Sainte-Adresse is the clifftop suburb immediately north of Le Havre — technically a separate commune, though effectively continuous with the city. The old village sits on the plateau above the chalk cliffs, with a lower esplanade along the beach and a series of steep roads connecting them. The atmosphere is noticeably calmer and more residential than Le Havre's city centre.
The suburb is inseparable from Claude Monet, who lived here with his family during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and painted some of his most celebrated early works: "Garden at Sainte-Adresse" (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and "Regatta at Sainte-Adresse" both depict views from the village's terraces. The Jardins Suspendus, in the old fort at the top of the cliff, are the most visited attraction. The beach below the cliffs is quiet and clean, and the walk from here along the promenade toward Le Havre's main beach gives fine views of the port and the Seine estuary.