The town dates from the 11th century and changed hands many times in the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) between England and France. The last period of English occupation was from 1418 to 1450. From the 16th to the 19th century the town prospered from its trade with the North American continent and with Asia. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed to Canada from Honfleur in 1608 to found Quebec. In the 19th century Honfleur was supplanted as a port by Le Havre, becoming instead a resort favoured by artists and writers, a number of whom were born there. The Vieux-Honfleur Museum, housed in the 14th–15th-century Church of Saint-Étienne, contains local maritime and folklore exhibits. The timber Church of Sainte-Catherine, which looks like a ship upside down, was constructed in the 15th century by shipbuilders. It is separated from its wooden belfry, which is in the Place du Marché.

The commercial port, directly linked to the Seine estuary, supports modest trading activity (such as the import of petroleum products) and is connected to an industrial zone with a mixture of small-scale activities including metallurgical, chemical, and electronics industries. Accessibility to Honfleur was greatly improved by the opening of a new road bridge across the Seine estuary in 1998, providing a direct link to Le Havre. Pop. (1999) 8,178; (2004 est.) 8,139.