This itinerary invites you to Honfleur and Le Havre, two cradles of Impressionism. Le Havre, home to France's largest port, is where Monet painted Impression, Sunrise, the iconic work that gave its name to the movement. As for Honfleur, the seventh most visited city in France, its unique architecture, with its half-timbered houses and Old Port, fascinated Eugène Boudin, a pioneer of Impressionism. This trip invites you to discover these two exceptional cities as well as the events of the Normandy Impressionist Festival.
Day 1: Honfleur
Known as the "City of Painters," Honfleur captivates visitors with the ever-changing light at the mouth of the Seine, its charming little port, and its narrow streets. Head to the Jardin des Personnalités (Garden of Personalities) to immerse yourself in the fog installation created by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya, a pioneer of environmental art.
Honfleur is the birthplace of Eugène Boudin, a precursor of Impressionism. At the Eugène Boudin Museum, you can discover an exhibition entitled " Pink, Orange, Red Sun" by Julien des Monstiers. You can also participate in the "Together We Are Monet 2026" and contribute to the creation of monumental works that will then be exhibited in various museums in Normandy.
© Foggy Forest, Fog Environment #47660, 1992, Showa Kinen Park, Tachikawa Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Shigeo Ogawa
Don't miss exploring the Sainte-Catherine district or enjoying the many terraces around the Old Port. From April 30 to October 1, you can attend lectures on Impressionism at the Ferme Saint-Siméon, a place that hosted Impressionist artists such as Corot, Boudin, and Monet.
Day 2: Le Havre
Discover a unique seaside city, whose light was a source of artistic inspiration for the Impressionists. Since July 15, 2005, Le Havre, rebuilt by Auguste Perret, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Step inside the André Malraux Museum of Modern Art (MuMa), home to the second largest collection of Impressionist works in France, after the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. As part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, explore an exhibition of around one hundred works by Monet dedicated to his formative years in Le Havre.
At the MuMa, you can discover Water Lilies Ai Weiwei's, a work composed of 650,000 LEGO® pieces that echoes Monet's famous Water Lilies series. You can also participate in two projects organized as part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival: Together We Are Monet 2026 and the 25th edition of the Summer Theatre & Reading Encounters in Normandy.
© Ai Weiwei, Water Lilies. Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio
To end your day, head to Le Portique, a regional contemporary art center, to discover an exhibition of The Story of Fixity by Noémie Goudal, an artist whose creations redefine the notion of landscape in our contemporary society.
