Iconic View of Honfleur

The emblematic view of Honfleur

The Honfleur audio-guided tour offers you, on the other side of the Vieux Bassin, one of the most emblematic viewpoints of the city, between a 1900 carousel and tall slate houses.

A postcard setting and its legends

From this viewpoint, the gaze embraces on one side the beautiful 1900 carousel, on the other the tall narrow houses with slate roofs and the masts swaying on the water. Behind this postcard setting also hide astonishing stories, such as the legend of the Salted Harlequin. In the seventeenth century, an itinerant theatre troupe was playing in Honfleur when an actor met his death at the end of a performance. Actors being then deprived of religious burial, the troupe, distraught, is said to have preserved the body by salting it, like fish, near the Salt Stores. Between drama and derision, this tale handed down from generation to generation adds to the Vieux Bassin a scent of mystery.

What there is to see

This viewpoint is the dream spot to capture the most famous image of Honfleur: the Vieux Bassin, its slate houses and their reflections, framed by the carousel and the boats. It is the ideal place for a souvenir photo, while letting oneself be carried by the legends that haunt the quays. An essential stop in the heart of the city.

Practical information

This viewpoint is on the perimeter of the Vieux Bassin, in the heart of Honfleur. It is freely accessible on foot at all hours and on the level; the end of the day offers a particularly beautiful light on the dock.

What does one see from this viewpoint?

The Vieux Bassin, the 1900 carousel and the tall slate houses that reflect in the water, the most emblematic image of Honfleur.

What legend is associated with the Vieux Bassin?

That of the Salted Harlequin, a seventeenth-century actor whose troupe is said to have preserved the body for lack of being able to bury him.