Honfleur vs Dieppe

I have seen both, and i think Honfleur is prettier.

Me too. Honfleur.

Me three. Keep in mind looking seaward along this entire stretch of coast near the mouth of the Seine, you will see industry, well built up, crane filled industry.

Honfleur is a pretty tourist trap. Dieppe has a really good street market and is WELL worth the visit for a bit of REAL France, and restaurant prices are not silly. (p.s. A popular scam in Honfleur is you ask if you want a LARGE one, when you order a beer. Ask the price. The one litre glass that arrives is often priced at 20 euros.)

I've never been to Dieppe but we just returned from Honfleur. It is very touristy, but we found it gorgeous and very much enjoyed the town and food. I will have to mention that my husband got sick while we were there (and had to be hospitalized for 3.5 days), and people at the Hotel du Dauphin were amazing. They helped me with all the changes we needed to make in our plans - I couldn't have done it without them!

I haven't been to Dieppe either but was in Honfleur last week and agree with Roger and Sharon's comments about Honfleur being touristy.

We visited both this last summer. The only reason we went to Dieppe was that I had served in two of the regiments that had landed there in August 42, and over my 30 year career I had met many vets of that raid. So my visit was kind of like a pilgrimage, run up the stoney beach, visit the memorials. So unless you have some sort of Canadian Military connection there's not much there, just a work-a-day ferry port. Honfleur is a very photogenic, tons more charming than Dieppe. Although the coast near Dieppe is much nicer, open coasts, and cliffs and beaches, compared to Honfleur's summer homes and resorts.

I am starting to rethink heading north up the coast altogether. I've pretty much decided that Dieppe is too far north and if Honfleur is overpriced and touristy than I'm not sure that's where I want to spend part of the little time I have no matter how pretty it is. I think I'd prefer exploring the region inland (i.e. the cider trail). We only have three nights in Normandy. We are coming from the west and heading into Rouen. The plan was to go from there to Honfleur and spend the night and then go to Bayeux for two nights to see the WWII sites and Mont-Saint-Michele. Thoughts?

What time of year is this going to be? It will make a difference.

The end of October.

Watch for farms selling cider and calvados (apple brandy) [INVALID] pop in for a degustation! (tasting) Roger

You probably won't find too many tourists around Honfluer in the fall, I'd hang in there since it's a great place. I'd also get the calvados to go, the fuzz has no sense of humor about drinking and driving and I've seen quite a few alcohol test road blocks.

Thanks everyone. Lynn - I like the idea of an afternoon (probably early evening actually) in Honfleur. It just didn't strike me as a place I'd want to do much more than look around a bit and, perhaps, have a nice, simple meal. Excellent suggestion.

Hmmm ... we went to Honfleur last year and weren't overly moved by it. Haven't tried Dieppe.

Rouen, Honfleur and Bayeux are all relatively close to each other. On our trip to Normandy we made an afternoon stop in Honfleur. Very pretty little town, touristy but really, everywhere you go will likely be touristy! We had a wonderful crepe and cider meal at one of the restaurants recommended by Rick a bit back from the harbor and it was not overly expensive. Just avoid the cafes around the harbor itself. If you like impressionist art there is a Boudin museum there that warrants a short visit. Then drive on to Bayeux and spend your three nights there. Bayeux turned out to be one of my family's favorite stops on our three week trip to Europe. In addition to the proximity to the WWII beaches the town itself around the old town was relatively peaceful even in August. Our evening visit to the almost entirely empty cathedral was actually much more enjoyable than our crowded visit to Notre Dame. Try the Kir Normand drink at local restaurants.

We were in Honfleur last October - LOVED IT. Actually, loved it so much I am taking my Mom and sister there next July. Though I know it will be covered with tourists during the day, usually they ship out at night so you have the town with those who are staying. If you'll be staying overnight, you can enjoy the town after others leave. And October won't be as bad, not as many travelers during that time. Something about the town, I just fell in love with it. Haven't been to Dieppe, so I can't comment on that.

Forgot to mention - If you asked my kids what they liked best about that trip - they'll tell you the Normandy tour we took and Le Mont Saint Michel. I've never seen anything like MSM, and if you are there during a high tide - OH MY! We arrived in the evening to see it during daylight, watched the tide roll in and surround us that night, spent the night on MSM and left the next morning after visiting the abbey. You don't need much more time than that. Neat place.