Car Hire - Le Havre to Bayeaux/Caen

[bob-a]

We will be at Le Havre on May 14 (Celebrity Infinity), and plan to hire a car to drive from Le Havre to: Bayeaux to visit the town, and especially to view the Tapestry; after, drive up to Caen to visit the castle, museums, chapels; afterward, drive up along the coast to Deauville and Honfleur before returning to Le Havre.

Problems - never been there before, and we don't speak French. But I will have my GPS since we'll have been driving in Ireland the week before.

Don't want a very stressful day and am hoping to keep the "out & back" time to not more than 8 hrs +-.

Any particular recommendations re getting a car, time for travelling, specific "must-sees" ?

And how hard should I try to avoid the Caen perepherique;)?

Thanks

[gosport11]

There is a car hire place in the cruise terminal http://www.cruiselehavre.com/pdf-contribute/Rent_A_Car_2011.pdf

[CruiserBruce]

Not speaking French won't be a problem. Good maps or GPS will carry you fine, along with some research, and most French speak more than enough English. However, learning some simple French, like please and thank you, and stuff like that, is a considerate thing to do. French will learn some English to come to Texas.

 

You will definitely want to know the word "paege", as that means you are on a toll road.

 

Driving all the way to Caen puts you passing the Britis/Canadian D Day beaches, and on the door step of the American sector. You aren't seeing any of that history?

[LondonTowner]

We took our car to Normandy in September and drove all around the area. It is a very pretty part of France and there is lots to do and see.

 

We prefer not to travel on motorways, but as you have limited time it may be the best way for you

 

Once you are out of the main towns driving in France is very easy as there is not a lot of traffic on the roads. Bayeux is a nice town and the tapestry well worth seeing. I agree with the previous poster about seeing some of the WWII museums. We visited the museums at Omaha Beach, Juno Beach and Pegasus Bridge, but obviously you would probably only have time for one.

 

There are some excellent fish and seafood restaurants if you have time to stop for lunch.

[lamchops]

We will be at Le Havre on May 14 (Celebrity Infinity), and plan to hire a car to drive from Le Havre to: Bayeaux to visit the town, and especially to view the Tapestry; after, drive up to Caen to visit the castle, museums, chapels; afterward, drive up along the coast to Deauville and Honfleur before returning to Le Havre.

Problems - never been there before, and we don't speak French. But I will have my GPS since we'll have been driving in Ireland the week before.

Don't want a very stressful day and am hoping to keep the "out & back" time to not more than 8 hrs +-.

Any particular recommendations re getting a car, time for travelling, specific "must-sees" ?

And how hard should I try to avoid the Caen perepherique;)?

Thanks

 

I just got back from a TA with a stop in LeHavre. I rented a csr from Europcar and drove 1.5 hrs to Bayeaux amd spent 1.5 hrs at the Tapestry and town area. We then drove .5 hrs to Juno Beach Center and spent 2 hrs there. On the 1.5 hrs drive back we spent .5 hrs at the Canadian cemetery and another .5 hrs at Pegasus bridge. An 8+ hour day at a reasonable price.:) I think the tolls totalled 9 euros each way. A very easy drive with a gps.

Beware the speed cameras as I had a speeding ticket waiting for me at home. (There's a couple of zones that drops from 100k to 70k) I got nailed for doing 77k in a 70k zone aprox $100us fine.:mad: My wife saw the flash!

[bob-a]

Did you have any problem with picking up the car (taxi to the agency)? or getting back to the ship after drop-off?

Do they bill the agency for traffic fines? Or does a gendarme come over to extradite if you don't pay?

Seriously, the first hand info is really appreciated

[Hlitner]

Did you have any problem with picking up the car (taxi to the agency)? or getting back to the ship after drop-off?

Do they bill the agency for traffic fines? Or does a gendarme come over to extradite if you don't pay?

Seriously, the first hand info is really appreciated

 

We have often rented cars in LeHavre and routinely take long driving trips in both France and much of Europe. With the exception of the rental car agency located in the port you will generally need a taxi to get to other Le Havre agencies. Although some of the taxis in the port may not want to take the short haul fare....there are always some taxis that will do the short haul or you can ask a resistant driver to call for another taxi.

 

As to traffic fines, you need to be cautious not to speed in France since they make very liberal use of traffic cameras. If you get caught speeding by a camera (or get other moving violations) the fine will be levied against your rental car dealer. The rental car company will then charge your credit card for the fine (often in excess of 100 Euros) plus add an additional fee "for processing." Parking tickets seem to be a hit or miss thing and we have many unpaid tickets (mostly from Italy) that have never caused us much problem (other then some nasty letters from Italy). We are not sure if the current laws in France allow the rental car companies to bill you for parking tickets.

 

In France, if you would happen to get pulled over by the Police for a violation you will often luck-out since they will often let foreign drivers off with a verbal warning unless you have done something very serious.

 

Hank

[lamchops]

Did you have any problem with picking up the car (taxi to the agency)? or getting back to the ship after drop-off?

Do they bill the agency for traffic fines? Or does a gendarme come over to extradite if you don't pay?

Seriously, the first hand info is really appreciated

 

I used a cab getting to and from the car rental agency as it was only $6e each way.

The rental agency does not pay the fine but apparantly will charge you an administration fee for giving up your information. :(

I paid the violation on line and it was only $45e if I paid within 45 days.

https://www.amendes.gouv.fr/portail/index.jsp?lang=en

 

Oh well, another souvenir!:)

[lamchops]

I used a cab getting to and from the car rental agency as it was only $6e each way.

The rental agency does not pay the fine but apparantly will charge you an administration fee for giving up your information. :(

I paid the violation on line and it was only $45e if I paid within 45 days.

https://www.amendes.gouv.fr/portail/index.jsp?lang=en

 

Oh well, another souvenir!:)

 

 

FYI update: No further charges from the rental company!:D

[138east]

I've rented cars several times by myself in France and have done it twice in Normandie. They drive on the right side of the road, so that makes it a lot easier. I loved driving the picturesque back roads. The only thing I found confusing was figuring out what kind of gas to put in the car. Be sure to clarify the type or "color" before you leave the rental agency.