Gate of Caen, City gate in Honfleur, Normandy, France

The Porte de Caen is a city gate in Honfleur, Normandy, and one of the last remaining parts of the town's old defensive walls. It is built into the Lieutenance, a heavy stone building standing at the entrance of the old harbor basin.

Honfleur built its town walls in the 14th century to protect the port, and the Porte de Caen was one of the entry points into those fortifications. The Lieutenance, into which the gate is built, originally housed the officer responsible for the town's defense and changed roles several times over the following centuries.

The Porte de Caen sits at the edge of the old harbor basin and marks a natural boundary between the open port and the older streets of the town. The gate is part of the Lieutenance building, which now serves as a museum and hosts art exhibitions open to visitors.

The Porte de Caen sits right on the edge of the old harbor and is easy to reach on foot from most parts of the old town. The sidewalk around it is narrow, so it is worth slowing down to take in the details of the stonework and the surrounding area.

The Porte de Caen is considered the smallest of Honfleur's former city gates, which makes it easy to miss among the other remains of the old fortifications. After a restoration finished in 2022, the Lieutenance now also provides working space for artists, so the old defensive structure and contemporary creative activity exist side by side.