Honfleur, France

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My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

January 2025

I needed an adventure.

I had heard about a company called Beelehavre that ran shuttles to an adorable town called Honfleur. The night before we docked in Le Havre, I purchased a ticket online. Beelehavre offered three hours of free time in Honfleur, with two departure options: one from the city center (where the ship’s shuttle dropped us off) or another one directly outside the terminal building, which left a little earlier.

I easily found the shuttle just outside the terminal gates, showed my ticket, took a seat, and connected to Beelehavre’s WiFi (which, to my surprise, worked better than the terminal’s). Once everyone boarded, they announced that there wasn’t anyone to pick up in the city center, so we would go straight to Honfleur, allowing a little extra time there.

We arrived without incident. The staff gave us maps of the town and reminded us that our pickup time was printed on our wristbands. I wandered through a small Christmas market and headed toward the harbor.

This town was so pretty and so French! Restaurants lined the streets. I was overwhelmed. I love this stuff. I didn’t know where to begin.

I stopped at a cafe and ordered an Irish Coffee (Yes, I know- I was in France! But there was a sign and it seemed like a good idea). I remembered where I was long enough to order a croissant to go with it.

I made a mess. The croissant was so flaky that it exploded like confetti when I touched it. The coffee had so much whipped cream that there was no way to stir it or get it in my mouth without spilling it all over the place. I was a little embarrassed. I felt like a clumsy American, but honestly, I think I was set up for failure here. After attempting to clean up after myself, I continued on my way.

I loved this town. Cobblestone streets twisted up and around hills, narrow alleyways unfoleded in every direction and the buildings were beautiful.

I kept looking around in awe, but every time I tried to take a picture, my phone just didn’t capture the magic. Eventually, I gave up and focused on enjoying the moment.

I wove my way through the streets until I found myself in a more residential area, found my way back to the city center and then looked for a new path to follow.

Eventually it got to be time where if I was going to eat here before I left I would have to find something now. My high school French, with recent reinforcement from DuoLingo, gave me no confidence. Many of the restaurants on the harbor had expensive set menus specializing in seafood (one of the few words I could translate), but I wasn’t in the mood for that. I wanted cheese!

I found the father of Camembert. That would do the trick! The restaurant was cozy.

Chossing what to pair with my cheese was a challenge. I settled on this bread bowl with melted camembert, nuts and spices inside, along with their specialty frites and a salad. I also tried to point to a glass of wine that seemed to say it paired well with camembert. It turned out to be Merlot (not my favorite variety). But this was the best Merlot I had ever tasted. And yes, it did pair well with the cheese. After this meal, I wouldn’t need to eat again for days.

I still had a little time before I needed to meet the bus. The guide had mentioned that this region was famous for apples. She may have said something about an apple brandy…

I looked in some of the store windows and then gave up on finding the brandy. But I did find some hot apple cider at the Christmas market, and then I found this:

I decided I should probably try that too. So I did.

And then it was time to return to the ship. The bus dropped us off at the terminal and then continued on for those who wanted to explore the city. Since I had already done that the week before, I opted to head back to my cabin with my full belly and take a nap before the evenings activities.

The following week…

I figured out how to be assigned as an escort for the MSC shore excursions! I had just gone on two full day excursions (Brussels and Amsterdam) and was hoping for a little rest. They looked to see what was available and asked if I’d like to go to Honfleur – there was an evening excursion called the Taste of Normandy where we would go to a place that made apple cider and apple brandy (woo hoo!) for a tasting and then go to Honfleur at night. They wanted to send an escort in case anyone was unhappy about the shops being closed or because it was dark and cold. That sounded perfect! The tour didn’t meet until 3pm so I could sleep in, and I LOVE being off the ship at night.

The bus ride to the cider place was beautiful, even in the middle of winter. The orchards were bare, but the scenery was still stunning.

We started in a little room where they kept the barrels.

And then to the gift shop for the tasting.

There is a place near where I live in Clarksburg that makes apple cider, but there was something even more fun about tasting apple cider in France. The apple brandy was nice too – there were varying levels of sweetness and alcohol strength.

Then we returned to Honfleur.

If it was charming during the day, it was magical at night. The sunset cast a glow over the harbor, and everything felt timeless.

This time, the guide offered a short tour of the city. She explained that many of the now-quaint, expensive buildings were once considered ordinary homes for not very wealthy people. Back then, It wasn’t as idyllic – without plumbing, people would empty their chamber pots out the window and onto the street.

But now, it was lovely.

It felt like it was really late but it was only 6pm – too early for French restaurants to open for dinner! I retraced my daytime steps, admired shop windows, and wandered back to the harbor.

Our guide made a point of emphasizing how safe the town was, saying no one will bother you even if you are all alone in the darkest, narrowest alleyway. Naturally I had to test this claim.

She was right.

Most of the time, we’re back on the ship before sunset, so I rarely get to see places at night. This was a special chance to experience Honfleur in a completely different light, and I loved it.