Victor Hugo House (Hauteville House)

Hauteville House is writer Victor Hugo’s house and work of art in Guernsey. Built on the heights of Saint Peter Port, Hauteville House was Hugo's residence during his exile in Guernsey and the only property of the writer on the island. Many masterpieces were written here – Les Misérables, Toilers of the Sea, The Man Who Laughs, The Legend of the Ages, Le Théâtre en Liberté, and so on. The house is a work of art by its layout and décor, designed by Victor Hugo himself.

Hugo lived in Guernsey for the last 15 years of a long 19-year exile. He was banished from France following the coup d’état by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte on 2 December 1851, and also expelled from Belgium in 1852 and from Jersey in 1855. He moved to Guernsey where he acquired Hauteville House in 1856, with proceeds from the sale of his collection of poems, Les Contemplations. Hauteville House remained in the family until 1927, when it was donated to the City of Paris by Victor Hugo’s granddaughter Jeanne Negreponte and the children of his grandson Georges Hugo, on the occasion of the centenary of the Romantic Movement.

The house is built on 5 floors, topped with a belvedere and overlooks the old town of Saint Peter Port and Havelet Bay. Entirely furnished and decorated by the poet, the house and its contents reflect Hugo’s creative genius during his time in exile. The house which, in the words of Charles Hugo, is an “autograph on three floors and a poem in several rooms,” is a work of art in its own right, immersing visitors in a unique atmosphere. Victor Hugo gave a symbolic dimension to his house with references to his writing, philosophy and his vision of the world contained throughout. Visitors discover this in a tour leading them from the shadows of the ground floor to the light of the top floor.

Opening dates : April to September, Closed on Wednesdays
Opening times : 10 am – 4 pm (last admission)
Guided tour only, 10 people per tour – Duration 1 hour

Advance booking is required - book here

Full price: £12 (Adults)
Reduced price : £10 (Under 26 years old included, Students, Teachers)
Free entrance (Under 18 years old, Unemployed, Disabled persons and their carer, Professional tour guides, Members of ICOM and ICOMOS, Journalists.)

Access to the garden is free during the opening times of the museum.

Euros not accepted

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