterwheel behind the TI and keep walking; path marked on city maps).
This conservatory offers a chance to watch workers design and weave intricate lace (dentelle), just as artisans did in the 1600s, when lace was an important Bayeux industry, competing to break the Venetian monopoly on this required bit of formal wear. Enter to the clicking sound of the small wooden bobbins used by the lacemakers, and appreciate the concentration their work requires. You can also see examples of lace from the past and pick up some nifty souvenirs. The community helps fund this teaching workshop to keep the tradition alive. The conservatory building is nicknamed the “Adam and Eve House” for its carved 15th-century facade (find Adam, Eve, and the snake).
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 9:30-12:30 & 14:30-18:00 except Mon and Thu until 17:00, closed Sun, across from cathedral entrance, 6 Rue du Bienvenu, tel. 02 31 92 73 80, http://dentelledebayeux.free.fr.
For a break from D-Day and tapestries, MAHB offers a modest review of European art and history in what was once the Bayeux bishop’s palace. The 14 rooms on two floors are laid out in chronological order (prehistory, ancient Rome, medieval, and early modern). You’ll see a fine little collection of 18th- and 19th-century paintings donated by Baron Henri-Alexandre Gérard more than a century ago. Notable are an early work—Le Philosophe (The Philosopher)—by neoclassical master Jacques-Louis David and, by Antoine-Jean Gros, Sappho—a moonlit version of the Greek poetess’ suicide that influenced Géricault and Delacroix. In the stern Court of Justice—a courtroom from French revolutionary times (1793)—a bust of Lady Liberty (Marianne) presides over the tribunal like a secular goddess, backed by some Napoleonic stained glass (1806). Lace lovers will enjoy several rooms of exquisite lace with drawers full of bobbins and artful creations. Your visit is capped with an exhibit dedicated to the ceramics of Bayeux.
Cost and Hours: €7, combo-ticket with other Bayeux museums, daily May-Sept 9:30-18:30, shorter hours off-season, near the cathedral at 37 Rue du Bienvenu, tel. 02 31 92 14 21, www.bayeuxmuseum.com.
This museum provides a manageable overview of WWII’s Battle of Normandy. With its many maps and timelines of the epic battle to liberate northern France, it’s aimed at military history buffs. You’ll get a good briefing on the Atlantic Wall (the German fortifications stretching along the coast—useful before visiting Longues-sur-Mer), learn why Normandy was selected as the landing site, understand General Charles de Gaulle’s contributions to the invasion, and realize the key role played by aviation. You’ll also appreciate the challenges faced by doctors, war correspondents, and civil engineers (who had to clean up after the battles—the gargantuan bulldozer on display looks useful).
Cost and Hours: €7, combo-ticket with other Bayeux museums, daily May-Sept 9:30-18:30, Oct-Dec and mid-Feb-April 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, closed Jan-mid-Feb, last entry one hour before closing, on Bayeux’s ring road, 20 minutes on foot from center on Boulevard Fabian Ware, free parking, tel. 02 31 51 25 50, www.bayeuxmuseum.com.
Film: A 25-minute film gives a good summary of the Normandy invasion from start to finish (shown in English May-Sept at 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:30, and 17:00; Oct-April at 10:30, 14:45, and 16:15).
Nearby: A right out of the museum leads along a footpath to the Monument to Reporters, a grassy walkway lined with white roses and stone monuments listing, by year, the names of reporters who have died in the line of duty from 1944 to today. Some years have been kinder to journalists than others. The path continues to the British Military Cemetery, decorated with 4,144 simple gravestones marking the final resting places of these fallen soldiers. The memorial’s Latin inscription reads, “In 1944, the British came to free the homeland of William the Conqueror.” Interestingly, this cemetery has soldiers’ graves from all countries involved in the battle of Normandy (even Germany) except the United States, which requires its soldiers to be buried on US property—such as the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
($$$$ = Splurge, $$$ = Pricier, $$ = Moderate, $ = Budget)
I list hotels in every price range here. Drivers should also see “Sleeping in Arromanches” (here).
$$$$ Villa Lara**** owns the town’s most luxurious accommodations smack in the center of Bayeux. The 28 spacious rooms all have brilliant views of the cathedral, and a few have small terraces. Helpful owner Rima and her attentive staff take excellent care of their guests (pricey but excellent breakfast, elevator, exercise room, comfortable lounges, free and secure parking, between the tapestry museum and TI at 6 Place de Québec, tel. 02 31 92 00 55, www.hotel-villalara.com, info@hotel-villalara.com).
$$$ Hôtel Churchill,*** on a traffic-free street across from the TI, could not be more central. Owners Eric and Patricia are great hosts (ask Eric about his professional soccer career). The hotel has 32 plush-and-pricey rooms with wood furnishings, big beds, and convivial public spaces peppered with historic photos of Bayeux’s liberation (family rooms, 14 Rue St. Jean, tel. 02 31 21 31 80, www.hotel-churchill.fr, info@hotel-churchill.fr).
$$$ Hôtel le Lion d’Or,*** General Eisenhower’s favorite hotel in Bayeux, draws a loyal American and British clientele who love the historic aspect of staying here. It has atmospheric Old World public spaces, 31 stylish rooms, and a responsive staff (no elevator, limited but secure pay parking, restaurant with fair prices, 71 Rue St. Jean, tel. 02 31 92 06 90, www.liondor-bayeux.fr, info@liondor-bayeux.fr).
$ Hôtel Reine Mathilde** is a solid, centrally located value with 16 sharp rooms above an easygoing brasserie, and ten large rooms with three-star comfort in two annexes nearby (family rooms, some rooms with air-con, reception one block from TI at 23 Rue Larcher, tel. 02 31 92 08 13, www.hotel-bayeux-reinemathilde.fr, info@hotel-bayeux-reinemathilde.fr).
¢ Hôtel au Georges VII offers 10 no-star, no-frills rooms (some with only a sink or a shower) with just enough comfort. The rooms are up a tight staircase above a central café, and the bartender doubles as the receptionist (19 Rue St. Martin, tel. 02 31 92 28 53, www.georges-7.com, augeorges7@orange.fr).
$$ Le Petit Matin, run by friendly Pascal, is a central and handsome bed-and-breakfast with good public spaces, five stylish rooms with big bathrooms, and a magnifique back garden (with play toys) on Place Charles de Gaulle (breakfast included, 9 Rue des Terres, tel. 02 31 10 09 27, www.chambres-hotes-bayeux-lepetitmatin.com, lepetitmatin@hotmail.fr).
$ Logis les Remparts, run by bubbly Christèle, is a delightful, three-room bed-and-breakfast situated above an atmospheric Calvados cider-tasting shop. The rooms are big, comfortable, and homey—one is a huge, two-room suite (cash-only if under €200, a few blocks above the cathedral on park-like Place Charles de Gaulle at 4 Rue Bourbesneur, tel. 02 31 92 50 40, www.lecornu.fr, lecornu.bayeux@gmail.com).
$ Manoir Sainte Victoire is a classy, 17th-century building with three top-quality rooms over a small garden at very fair prices. Each has a small kitchenette and views of the cathedral; all come with engaging owner Aitaudia (32 Rue de la Jurisdiction, tel. 02 31 22 74 69, mobile 06 37 36 90 95, www.manoirsaintevictoire.com, contact@manoirsaintevictoire.com).
These hotels just off the big Place St. Patrice are a 10-minute walk up Rue St. Martin from the TI (a 15-minute walk to the tapestry).
$$ Hôtel d’Argouges*** (dar-goozh) is named for its builder, Lord d’Argouges. This tranquil retreat has a mini-château feel with classy public spaces, lovely private gardens, and 28 standardcomfort rooms. The hotel is run by formal Madame Ropartz, who has had every aspect of the hotel renovated (big family rooms, no elevator, secure free parking, just off Place St. Patrice at 21 Rue St. Patrice, tel. 02 31 92 88 86, www.hotel-dargouges.com, info@hotel-dargouges.com).
$ Hôtel Mogador** is a simple but good 14-room budget value. Choose between wood-beamed rooms on the busy square, or quiet but slightly faded rooms off the street. There are no public areas beyond the small breakfast room and tiny courtyard (20 Rue Alain Chartier at Place St. Patrice, tel. 02 31 92 24 58, www.hotelmo.fr, lemogador@gmail.com).
$ La Ferme du Pressoir is a lovely, traditional B&B on a big working farm immersed in the Norman landscape about 20 minutes south of Bayeux (see map on here). If you’ve ever wanted to stay on a real French farm yet rest in cozy comfort, this is the place. The five rooms are filled with wood furnishings and decorated with bright garden themes. Guests share a kitchenette, and larger groups can stay in a cottage with its own kitchen. The experience is vintage Normandy—and so are the kind owners, Jacques and Odile (good family rooms, includes good breakfast, Le Haut St-Louet, just off A-84, exit at Villers-Bocage, detailed directions on website, tel. 02 41 40 71 07, www.bandbnormandie.com, lemogador@gmail.com).
($$$$ = Splurge, $$$ = Pricier, $$ = Moderate, $ = Budget)
Drivers can also consider the short drive to Arromanches for seaside dining options (see here). You’re smart to book a day ahead for the $$$-and-up listings below.
(See “Bayeux” map, here.)
This traffic-free street is lined with cafés, crêperies, and inexpensive dining options.
La Chaumière is the best charcuterie (deli) in town; you’ll find salads, quiches, and prepared dishes to go (Tue-Sun until 19:30, closed Mon, on Rue St. Jean across from Hôtel Churchill). The grocery store across the street has what you need to complete your picnic.
$ At Le Moulin de la Galette, enjoy tasty crêpes for good prices in a delightful setting right on the small river. There’s fine seating inside and out (effective heaters) and a big selection of crêpes, salads, and plats (daily, 38 Rue de Nesmond, tel. 02 31 22 47 75).
$$$ La Rapière is a lovely wood-beamed eatery—calm and romantic—filled with locals enjoying a refined meal and a rare-these-days cheese platter for a finale. Reservations are wise (closed Sun, 53 Rue St. Jean, tel. 03 31 21 05 45, www.larapiere.net, charming Linda).
$ Le Volet Qui Penche is a fun-loving, wine-shop-meets-bistro run by gentle, English-speaking Pierre-Henri—a wine lover who clearly has found his niche. He serves salads, escargot, charcuterie and cheese platters, and a small selection of à la carte plates to go with a vast selection of wines by the glass (nonstop service until 20:00 most days—making early dinners easy, closed Sun, near the TI at 3 Passage de l’Islet, tel. 03 31 21 98 54).
$$$$ L’Angle Saint Laurent is a tasteful and elegantly simple place run by a husband-and-wife team (Caroline speaks English and manages the spacious restaurant, Sébastien cooks). Come here for a special meal of Normand specialties done in a contemporary gourmet style. The selection is limited and changes with the season (good wine list, closed Mon, 2 Rue des Bouchers, reserve in advance, tel. 02 31 92 03 01, www.langlesaintlaurent.com).
$$ Le Garde Manger, a family-friendly eatery, offers basic grub all day (omelets, big salads, pizza) with a marvelous outside terrace and cathedral views (daily 12:00-22:00, a block from Rue St. Jean at 23 Rue Larcher).
$$ Le Pommier, with street appeal inside and out, is a good place to sample regional products with clever twists in a relaxed yet refined atmosphere. Owner Thierry mixes old and new in his cuisine and decor, and focuses on organic food (good vegetarian menu, open daily, 38 Rue des Cuisiniers, tel. 02 31 21 52 10, www.restaurantlepommier.com).
$$$ Au P’tit Bistrot is a small, casual eatery with a snappy interior and a good reputation for its carefully prepared food. Warmly run, it’s a nice mix of modern and traditional (closed Sun, 31 Rue Larcher, tel. 02 31 92 30 08).
$ La Fringale, well-located on the main pedestrian street, is Bayeux’s low-key diner with a big selection of basic café fare (daily, 43 Rue St. Jean, tel. 02 31 22 72 52).
