Travel Guide Conflans-Sainte-Honorine

Conflans-Sainte-Honorine offers a green and water setting that is very much appreciated. It is one of the few river towns to be built on one side only, on the right bank of the Seine. In the Middle Ages, peasants and fishermen populated the small village installed on a rocky spur ideally located at the confluence of the Seine and the Oise rivers. In 876, when Charles Le Chauve reigned over France, monks from the region of Le Havre came to Conflans to protect the relics of Saint Honorine, a martyr of the 3rd century, from the Viking invasions (today kept in the church of Saint-Maclou). At the beginning of the 11th century, the Count of Beaumont, Lord of Conflans, had the Château Vieux built, of which the only vestige that has survived to the present day is the dungeon called the "Tour Montjoie". From the 12th century onwards, the town became richer thanks to river trade. The banks of the Seine came alive in turn, attracting merchants and newcomers. In the 19th century, with the invention of the steam engine, the town developed its river activities and became the capital of the inland waterways in 1855. Every year in June, the city commemorates the National Pardon of the Inland Navigation, a patriotic and festive event that sees many flagged vessels converge. It is very pleasant to stroll along the banks, a real tourist attraction. Punctuated with benches and lookouts overlooking the Seine, they offer a unique view of the river, the fauna and the boats.