We're leaving in two days and still haven't decided where to stay France. We were going to base ourselves in Bayeux and travel from there but after listening to all you ST we're considering spending a few nights in Honfleur and possibly Rouen.

Cour St. Catherine looks like a good B&B in Honfleur. Where does one park if you stay there? How far away is the parking?

Has anyone stayed in Rouen? If so, where would you recommend?

i think you are making a wise decision:
honfleur and rouen is a terrrific combination
rouen you can park at place vieux marche:its a VINCI parking with security: i stay in business hotels most of the time and the mercure champ mars is great walking distance to the center of rouen.
honfleur is small everything is walkable: park by the harbor there is a big parking lot gated:

We stayed in Rouen 20 years ago (sorry, don't know the name of the hotel), so unfortunately don't have any recent experience to share. The hotel was right on the cathedral square, and we had a lovely view of the facade of that magnificent church... from our bathroom window!

Rouen is a lovely place to stay, we enjoyed it greatly. If you are an omnivore and would like to try a specialty of the town, try to find duck a la Rouennaise - duck prepared with a sauce that contains some of the duck blood. It may sound a bit unusual (or not); it is certainly very good.

Thanks for the info. Do you think we would be wiser to spend three days in Reims and four in Honfleur? From Honfleur we could easily take a day trip into Rouen or do you think we should stay in all three towns?

I'm a poor source on the relative merits. Fell in love with Honfleur two decades ago and have yet to recover. Parking is difficult to nonexistent throughout the historic district. You might find a spot on the street near the Cour Ste. Catherine at this time a year but could not count on it. The fallback places are the large public pay lot to the right of the Old Harbor as you approach the harbor via the Avenue de la Republique and the free Naturospace lot on Avenue Charles V. Both are about 10 minutes by foot from the B&B, with the latter trajectory less level. You would not want to drive within the historic district to dine or shop or visit the museums and other sights. It's impractical. But the town is compact, nothing more than 15 minutes by foot at a leisurely pace. Walking on cobblestones does require some care and good footwear. So far, a pair of Mephisto sandals with the sculpted soles one-half to one inch thick have proved the best for me.

Dave

Pedmar, I've made note of your parking suggestions for Honfleur. Thanks, so much. We also made a reservation at Cour Ste. Catherine for 4 nights.

After all the "posts" on Honfleur, we were enticed into going to see it . . . thanks to all you Slow Travelers!

Kim, I love duck. If the opportunity arises, I might try your recommended dish.

Dave, I copied all your notes on where to park. Thanks for taking the time to be so specific.

Patty

Pedmar, don't panic! I put your parking instructions correctly under "ROUEN" in my notebook. I just posted it incorrectly on this message board.

Hi Patty,

I'll be in Honfleur this Saturday, the 9th. Will you be there then?

Dave

Hi, Dave!
No, unfortunately we don't arrive in Honfleur until 20 October. We'll fly into Frankfurt first and spend several weeks in Germany before going to France.

Hopefully our paths will cross in the future.

We were able to reserve a room at Meredith and Bill's B&B in Reuilly for several nights. Just had an email from Bill. He sounds very hospitable.

Yes, Bill and Meredith's B&B: http://www.marneweb.com/bnb/indexeng.htm

is great, and they are really nice folks! Also, the Michelin one-star restaurant across the road is a nice touch. Liliane and Antoine Giaglis at the Cour Ste. Catherine in Honfleur also are very warm and welcoming. Who knows, we may be in Honfleur again during your visit.

Dave

Patty,

We absolutely loved our week in Normandy and Honfleur this summer. I'm so glad you've decided to spend a few days in Honfleur. If you are there on Saturday morning, you'll be able to enjoy the great market.

Kathy

favorite shot in Honfleur

Kathy, thanks for reminding me about the market in Honfleur. We will, indeed, be there on a Saturday and will definitely go!!

Dave, I so hope you will be in Honfleur when we are!

Pedmar . . . WOW!! Really beautiful . . .can't wait.

We visited Honfleur last summer and *loved* it! We stayed at Cour Ste. Catherine and would do so again in a heartbeat.

We were there in late July over a weekend. We were able to find parking spots within a block of Cour Ste. Catherine every time we wanted one (including Saturday night). Our longest walk was up the hill leading out of town parked parallel along the hill.

i'm jealous.... have a great time!