Is Le Havre Worth Visiting?

[zogrand]

We just spent several days in Paris and 9 days in Normandy. We did a two day private tour of the D-Day beaches and also visited Honfleur, Rouen, Bayeux, and Mont St. Michel. We will be stopping in Le Havre in October on the Crown Princess. Our inclination is to go to Honfleur for the morning and spend the afternoon in Le Havre. If it was easier to rent a car on a Sunday we would do so but don't think the hassle is worth while. Would it be worth spending the whole day in Le Havre? Is there enough to see? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Talisker92]

We stopped there on a Princess cruise, and hired a car to take us to Giverney and Rouen. It was not inexpensive, BUT you are in complete control. Our visit to Monet's house and gardens was magical, and to visit the cathedral in Rouen that he painted many times was great. We had lunch in a little restaurant in Giverney before going to Rouen.

It has been our experience that you can see more in a half day private tour than in 2 days of bus tours.

On some cruises Princess offered Giverney and Rouen, but it was a 9 or 10 hour bus ride. You have to figure getting 40 or so people on and off the bus plus lunchtime.

We were not rushed, and spent less time than that plus did it at our pace!

The story and pictures are on our website under: 2011 EUROPE PART 1-RIVIERA & WESTERN EUROPE

[Hlitner]

We just spent several days in Paris and 9 days in Normandy. We did a two day private tour of the D-Day beaches and also visited Honfleur, Rouen, Bayeux, and Mont St. Michel. We will be stopping in Le Havre in October on the Crown Princess. Our inclination is to go to Honfleur for the morning and spend the afternoon in Le Havre. If it was easier to rent a car on a Sunday we would do so but don't think the hassle is worth while. Would it be worth spending the whole day in Le Havre? Is there enough to see? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

That is a tough situation. If it was not a Sunday we might suggest renting a car and perhaps driving over to Etratat and Fecamp and exploring that part of the coast. We do not like LeHavre and like it even less on Sundays when just about everything is closed. The last time we were in your situation we simply took the long walk to the train station and rent to Rouen for the day. DW figured she would rather be walking around Rouen then LeHavre. Honfleur would always be high on our list to simply have a long lunch on the harbor....but getting there on public transport is a real challenge.

 

Hank

[zogrand]

Thanks, Hank. This is just what I wanted to know. We would rent a car in a minute if it wasn't Sunday. We felt very comfortable driving in Normandy earlier this month so this would have been our first choice. So...looks as if returning to Rouen or Honfleur would be our best bet. Do you have a clue how much it would cost to hire a cab to take us to Honfleur? It looks to be about 1/2 hour plus the Normandie Bridge cost. Princess offers a 1/2 day tour for $70 each. We'd rather spend an equal amount on cab fare and be able to stay the whole day and do what we want.

Carol

[Hlitner]

Sorry, but we do not know the exact taxi cost to Honfleur but would take an educated guess of about 40 Euros each way. We have heard to taxis agreeing to do the return trip (with waiting time) for 125 - 150 Euros but that would be negotiable. We would not recommend a one way taxi because it will be difficult finding a taxi to bring you back on a Sunday.

 

Hank

[zogrand]

You've been very helpful. I would have been thinking about a one way cab each way. Thanks for advising against it.

Carol

[kazu]

We just spent several days in Paris and 9 days in Normandy. We did a two day private tour of the D-Day beaches and also visited Honfleur, Rouen, Bayeux, and Mont St. Michel. We will be stopping in Le Havre in October on the Crown Princess. Our inclination is to go to Honfleur for the morning and spend the afternoon in Le Havre. If it was easier to rent a car on a Sunday we would do so but don't think the hassle is worth while. Would it be worth spending the whole day in Le Havre? Is there enough to see? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

We just got back from LeHavre - we had a taxi company that did round trip transfers to HonFleur.

 

We did find some areas in LeHavre that were nice BUT with going on a Sunday, I would tend to focus my time in HonFleur as Hank has recommended.

 

If you can find others on your roll call willing to share the taxi cost is not formidable at all:D

 

The same company also offered tours to Giverny, etc. Lots of options out of LeHavre:)