Côte de Grâce & the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Grâce
A ten-minute drive — or a steep but rewarding 30-minute walk — up the wooded hillside west of Honfleur brings you to the Côte de Grâce plateau, where the Seine estuary opens up in a vast panorama and the Pont de Normandie bridge stretches across the horizon like a piece of industrial sculpture. The little pilgrimage chapel at the top has been a sailors' landmark for 400 years.
The Panorama and the Bridge
The best viewpoint is the Belvédère de la Côte de Grâce, a grassy terrace just below the chapel car park, where on a clear day you can see Le Havre's industrial skyline, container ships queuing in the estuary, and the elegant cables of the Pont de Normandie spanning 2,143 metres across the water. Sunrise and late-afternoon light are spectacular here.
The whole plateau is covered in apple orchards and ancient beech forest; in autumn the combination of golden foliage, sea light and the distant bridge is genuinely jaw-dropping and almost completely crowd-free.
Chapelle Notre-Dame de Grâce
The chapel itself, rebuilt in 1613 after its medieval predecessor slid down the eroding cliff, is filled with ex-voto offerings — model ships, painted plaques and photographs left by sailors and their families as thanks for safe return. It is a moving and unusual interior that feels nothing like a tourist attraction.
A pardon (religious procession) takes place at the chapel every year on Whit Monday, drawing pilgrims from across Normandy; if your visit coincides, it is an authentic slice of Norman folk tradition.
More of Honfleur
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Honfleur →
