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www.lehavretourisme.comOffice de Tourisme de l’Agglomération Havraise

186 bd Clemenceau - BP 649 - 76059 Le Havre Cedex - FRANCETél. : 00 33 (0) 2 32 74 04 04

www.lehavretourisme.com

Dossier de Presse / Press kit

Office de Tourisme de l’Agglomération Havraise

The maritimemetropolis of Le Havre

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Founded in 1517 by François 1, Le Havre was famously rebuilt after World War II. In 2005, the high standard and historical importance of Auguste Perret’s post-war reconstruction architecture was recognized, when the rebuilt city centre of Le Havre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Le Havre has always been ahead of its time, and Perret’s architecture was not the first «Shock of the New» to hail from Le Havre: it was here that Impressionism was born − and modern art with it − when Monet painted his Impression: Sunrise from the quay of the harbour. The glass and steel Malraux Museum, which has recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, now has the second biggest collection of Impressionist paintings in France (surpassed only by the Musée d’Orsay).

Our maritime metropolis also offers heritage for all tastes, with medieval Harfleur, Montivilliers Abbey, Graville Priory, the Dubocage de Bléville Mansion, the 18th-century architectural gem of the Shipowner’s House, the Atelier Perret − Heritage Centre and the Historic Show Flat, which is a fantastic showcase for Perret’s architecture and post-war interior decoration.

The wind of modernity that swept the Seine estuary in the late 19th century and the post-war period is still blowing. Outside the 1950s World Heritage area, the City Council has allowed major contemporary architects total licence to express themselves. Le Havre’s contemporary architecture includes Le Volcan (the first Maison de la Culture, which is now home to one of France’s national theatres), designed by Oscar Niemeyer, who built Brasilia, and Jean Nouvel’s Bains des Docks (an aquatic centre based on the concept of the Roman baths). In the Docks Vauban, Bernard Reichen’s talent has transformed former 19th-century brick, timber and glass warehouses into a London-style retail and leisure complex housing shops, restaurants and cinemas. In another award-winning project, a former military fort has been converted into Hanging Gardens − a 17-hectare green lung that pays tribute to the botanical explorers whose discoveries have enhanced European gardens since the 15th century.

As well as being Paris’ outer harbour, the maritime metropolis of Le Havre has become cruise firms’ preferred stop on Europe’s Atlantic facade, with 96 cruise stops in 2011, including 11 by luxury vessels and 115 in 2012. The Ocean Gateway is also popular with amateur boatmen and women: the 1200 berths of its round-the-clock marina facilities are no longer enough, and a second marina, Port Vauban, is shortly to open, with 250 berths available as of autumn 2011 and another 250 to follow, accompanied by a 7-hectare business park for sailing-related enterprises. Every two years, sailing enthusiasts congregate in Le Havre for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre sailing race, and the city regularly hosts the French sailing championship and international regattas. Le Havre is a Blue Flag seaside resort, and in summer, its two kilometres of beach, lined with restaurant terraces and less than 800 metres from the city centre, bustle with activity, including a street theatre festival and photographic exhibitions.

Far from breaking with its past, Le Havre is as forward-looking as ever. A 21st-century city buzzing with ideas for urban regeneration and economic development and eager to welcome tourists to share its rich maritime heritage and unique atmosphere, in the run-up to 2017, Le Havre is excitedly preparing to celebrate the 500th anniversary of its founding.

The maritimemetropolis of Le HavreKey facts• Le Havre is France’s 11th biggest city, and the biggest city in Normandy, with a population of 186,000 in the city itself and 246,000 in the conurbation as a whole.• Le Havre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a City of Art and History, a Blue Flag seaside resort, a centre for sailing and water sports. It has a national theatre and the second biggest collection of Impressionist paintings in France.• Le Havre handles more container traffic than any other French port and is the fifth biggest container port in Europe.• It is the most popular cruise port on Europe’s Atlantic facade, with 115 cruise stops in 2012.• It offers round-the-clock marina facilities, 2 kilometres of beach, 37 square metres of parks and gardens per inhabitant, and 70 kilometres of urban cycle lanes.• The conurbation has 1650 hotel rooms, 1050 of which are in central Le Havre.• Le Havre has one Michelin-starred restaurant: Jean-Luc Tartarin.• As of December 2012, it will have two tram lines.

Access :• Le Havre is approximately two hours from Paris by train (with regular connections) or road.• Le Havre-Octeville airport has daily flights to the Lyon airport hub.• There are daily ferry sailings to the UK (Le Havre−Portsmouth, LD Lines) and additional high-speed crossings from April to September.

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St Joseph’s Church The cathedral-like Church of Saint Joseph is Perret’s masterpiece − but Marguerite Huré must share the credit. She was the artist in stained glass who conceived and created the complex play of natural light that filters through 12,768 panes of coloured glass on the facade and the 110-metre spire and illuminates the superb, compellingly spare interior from different angles as the sun moves through its daily arc.

As you approach Le Havre by land or sea, the spire of St Joseph’s Church rises up above the city, a powerful symbol of life and a literal and spiritual beacon for seafarer and tourist alike, soaring skywards as if to escort worshippers’ prayers into the heavens. The spire of St Joseph’s is undoubtedly Le Havre’s answer to the skyscrapers of New York.

A dizzying aestheticand spiritual achievement

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Open 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. (except during services)Entrance on Boulevard François 1

A fusion of the clean lines of concrete and the radiance of stained glass that uplifts the soul...

The Heritage Centre and the Historic Show FlatThe UNESCO World Heritage/City of Art and History Department has moved to new premises on the corner of the Rue de Paris, with its striking colonnades, and the Place Perret (where else?). Located in the heart of the central district reconstructed after World War II and handy for the Historic Show Flat, the Atelier Perret − Heritage Centre has 100 square metres of exhibition space. It is impossible to miss the Heritage Centre’s street frontage at 181 Rue de Paris, with “Maison du Patrimoine” in large letters over the display window. The Heritage Centre sets out to be the first port of call for anyone wanting to find out more about Perret’s work and the architectural principles on which his concrete masterpieces were built. It is a multi-purpose space comprising an information centre, a reception area, an exhibition area and a retail outlet selling videos, books and other items.

The UNESCO World Heritage/City of Art and History Department organizes theme tours of Le Havre and handles bookings for guided tours of and activities connected with the Historic Show Flat, which has been open to the public since 2006.

The Historic Show Flat was first presented by Auguste Perret at the 1947 Exposition internationale de l’urbanisme et de l’habitation, the last of a series of three exhibitions about plans for rehousing people in France and other parts of Europe who had lost their homes as a result of World War II, including the inhabitants of Le Havre. Two years later, the people of Le Havre themselves were able to inspect the planned new housing. The guided tour provides invaluable insights into the architect’s intentions, showing how he endeavoured to create a space that was both rational and adaptable, with bedrooms on the quieter courtyard-facing side and daytime rooms overlooking the street. The rooms are arranged to make the best use of sunlight. The Show Flat is a five-room residential apartment with a floor space of 99 square metres, overlooking the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville on its north side and a courtyard on its south side, with a hall, a living room, a study, a kitchen, three bedrooms, a bathroom, a lavatory and two continuous balconies.

It was built in such a way as to obviate the need for internal bearing walls and allow the owner to rearrange rooms: the sole constraints are the pillars and service shafts. Numerous everyday objects and the lean, functional furniture of interior decorators René Gabriel, Marcel Gascoin and André Beaudoin help bring the Show Flat to life and illustrate how lifestyles changed during the post-war years.

The museum sets out to recreate the atmosphere of a show flat like the one presented to the public by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning.

Perret comes homeN O R M A N D I E

Historic Show Flat guided tour times:Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays: 2.00 p.m., 3.00 p.m., 4.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m.22 June to 13 September: additional guided tours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2.00 p.m.

Tours depart from the Atelier Perret − Heritage Centre,181 rue de Paris, Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 22 31 22

Price: €3 (free for visitors aged 26 and under).

Atelier Perret − Heritage Centre − 181 rue de ParisTel.: Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 22 31 22

Open Mondays to Saturdays, 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.; Sundays, 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Admission is free.

The Bains des DocksLocated in the heart of the Saint Nicolas district, which is currently undergoing renovation, the Bains des Docks aquatic centre is based on the concept of the Roman baths. Jean Nouvel’s clean, spare design makes the most of the 5000 square metres of floor space, cleverly juxtaposing lines, apertures and volumes to create a sensation of calm and well-being enhanced by the natural light flooding in through skylights and windows.

The centre has a total of ten pools aimed at different age-groups and offers water-based treatments including a sauna, a hammam, cold and hot baths, an individual spa and a hydro massage circuit. To relieve the monotony of physical exercise, the aerobics and workout rooms overlook the water treatments area.

Recreational facilities include a covered water chute and there are sunbeds overlooking the Olympic pools. There are large windows in the outside wall, looking out over the harbour and Perret’s reconstruction architecture.

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Opening times:July and August:10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.September to June:Mondays and Wednesdays:9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays:12 noon to 9.00 p.m.Weekends and public holidays:9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Prices: Adults: €5,20Children aged 8 to 12 : €4,20Children under the age of 8 accompanied by an adult : free.

Access :Quai de la Réunion,76600 Le Havre Tel.: +33 (0)2 32 79 29 55www.lesbainsdesdocks.com

The Docks VaubanThe Docks Vauban are a complex of late 19th- and early 20th-century timber-framed brick buildings connected by glass-roofed courtyards, originally used to store the coffee and cotton cargoes of incoming vessels.Renovated by architect Bernard Reichen, who specializes in conversions of industrial buildings, this outstanding example of Le Havre’s maritime heritage is located opposite the railway station, alongside the Bassin Vauban, where a second marina has been created to meet demand (200 berths will be available as of April 2012).

The Docks Vauban are now a retail and leisure complex arranged in 450-metre streets connected by passageways, which houses around 60 retail outlets offering cultural goods, fashion, sports and homeware.

But the Docks Vauban are much more than a shopping centre. The south side of the development is lined with sunny restaurant terraces overlooking the attractively refurbished Quai des Antilles and the Bassin Paul Vatine, which accommodates participants in the Transat Jacques Vabre and Figaro Solitaire sailing races, and the Gaumont cinema, refurbished and decorated by Christian Lacroix, adds to the lively atmosphere. The development has skilfully preserved the original architecture while introducing contemporary elements on a suitably large scale, such as 4-metre ficus plants.

The Docks Vauban complex continues the regeneration of the western section of south Le Havre begun with projects such as Jean Nouvel’s Bains des Docks, the Europe-Asia campus, a Merchant Navy training college and riverside gardens.

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Key figures:Height: 14 to 19 metresLength: 440 metresWidth: Up to 155 metres50,000 square metres of floor spaceRetail spaces of 60 to 5200 square metres(except Gaumont Cinema, 7100 square metres).

MuMa,The André Malraux Museum of Modern Art

As the first museum in France to be rebuilt after World War II (by Auguste Perret’s pupils Guy Lagneau and Raymond Audigier) and the first of Malraux’s Maisons de la Culture, in a superb location overlooking the harbour entrance, Le Havre’s Museum of Modern Art embodies the city’s outward-looking attitude. The transatlantic shipping hub of Le Havre is a perfect setting for this glass, steel and aluminium vessel, which visitors enter via a walkway, as if they were boarding a ship.

Its collection was started in 1845. Rather than being based on an earlier collection of items confiscated during the Revolution, it was created with the conscious intention on the part of the municipality of amassing a body of heritage that the people of Le Havre could identify with. With the help of acquisitions, donations, bequests and loans of art works by the State, the museum initially displayed works from the various European schools of painting from the Renaissance onwards.

The museum really began to specialize in Impressionism and Fauvism during the 20th century. It made some purchases, but the collection mainly grew as a result of the following donations and bequests:

• In 1900, Louis Boudin donated 240 works by his brother Eugène Boudin.• In 1936, the businessman and art collector Charles Auguste Marande left the museum 63 paintings, 25 drawings and one sculpture by artists including Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro, Jongkind, Marquet, Camoin and Van Dongen.• In 1963, Raoul Dufy’s wife left the museum 70 works (oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, ceramics and tapestry).• In 2004, the museum received the Senn-Foulds donation comprising 205 works by artists including Delacroix, Corot, Courbet, Sisley, Pissarro, Monet, Guillaumin, Degas, Cross, Sérusier, Bonnard, Valloton, Derain, Matisse and Marquet, from the collection of the businessman Olivier Senn, a friend of Marande’s. This latest donation made the Malraux Museum’s collection of Impressionist paintings the second biggest in France.

“People of Le Havre, it will be said hereafter that it was here, on this day, that it all began.”

André Malraux, 24 June 1961

André Malraux Museum of Modern ArtCurator: Madame Annette Haudiquet2 boulevard Clemenceau, Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 19 62 62Open Mondays to Fridays, 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.,Saturdays and Sundays, 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.Closed on Tuesdays.

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The Shipowner’s MansionThe house is named after the many shipowners to whom it belonged and who lived there over the centuries, but it was built for his own use by Paul-Michel Thibault, an architect who designed fortifications and fountains for the City of Le Havre, and he lived in it for at least a decade. At that time, the district in which the house is located was densely populated and many wealthy families chose to make their homes there. The building’s features indicate that its owner enjoyed relatively high social status.The house has five storeys, with a ground floor (originally used for stabling and warehouse space), an entresol and three upper storeys. The interior is unusual in being structured around a central well of light − an elegant and intriguing feature.The house has the typical neoclassical facade of buildings dating from the reign of Louis XVI, featuring columns and balusters.

The idea of the Shipowner’s House came from the archives of the Foache and Begouën-Demeaux families, which are connected by marriage. This historic house is halfway between a museum and a private dwelling: some rooms are exhibition spaces containing displays about the city, port and trades of Le Havre, while others are reconstructions of the private apartments, office, cabinet of curiosities and library of a wealthy merchant of Le Havre.

Selected dates: 1790 : Building work commences.1800 : House purchased by Martin-Pierre Foache.1852 : House occupied by the Hôtel d’Helvétie.1880 : Building converted into a block of flats.1950 : Building listed as a Historical Monument.1955 : Building purchased by the City Council of Le Havre.2006 : Museum opened to the public.

3 Quai de l’Île Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 19 09 85Opening times :Everyday from 11.00 a.m to 12.30 a.m, from 1.30 p.m to 6.00 p.m except wenesday from 2.00 pm to 6.00 p.m, closed on tuesday.

The Dubocagede Bléville MansionThis imposing mansion in the heart of the Quartier Saint-François, Le Havre’s oldest district, provides unique insights into Le Havre’s history and ways in which its urban and social tissue has evolved. From 1716 onwards, it belonged to Michel Joseph Dubocage de Bléville, the merchant seafarer who discovered Clipperton Island (or Ile de la Passion), and his descendants. The mansion comprises two adjoining 17th-century buildings, one half-timbered and clad in slate, and the other brick and flint. The French-style formal garden at the front adds grandeur to the whole.The ground floor houses two exhibition spaces. One is intended to be reminiscent of a cabinet of curiosities, and the other is used for temporary exhibitions showing how trade in Le Havre has evolved in tandem with changes in navigation, the arts and science.The first and second floors house two study galleries which are only open to the public during guided tours.

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Selected dates: 1716 : Mansion purchased by Michel Dubocage.

1909 : Dubocage de Bléville’s heirs, the Holker family, sell the property to the City of Le Havre. It becomes known as «The Widows’ Houses».

1946 : Facade listed as a Historical Monument.

1955 : Property becomes the Museum of Old Le Havre.

2004 : Museum closed for building work to ensure it complies with regulations.

2010 : Museum re-opens as the Dubocage de Bléville Mansion.

1 rue Jérôme BellarmatoTel.: +33 (0)2 35 42 27 90

The Hanging GardensThe panoramic view from the Hanging Gardens takes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of central Le Havre, the Seine estuary that inspired some of the greatest names in modern art, and the ambitious, outward-looking port.

Set in a late 19th-century Vauban-style fort, the Hanging Gardens pay tribute to Norman explorers whose botanical discoveries have enhanced European gardens since the 15th century.The landscape architects in charge of the project have succeeded in creating a place for people to relax, learn and have fun, full of green, growing life, while leaving the fort’s basic structure (bastions, recesses, wall walk, moats and powder magazine) intact.

Visiting the Hanging Gardens is a bit like going on a botanical world tour. The four bastions have been turned into themed gardens focusing on flora from the southern hemisphere, the Far East and North America, and contemporary explorers’ discoveries. Hothouses containing collections of scented and aromatic plants, orchid varieties, begonias and tropical plants are grouped around a lawn in the middle of the courtyard.Another must-see is the trial gardens containing beds of flowers and other plants that are being tested for their ability to acclimatize to conditions in Normandy.The Hanging Gardens are constantly changing − even from one day to the next. All the more reason to come back again and again! The backdrop may be the same, but the shapes, scents and colours will be different on each visit.

A green haven of calmN O R M A N D I E

Opening times:April to September : open daily, 10.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.October : open daily, 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.November to February : open daily, 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.March: open daily, 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m

Opening times for hothouse collections:15 June to 30 September: open daily, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 1.45 p.m. to 6 p.m.October: Weekends and public holidays, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 1.45 to 6 p.m.November to February: Weekends and public holidays, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 1.45 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on 25 December and 1 January.1 March to 14 June: Weekends and public holidays, 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 1.45 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Prices:Admission to the gardens is free.Hothouses: €1 (free for children under 12).

Access:Rue du Fort

Le Havre, an ocean gateway to Paris2011, a record-breaking year for the cruise port of Le Havre During 2011, 11 luxury Costa Cruises vessels carrying a total of 170,000 passengers will have docked in the Ocean Gateway for a total of 96 stops. This represents a steady increase on previous years, with 50 cruise stops in Le Havre in 2009 and 70 in 2010. Le Havre is well on its way to achieving its ambition of becoming a regular stop for cruise firms. To extend its network, the Greater Le Havre Tourist Office has joined the Atlantic Alliance and Cruise Europe.

Cruise firms and passengers have a right to expect the very best, so with the help of its partners, the City of Le Havre has transformed its Cruise Welcome Centre into a fully-fledged Cruise Terminal. As well as state-of-the-art technical facilities (baggage scanners, boarding lounge, customs area and baggage store) and services such as a café, Internet access, car hire and a shop, the Cruise Terminal offers passengers a cosy decor featuring model ships, posters of local architecture and Impressionist paintings, photographs of famous people who stayed in Le Havre (such as Alfred Hitchcock, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali and David Niven) and the maiden voyage of the Normandie. Palm trees add a touch of green and a hint of exoticism.

The finishing touch is a large window specially designed to offer a panoramic view of Perret’s contemporary architecture.

Award-winning facilitiesCruise professionals were so impressed with the new facilities that the Greater Le Havre Tourist Office received an award for the Cruise Terminal at the Seatrade Med international trade fair (a major event in the calendar of the thriving cruise industry) in December 2010. Much of the credit for this fantastic achievement should go to the City Council, the Grand Port Maritime, the border police, customs and shipping agents, with whom we successfully cooperated to create the Cruise Terminal.

The 2012 cruise season115 cruise stops are scheduled, 215 passengers.As in previous years, Costa will be running cruises on its luxury vessel the Costa Romantica. Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth will be setting off from Le Havre for her first world tour, while Royal Caribbean will be offering cruises on board the Brilliance of the Seas and Oceania Cruises on the Nautica.

Information: Valérie Conan-Dubuc : Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 74 04 07Cruise Terminal (open on days of cruise stops): Pointe de Floride - Quai Roger Meunier - Tel.: +33 (0)2 35 22 88 66

a favourite stop for cruise firms

As Le Havre prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the liner France coming into service, with no fewer than three exhibitions, the port is as popular as ever with liners and cruise ships − if not more so.

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Sailing and Water SportsThis happy conjunction has resulted in a marina and in the city’s hosting national and international sailing events such as the French championship, the Figaro Solitaire race, the Transat Jacques Vabre and Normandy Sailing Week.

Le Havre is much more than a good place to sail: its 3000-strong sailing club is a Ligue de Voile training centre, and the city also offers facilities for many other water sports.

Le Havre’s 1150-berth marina (which is open round the clock and features a victualling station, a boat lift with unrestricted access, and slipways) has proved insufficient to meet demand, so a second marina, Port Vauban, has been created in the Bassin Vauban in central Le Havre. Port Vauban will be offering 250 berths as of autumn 2011. The City Council has also decided to create a 7-hectare business park specifically for sailing-related enterprises next to the new marina. Le Havre loves sailors and sailors love Le Havre!

The two-kilometre beach is only 800 metres from the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, and it is a great place for sports such as beach volleyball, skateboarding and kitesurfing − or just to laze in the sun. A stroll along the beach promenade, with its restaurant terraces and landscaped gardens looking out to sea, delightfully completes the wide range of activities on offer to visitors. For upwards of a decade, Le Havre has consistently been awarded the Blue Flag label guaranteeing that the sea there is clean and safe to bathe in.

Sailing and water sports are not just part of Le Havre’s heritage − they are thriving leisure activities that are very much part of the city’s present and future.

France Station Nautiquewww.lehavretourisme.com - Tel.: +33 (0)2 32 74 04 04

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Le Havre is an ideal place for sailing, and

its association with boating and regattas

dates back to 1838.

The Women’s Abbey of Montivilliers

It was the founding of its abbey in 682 that first put Montivilliers on the map. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the town became increasingly important in economic and administrative terms, and its famous cloth and tanning industries, fairs and markets grew up and prospered during the 14th century. But wars and the rise of neighbouring Le Havre de Grâce took their toll on these activities and the town subsequently declined. The Abbey remained influential into the 17th century, but was closed following the French Revolution.

Restoration work on Montivilliers Abbey, now a listed historical monument, was completed in 2000. The Abbey is open to the public, and its dramatic narrative guided tours are popular with visitors of all ages. As you listen, the serene cloister, the chapter house, the Gothic refectory and the dorters come to life. The tour vividly conjures up the everyday life of the nuns who inhabited the Abbey in its heyday − a life of prayer, reading and chores. The tour ends in the 16th-century dorter, with displays of scale models and a fascinating film about Norman abbeys. The many buildings that bear witness to Montivilliers’ past prosperity include a church that combines Romanesque and Gothic features, the partially cloistered graveyard of Brisgaret, medieval houses, a 16th-century hospital and a covered market.

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Montivilliers Tourist Information Point «La Gare»Maison de la Nature, de l’Environnement et du TourismePlace Général Leclerc - 76290 MontivilliersTel.: +33 (0)2 35 53 37 97

The seaside resort of Sainte-AdresseOne after the other, Alphonse Karr, the 19th-century editor of Le Figaro, and the property tycoon Georges Dufayel, who built the Nice Havrais block in the 1900s, fell in love with the quintessential seaside resort of Sainte-Adresse.

Much painted by the Impressionists, temporarily the seat of the Belgian govern-ment during World War I, and now a boardsports hotspot, Sainte-Adresse offers an irresistibly eclectic blend of history, culture, water sports and elegant period architecture − not to mention its annual Dixie Days jazz festival, always held over the Whit weekend.

With their breathtaking views over the Seine estuary, the picturesque Our Lady of the Waves chapel and the unusual Sugarloaf memorial, both dedicated to seafarers, reward those who take the time to visit them properly.

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The medieval portof HarfleurThe name Harfleur comes from the Old Norse for «upper harbour» − as opposed to Honfleur, the lower harbour. From the Gallo-Roman period onwards, Harfleur pros-pered as a result of its position at the meeting-place of maritime and river transport routes. As Rouen’s outer harbour and a ville royale (a town under the direct control of the King) from the 13th century onwards, Harfleur had trade links with England.But its fortunes waned as a result of François I’s founding of Le Havre de Grâce − and of its harbour silting up. In the 19th century, there was a renewed interest in the picturesque and the Middle Ages, and Harfleur was one of the places frequented by the artist Turner, who loved the scenery along the Seine.The river Lézarde flows through the centre of Harfleur. Its developed banks are easy to walk along and there is a signposted itinerary taking you past houses with outstanding 15th-, 17th- and 18th-century facades (in the Rue du Grand Quai, on the Quai de la douane and elsewhere). Saint-Martin’s church, built between the 13th and 16th centuries, is one of the finest examples of Norman ecclesiastical archi-tecture. Harfleur’s considerable charms also include the Musée du Prieuré, which occupies a 15th-century inn and houses displays of Roman glass and pottery and contemporary art. The little 17th-century brick and stone château that is now the Town Hall, set in a two-hectare English-style landscape park, is also worth a look.If you want to see Harfleur at its most bustling, the best time to visit is on a Sunday − market day − or during the annual «Fête de la Scie».

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Point InformationTourisme d’Harfleur - La Forgerue Frédéric Chopin76700 HarfleurTel.: +33 (0)2 35 13 30 09

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Exploring local industriesA new form of tourism

In addition to such major tourist attractions as its rich architectural heritage, outstanding museum collections, beach and marina, as one of France’s biggest ports, Le Havre has a fascinating industrial heritage that is attracting increasing numbers of visitors.

Industrial tourism offers the public the chance to visit a site that showcases past, present or future industries − heritage sites, working industrial plants or scientific and research facilities. The maritime metropolis of Le Havre is home to a wide variety of industries, including several of France’s biggest firms.

Tours of industrial sites for organized groups and individuals are a popular addition to the range of culture and leisure activities on offer to children and adults looking for a different kind of outing.

The growing enthusiasm shown by the public for open days and heritage days at industrial facilities has prompted the Greater Le Havre Tourist Office to organize more tours of local industries.In collaboration with the association Industries du Havre, we initially identified three firms − Total, Renault and EDF − as suitable locations, subsequently adding the Grand Port Maritime du Havre, one of the Tourist Office’s closest and longest-standing partners.

Each of the firms taking part in the programme has carefully organized tours so that they do not interfere with the running of the facility, safety regulations, working hours and movement around the site.

Tours last two and a half to three hours and prices start at €165 per group (excluding transport) or €12 per person for individual visitors.

We also offer innovative packages combining cultural and industrial heritage tours, which can include lunch if required.

Information and bookings:Greater Le Havre Tourist OfficeTel.: +33 (0)2 32 74 04 04 – Fax: +33 (0)2 35 42 38 39groupes@lehavretourisme.com

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