Highlight
Vieux Bassin
Honfleur's 17th-century harbour, ringed by tall slate-fronted houses and café terraces.
Typical duration
60 min
Price
Free
From port
1.5 km / 0.9 mi
Transfer time
20 min
Indoor / Outdoor
outdoor
Queue risk
low
🕐 Best time to visit
Early morning for photos and calm; late afternoon light on Quai Sainte-Catherine
The Vieux Bassin was dug in the 1680s on the orders of Colbert, Louis XIV's minister, and it is still the heart of Honfleur. On the west side, Quai Sainte-Catherine is lined with narrow houses of six or seven storeys, their fronts hung with slate and timber. On the east side, the Lieutenance guards the old entrance to the harbour. Today the basin is full of yachts rather than fishing boats, and the quays are lined with café terraces and galleries. Walk right round it (about 15 minutes), then head up the lanes behind Quai Sainte-Catherine to the wooden church. For the classic photo, stand on Quai Saint-Étienne in the morning with the sun on the house fronts.
Getting there from the port
Walk 20 minutes from the terminal through the Jardin Public