landmark
Honfleur Old Harbor
A picturesque Normandy port with tall, narrow slate-fronted houses lining the Vieux Bassin, beloved by Impressionist painters.
12 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeFranceNormandy
Le Havre
Normandy, France · Europe
About Le Havre
Le Havre works well as a base: 10 minutes from Fontaine-la-Mallet, 25km from Etretat Cliffs.
Le Havre is in Normandy, France, with about 190,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Fontaine-la-Mallet, about 5 km away.
Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the English Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very close to the Prime Meridian. Le Havre is the busiest port on the northern French CoastRead more
and largest container port in France. it is the second largest city in the Normandy region of France with total population of the greater Le Havre conurbation being smaller than that of Rouen. It is also the second largest subprefecture in France, after only Reims. The name Le Havre means 'the harbour' or 'the port'. Its inhabitants are known as Havrais (masculine) or Havraises (feminine).
The city and port were founded by King Francis I in 1517. Economic development in the early modern period was hampered by religious wars, conflicts with the English, epidemics, and storms. It was from the end of the 18th century that Le Havre started growing and the port took off first with the slave trade then other international trade. After the 1944 bombings the firm of Auguste Perret began to rebuild the city in concrete. The oil, chemical, and automotive industries were dynamic during the Trente Glorieuses (postwar boom) but the 1970s marked the end of the golden age of ocean liners and the beginning of the economic crisis: the population declined, unemployment increased and remains at a high level today.
Changes in years 1990–2000 were numerous. The right won the municipal elections and committed the city to the path of reconversion, seeking to develop the service sector and new industries (aeronautics, wind turbines). The Port 2000 project increased the container capacity to compete with ports of northern Europe, transformed the southern districts of the city, and ocean liners returned. Modern Le Havre remains deeply influenced by its employment and maritime traditions. Its port is the second largest in France, after that of Marseille, for total traffic, and the largest French container port.
In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the central city of Le Havre as a World Heritage Site because of its unique post-WWII reconstruction and architecture. The André Malraux Modern Art Museum is the second of France for the number of impressionist paintings. The city has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of Cities and Villages in Bloom.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Le Havre?
Within an hour or so of Le Havre: Honfleur Old Harbor (12 km), Pont de Normandie (14 km), Deauville Beach (15 km), Etretat Cliffs (25 km).
Are there any good drives near Le Havre?
The nearest famous roads are D-Day Beaches Coastal Road (D514) and Rouen-Les-Essarts.
Where is Le Havre?
Le Havre is in Normandy, France, about 5 km from Fontaine-la-Mallet.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 185,972
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- France
- Region
- Normandy
- Timezone
- Europe/Paris
- Coordinates
- 49.4935, 0.1079
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in France
Carrying a warning triangle and hi-vis vest in your vehicle is mandatory. Motorway emergency phones connect to official breakdown services only.
Full driving guide for FranceTags
Worth the detour from Le Havre
6 notable places within an hour's drive.
bridge
Pont de Normandie
A soaring cable-stayed bridge leaping 2 km across the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur; on opening in 1995 its 856 m main span was the longest of its kind in the world.
14 km · about 25 min drive
beach
Deauville Beach
Glamorous Belle Époque seaside resort with parasol-dotted sands and the famous wooden boardwalk.
15 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Etretat Cliffs
Spectacular white chalk cliffs with dramatic natural arches plunging into the turquoise waters of the English Channel.
25 km · about 30 min drive
museum
Palais Bénédictine
Flamboyant neo-Gothic-and-Renaissance palace in Fécamp built in the 1880s purely to distil Bénédictine liqueur: still a working distillery, with an art collection, aroma room and tasting cellar.
35 km · about 40 min drive
coastal drive
D-Day Beaches Coastal Road (D514)
The coast road threading the five 1944 landing beaches from Utah to Sword, past Arromanches' Mulberry harbour remains, gun batteries and memorials: Normandy's essential remembrance drive.
56 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Le Havre
- Right herePont de NormandieA soaring cable-stayed bridge leaping 2 km across the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur; on opening in 1995 its 856 m main span was the longest of its kind in the world.
- 56 kmD-Day Beaches Coastal Road (D514)The coast road threading the five 1944 landing beaches from Utah to Sword, past Arromanches' Mulberry harbour remains, gun batteries and memorials: Normandy's essential remembrance drive.
- 67 kmRouen-Les-EssartsA fearsome downhill road circuit whose cobbled Nouveau Monde hairpin hosted five French Grands Prix. The track closed in 1994 and the pits were demolished, but the roads through the Normandy forest remain public and the hairpin is unmistakable.
- 77 kmSuisse NormandeA miniature Alps of green gorges and rocky bluffs along the River Orne, beloved by drivers and climbers.
Driving in France
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.85/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€10.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
Nearby Destinations
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