LeHavre to Paris

[Luv2CruiseOften]

We have gotten OK from cruise line to leave the ship one day early in LeHavre. We are going to spend a week in Paris and want to know if someone could recommend a car service that can drive us to Paris. We do not want to take a bus or train due to luggage. Any recommendation??.

[mysaddlebred000]

We will be on a b2b and will stop in Le Havre Paris on both cruises and I am not real happy of the long ride into Paris and Normandy. My wife suggested we get off a day early in LeHavre, take the train into Paris and spend three or four days exploring. I doubt if we will really see everything we want in one day (one in Paris, one in Normandy).

 

Does anyone have hotel suggestions close to a train station. Rick Steves said many times that it is very easy using the train to get around.

 

I am also wondering if we should just wait until we get to the hotel and ask them for suggestions for tour operators to Normandy. I think we can do Paris on our own.

 

I want to decide soon so I can change my return flights from London to Paris asap. I know I need permission from the cruise line. Thought I'd let my ta take care of that for me.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[LondonTowner]

I really can't see the point of going all the way into to Paris from Normandy to return to Normandy.

 

You could stay somewhere like Trouville, Douville, Honfleur and visit Normandy from there. The best option would be to hire a car. Driving in Normandy is very easy.

[Hlitner]

There are a few excellent questions (and points) which we will try to address in a single post. Regarding a car service. we have no clue despite having made the trek from Le Havre to Paris on many occasions. We have done the journey by both train and rental car. The problem with hiring a car/driver is they would need to return to their starting point...which is more then a 6 hour drive. So you are going to spend hundreds of Euros and we would guess 400€+ would be in the ballpark. You could easily hire a taxi, right at the port to do the journey...and try to negotiate a good deal before getting in the cab.

You are correct to be concerned about taking luggage on the train (we do it...and hate it). But if you can possibly pack so that you can manage your luggage, the train is the best option. We once used a 1 way rental car because of the luggage issue and its possible to get a car for around 100€ if you shop among the major rental car companies. But driving into Paris is not for the faint of heart :)

 

Regarding the "long ride" to Normandy....as soon as you step off the ship in Le Havre you are actually in Normandy. If you want to go to the D-Day beach area you are talking about nearly a 2 hour drive...but there are some interesting places along the route (such as the amazing Peace Museum in Caen). Other parts of Normandy such as the charming Honfleur....are only a short ride (20 min) from the port. My favorite way to explore the expansive Normandy area is with our own rental car. Most of the driving is in rural areas and its pretty easy to get around with the help of GPS.

 

Now, on to our favorite topic (and DWs favorite city in the World) of Paris. This is a large city, and like most large cities it has distinctive neighborhoods (Arrondisements). There are also many train stations in Paris, an excellent Metro system, and a complex bus system. When choosing a Paris hotel, we think its best to first make a decision of what neighborhood you prefer to use as your base. Then drill down to an area within that neighborhood and start looking for hotel options. Personally, when we spend more then a few days in Paris we now prefer to rent a furnished apartment (there are thousands for rent around the city). Our personal favorite areas are primarily on the Left Bank where we usually stay in the 5th or 6th (Arrondisements) with St Germain des Pres topping our personal list (this is not for everyone). Another area we enjoy (and recommend) is the Marais area on the Right Bank. Marais not only is full of many cute boutiques and eating venues...but is the best part of Paris for those in the city on a Sunday. As to hotels close to train stations, our experience is that the best places to stay are not too close to any train station :). Keep in mind that there are many taxis in Paris (if you need to get around with luggage) including a radio taxi service (called G7 with an English Speaking phone line.

 

Hank

[mysaddlebred000]

Luv2CruiseOften,

 

I am sorry I hijacked your post. I really thought I was starting a new post.

[mysaddlebred000]

We have gotten OK from cruise line to leave the ship one day early in LeHavre.

 

DID you have your ta do that for you? if not, did you call or write? I have learned to have everything related to the cruise in writing. Especially obc's and other perks.

 

Hlitner,

thank you so much for your suggestions. you are so helpful.

[Hlitner]

DID you have your ta do that for you? if not, did you call or write? I have learned to have everything related to the cruise in writing. Especially obc's and other perks.

 

Hlitner,

thank you so much for your suggestions. you are so helpful.

 

We should have mentioned that we have left several cruises (Princess and Celebrity) a day early in Le Havre (the cruises were ending in England). It has never been a problem. We simply notify the cruise line either directly or via our cruise agency...and do it in an e-mail so we have a written record. Permission is always easily obtained. Once we are on the ship we stop at Guest Services (early in the cruise) to verify that we are getting off early. In one case (Princess) the cruise line never bothered to notify the ship...but nobody really cared. We just filled out a short form on the ship (at Guest Services) and that was the end of the process. Princess actually sent us luggage tags (similar to a normal disembarkation) and we left our luggage outside of the cabin when we went to bed on our last night. Our luggage was sitting in the small cruise terminal when we exited the ship. Others carried their own luggage off the ship (not a problem). In Le Havre there were no inspections or procedures in the terminal. Just walked off the ship, retrieved our luggage, and grabbed a taxi (or loaded our rental car).

 

Hank

[Memargi]

DID you have your ta do that for you? if not, did you call or write? I have learned to have everything related to the cruise in writing. Especially obc's and other perks.

 

Hlitner,

thank you so much for your suggestions. you are so helpful.

 

Princess told me I had to contact my travel agent who then had to contact them hahahaha silly circles

[mysaddlebred000]

thanks for the fast replies.

 

luv2cruiseoften,

 

have you thought about renting a car? that is what I am thinking about doing. We plan to stay five days and it would give us freedom to change plans around a little. I need to research a central location to stay. I don't want to pack up every night.

 

So if anyone has suggestions for a small inn or hotel outside of Paris. I would think Paris would be more expensive and not sure how traffic is.

 

I will start checking car rentals and hopefully there is one close to port that will allow us to drop off the car at the airport or one close with a shuttle.

 

thanks for any help.

[Hlitner]

Unless things have very recently changed, there is one rental car company (rentacar.fr) with an office right inside the port. But that company has never had the best rates and you would want to find out about one-way drop charges. Outside the port there is a Sixt office on Southampton Quai..which is not too far from the port (we have walked to that office in about 30 min). I think Enterprise also has an office in that area. Most of the others have offices near the train station, which is a short taxi ride from the Port. We have never had luck finding any of those offices with a shuttle service. Best of luck :)

 

Hank

[LondonTowner]

Why don't you hire a car in Le Havre and spend a couple of days in Normandy. There are some lovely places to stay and loads to see and do. You could then take the train to Paris as a car is more of a hindrance than a help in a large city.

[cityt]

Can you tell me exactly how to access the train to Paris from the cruise ship terminal? Having never done this and not speaking any French I am rather intimidated by the entire process.

[LondonTowner]

cityt

 

We take our own car to Normandy, so have never taken a train. My French is appalling, but we drive to France 3 or 4 times a year and never have a problem.

Many young people speak English.

 

I'm sure somebody else will come along with the answer about the train, but I would ima give it is fairly straightforward.

[compozer]

I am starting my research of Paris and the surrounding area. We just decided to leave the ship a day early and stay in Paris for four or five days. Debating if we should rent a car or just take the train to get around. I understand we can take a train to Normandy and other attractions but need to make sure we get the last train back to Paris.

 

Has anyone stayed in one of the small towns outside of Paris? I was wondering if we would save time not having to deal with traffic in Paris. We have never been there so have no idea what to expect.

 

Any hotel suggestions?

 

We will be flying out of Paris and our friends will be taking the train to London. I need to figure out what train station our friends need to get to for their trip. I also need to figure out if we can drop the rental car off at the airport but first, where to pick one up. And if we really need one.

 

If anyone has any experience with our plans, we really would appreciate any feedback.

 

Thanks, Sandy