Le Havre a vibrant city-port

Le Havre, which is France's biggest ocean port, 125 miles North West of Paris, has since been linked to the rest of the country by the Normandy Bridge.

notre dame cathedral  The first chapel of Notre Dame de Grâce, built in the 12th century, was destroyed in 1359.Since the creation of the town, there have been 3 different constructions on the site where Le Havre's main church stands today.  Notre Dame Church has been classed as an official historical monument since February 10th 1919

natural history museum  The Museum is housed in the former 18th century Law Court building which was damaged by fire in the1944 bombing, and rebuilt in its original architectural style. Its facade and staircase are listed historical monuments.  The public can visit the exhibition rooms specialising in mineralogy, and zoology ( a live hive); the Charles-Alexandre Lesueur collection ( an artist and naturalist who lived in the first half of the 19th century); ornithology (with a diorama of sea birds); paleontology ( local cliffs, the oldest known fossils, dinosaur eggs..) and prehistoric times (especially local remains).

Port de plaisance  Welcome to Le Havre, a vibrant and commercial city-port, remarkable for its highly original modern architecture.  A great maritime city, gracefully combining the charm and pleasures of the sea with the vivacity and richness of a large city, and the ideal base from wich to discover the surrounding Normandy countryside.

graville priory  Graville Priory, the oldest monument in Le Havre, with a church which is a listed historical monument, is surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens overlooking the city andthe Seine estuary.  Its Norman style romanesque church has interesting columns bearing particular themes.It was damaged in 1944 but the restoration work is practically completed.  It was converted into a museum in 1929 and houses :  - a large collection of religious art , from the 16th century up until present day  - a retrospective history of human dwellings, comprising over a hundred scale-model houses built in the 19th century by a local scholar.

the "villa maritime"  The "Villa Maritime" is a fine example of the architecture found in coastal resorts at the end of the 19th century.It was originally the property of the property promoter, Dufayel, who built the Nice Havrais at the beginning of the 20th century. After the Second World War it was bought by the Le Havre playwright, Armand Salacrou.

a day on the beach  Boulevard Albert 1er follows the contours of the sand and pebble beach. It includes a fresh water stream, and numerous cafés and restaurants are open during the summer season. Up until the Second World War there were 2 Casinos on the sea-front.

Cap de la hêve  Cap de la Hève is a natural promontory forming the Pointe de Caux. It is situated in Sainte Adresse.