Le Havre to Juno Beach Museum transportation ideas???

[Scoobs9]

We are looking for transportation ideas from Le Havre to the Juno Beach Museum in Normandy on August 14 (Ruby Princess).

I have read about tours that mainly go to the US sites, but would like to see the Canadian Museum.

Also looked into car rentals, but not sure about the drive (time, traffic, difficulty factor).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

[LondonTowner]

We have holidayed in this area both in 2012 and 2013 and took our own car on the ferry from UK. It is a fairly easy drive from Le Havre to the Juno Beach museum. It is busy around Le Havre and Caen, but once away from there it is an easy drive with not too much traffic. Also, we have a British car, but still don't findit difficult.

 

We take the coastal road which is quiet and in some places very pretty. You can cross the Pegasus bridge and visit the museum there, which is well worthwhile.

 

The drive to Juno Beach takes about an hour and a half. The museum is at Courselles sur Mer which has some lovely restaurants, well worth trying the seafood.

 

If you have time on your way back you could also visit Honfleur.

[CruiserBruce]

Most of the venders mentioned on this board will do British/Canadian oriented tours. You just have to ask.

[Hlitner]

Driving in France is actually pretty straightforward (outside of Paris) and would be the lowest cost option. We do recommend having (or renting) a GPS since it takes away any stress of getting lost. My suggestion would be to immediately drive to Juno (since its a long distance from the ship) and then work your way back towards Le Havre. If you find yourself getting back to LeHavre with a few hours to spare, then we recommend stopping at Honfleur for a look and perhaps a drink on the attractive harbor.

 

Hank

[lamchops]

We are looking for transportation ideas from Le Havre to the Juno Beach Museum in Normandy on August 14 (Ruby Princess).

I have read about tours that mainly go to the US sites, but would like to see the Canadian Museum.

Also looked into car rentals, but not sure about the drive (time, traffic, difficulty factor).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

We did this drive in the fall of 2012. I rented a car from Europecar and I think it was $130 as it was a Sunday. It's quite a bit cheaper on a weekday. It's not that difficult of a drive if you rent a "english GPS" however if you don't arrive early at the rental shop you may end up with a french speaking one like me.:) My high school french was tested but I survived. I drive a standard but if you can't, book ahead to reserve an automatic as they are limited and more expensive.

 

The Juno Beach center is staffed by Bilingual Canadians who get to work there on a one year term. The Center is funded by the Canadian government and war vets, I think. The displays and exhibits are quite informative and if you do the center first, the beach will have more meaning.

 

We showed up at the rental counter at 9:30 and drove to Bayeaux (1.5hrs) to see the Tapistry. We grabbed some pastries for lunch at noon and drove to Juno Beach and spent a couple of hours there. On the way back we spent almost an hour each at the Canadian Cemetary at Beni sur mer and at Pegasus bridge before getting back to drop off the car shortly after 6pm.

 

Drive the speed limit as they use photo radar and I have a $60 reciept to prove it.

 

My next Normandy visit will include the American perspective but seeing how close it was to Rememberance Day when we were there it was fitting to honor our own.

Edited January 11, 2014 by lamchops

[KirkNC]

If you want to use a tour group, Overlord Tours does the Canadian Beaches. Our guide was excellent on the American ones.

[Scoobs9]

Thanks for all the insight into this question. Looks like we're going to rent a car and try it ourselves (greatest flexibility).

 

Just wondering still; if we rent a car in Le Havre, will it be in the port where we disembark, or do we need to get a taxi to Le Havre in order to pick up the car?

[Hlitner]

Thanks for all the insight into this question. Looks like we're going to rent a car and try it ourselves (greatest flexibility).

 

Just wondering still; if we rent a car in Le Havre, will it be in the port where we disembark, or do we need to get a taxi to Le Havre in order to pick up the car?

 

The answer is that it depends on who you rent your car from! The last time we were in Le Havre there was a single rental car agency that had a desk in the terminal and that was http://www.rentacar.fr/ . Their port office is normally staffed when ships are in port, but for some strange reason they do not show that port location on their web site. This is a situation where a phone call (or perhaps an e-mail) might elicit a response. Although we did not rent a car from that company, we talked with them and recall their prices were a bit high...but perhaps the location makes it worthwhile.

 

As to the other rental car agencies (all the majors have offices in Le Havre) it generally means you will want to use a taxi...although DW and I sometimes have no problem walking to agencies near the train station (can be a 40 min hike depending on docking location).

Hank

[Scoobs9]

Thanks Hank! I located a Hertz location on Blvd Amiral Mouchez in Le Havre. It looks like it's very close to the port area. Booked a midsize car for 46E with unlimited mileage. Since it's a tentative booking, I'm still keeping our options open if we see something better. At least we have a confirmed booking and a car at the ready!

[frenchrci]

Drive the speed limit as they use photo radar and I have a $60 reciept to prove it.

 

Haha ! That's soooo true.

 

When you don't know the country, be very very careful. They are everywhere...

 

I agree, if you can stop a little, stop at "Honfleur", on the port ! You will not regret it ! :)

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank! I located a Hertz location on Blvd Amiral Mouchez in Le Havre. It looks like it's very close to the port area. Booked a midsize car for 46E with unlimited mileage. Since it's a tentative booking, I'm still keeping our options open if we see something better. At least we have a confirmed booking and a car at the ready!

 

Please post your experience once you return. We have never used that rental location and want to know all :). The price sure sounds good for a one-day rental.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

everywhere...

 

I agree, if you can stop a little, stop at "Honfleur", on the port ! You will not regret it ! :)

 

Juno & the other D-Day sights are some distance from the ship, Honfleur is under 30 minutes.

You need to build in some wiggle room for your return from Juno to the ship, to allow for delays.

Planning time in Honfleur for a beer or two by the harbour on your way back will give you that wiggle room. If you're behind the clock, trim your time in Honfleur. If you're seriously behind the clock, skip Honfleur altogether.

 

JB :) .

[Scoobs9]

Sounds like a great plan! Juno Beach Museum is our main focus, but we will try to schedule a stop in Honfleur on the way back for sure! The "beer" option sounds like a great idea!!!

Edited January 25, 2014 by Scoobs9

[alfred2]

We have rented a car from Hertz and drove to Juno beach. The GPS that we rented from Hertz was set up to speak english and warned us of photo radar installations as we were approaching them. The drive was easy, speed limit on the main highway is 130 km/h.

[LondonTowner]

Yes, I would definitely do Honfleur on the way back. Obviously, you will have strict time constraints, but if you do have plenty of time you may want to visit Arromanches and see the Mulberry Bridge which is still there, but it is about another 20-30 minutes further along the coast from Juno Beach.

 

I suppose it depends on your interests, whether it be WWII, or the pretty town of Honfleur.

 

The price for the car hire seems pretty reasonable, but check if it is all inclusive.

[wlb0416]

We're on a Cruise & Maritime ship with one day in port at Le Havre, Nov. 6, 2014, wanting to visit Omaha Beach & the American cemetery.

As guided tours cost over $1000 USD, we have 2 questions:

Does anyone want to share a tour with us that day, to offset the cost for all?

If we rent a car, what suggestions do you have for driving it and doing self-guided tours? Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

We're on a Cruise & Maritime ship with one day in port at Le Havre, Nov. 6, 2014, wanting to visit Omaha Beach & the American cemetery.

As guided tours cost over $1000 USD, we have 2 questions:

Does anyone want to share a tour with us that day, to offset the cost for all?

If we rent a car, what suggestions do you have for driving it and doing self-guided tours? Thanks!

 

Tour shares are arranged on your roll call. However Cruise and Maritime has a very small presence here on Cruise Critic, so I think you will have a difficult time finding takers. What ship are you are on?

[Hlitner]

We're on a Cruise & Maritime ship with one day in port at Le Havre, Nov. 6, 2014, wanting to visit Omaha Beach & the American cemetery.

As guided tours cost over $1000 USD, we have 2 questions:

Does anyone want to share a tour with us that day, to offset the cost for all?

If we rent a car, what suggestions do you have for driving it and doing self-guided tours? Thanks!

 

Since we do a lot of driving throughout Europe we will try and answer your rental car questions. Driving in this part of France is not difficult (and navigating is very easy with a GPS) if you are used to driving on the right side of the road. Since nearly all rental cars have a manual (stick) transmission the driver should be comfortable with that kind of vehicle. A good basic rule is to drive to your furthest point early in the day, and then work your way back to towards the port. In the case of LeHavre we often recommend that folks go do their D-Day related stuff earlier in the day, and if you still have time you can stop in Honfleur on the way back to Le Havre. A one day rental car will cost you $100 - $140 (including gas) depending on the size car and diesels are always the best option since the fuel is cheaper. As we have oft posted, the lone rental car agency at the port (rentacar.fr) is a bit pricy (but convenient) and will add $30-$50 onto your total cost. But if you have 4 in the car you are talking about a full day of transportation for less then $40 a person.

 

Hank

[lamchops]

I just left Lehavre yesterday and had a rental car. A Fiat Panada stickshift with English gps was $100eu. An 8 passenger van was $190eu + $10eu for gps., The company was rentacar and they had an office in the terminal with the cars waiting outside across from the shuttle buses. You can do a thread search for their email address. Like Hank said, it's easy driving in this part of France. Just make sure you have enough coins for the tolls. The Pont Normandie bridge toll was $5.40eu each way which is much higher than I remembered.

[Hlitner]

I just left Lehavre yesterday and had a rental car. A Fiat Panada stickshift with English gps was $100eu. An 8 passenger van was $190eu + $10eu for gps., The company was rentacar and they had an office in the terminal with the cars waiting outside across from the shuttle buses. You can do a thread search for their email address. Like Hank said, it's easy driving in this part of France. Just make sure you have enough coins for the tolls. The Pont Normandie bridge toll was $5.40eu each way which is much higher than I remembered.

 

We have oft mentioned that rent-a-car agency but also make it clear that they charge a lot more money then the rental car agencies outside the port. We normally walk over to Europcar (Sixt has an office next door). We will post an accurate example. On May 10 or this year we were in Le Havre on the Ruby Princess. We reserved a Fiat 500 with stick shift for the total cost of 45.56 Euros (or about $65 at the time). The agency gave us a very nice upgrade (no charge) which was fine with us. Since we actually enjoy walking, the 15 min walk from the pier to Europcar was no big deal and knowing that we saved over 50 Euros by taking that stroll makes it even sweeter. As to tolls, we normally use our credit card (you do need a chip/PIN card) which work fine in the northern part of France. But US issued Chip/PIN cards do not generally work on the toll roads south of Paris (that is a story unto itself).

 

Hank

Edited September 25, 2014 by Hlitner

[lamchops]

We have oft mentioned that rent-a-car agency but also make it clear that they charge a lot more money then the rental car agencies outside the port. We normally walk over to Europcar (Sixt has an office next door). We will post an accurate example. On May 10 or this year we were in Le Havre on the Ruby Princess. We reserved a Fiat 500 with stick shift for the total cost of 45.56 Euros (or about $65 at the time). The agency gave us a very nice upgrade (no charge) which was fine with us. Since we actually enjoy walking, the 15 min walk from the pier to Europcar was no big deal and knowing that we saved over 50 Euros by taking that stroll makes it even sweeter. As to tolls, we normally use our credit card (you do need a chip/PIN card) which work fine in the northern part of France. But US issued Chip/PIN cards do not generally work on the toll roads south of Paris (that is a story unto itself).

 

Hank

 

When I checked Europcar it was $30eu cheaper but my DW always seem to have punctuality issues and I didn't need the stress and the possibility of losing the car. :) DW would of wanted to take a taxi which was about $8eu each way if I remember correctly from a previous visit. We drove up to Etretat and Fecamp before going to Honfleur. Being able to make a pitstop next to the ship was an added bonus. For me, the savings would of only been about $16eu. The "on your own tours" to Etretat and Honfleur were $45eu per person for each town so I figure we were $80eu ahead.:D