Le Havre, France

Le Havre, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photojanvier2005CLG_002.jpg
Author: Urban


Le Havre, which means "the harbour", is a port city at the mouth of the River Seine, in the Upper Normandy region, in northwest France. The city of Le Havre has a population of about 250,000 people.

Le Havre was founded in 1517 by King Francis I, and was originally named Franciscopolis. There was a chapel there by the name of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce which lent its name to the port, which became known as Le Havre de Grâce. This was shortened to Le Havre, as we know it today.

Le Havre suffered considerable loss during the Second World War, when 12,000 of the houses there were destroyed during the Battle of Normandy. The preserved old town of Le Havre, rebuilt by Auguste Perret, is today a World Heritage Site.

Going to Le Havre

The most practical way to reach Le Havre for budget travellers is to take the train from Paris, which is 2 hours away. You can also get there by ferry from Portsmouth and Newhaven in England.

Exploring Le Havre

The old town is best explored on foot. You can also rent a bicycle from the tourist office.

Priory of Graville, Le Havre
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prieur%C3%A9_de_graville1.jpg
Author: Urban

World Heritage Site in Le Havre

Places of Interest in Le Havre

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Thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye. My hobby is to research information about places, and share the information with people on this website. I started this website on 5 January 2003, and since then, have written about over 20,000 places, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore.

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. While I try my best to provide you information that is as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors. Also, as I might not be able to update some information on time, some of these pages may contain outdated information.