Question about Le Havre & Paris

[MsB1254]

We are booked on a cruise with an over night in LeHavre on 06/10/17 which will also be when the French open is. We have never been to Paris and would like to spend the night there on the 10th. I'm looking for best way to travel there and recommendations on hotels that would be central or have access to major sights. Thanks for any and all help.

[Lutèce]

Hello

If you wanted to go to the French Open, I'm afraid you have the wrong dates. It runs from May 16 to June 5.

 

Can't really help with hotels without some idea of what you would consider a reasonable price for a night in central Paris (in euros, not $US)

 

Also be aware when booking that if you give the hotel the date as you have written it, you will have a room for October 6 !! Outside the US dates are written dd/ mm/yyyy :)

[Lutèce]

Sorry, just realised your dates were for 2017, not 2016:)

However, the rest of my post is still valid

[Hlitner]

Your best option for getting to Paris (on your own) is to simply take the train. It is about a 2 hour train ride and there are generally trains about every hour. You can purchase tickets a few weeks in advance...and the best prices are usually found by using the SNCF web site. You can also usually get tickets the day of the journey, but it is possible that a train could be sold out...so best to purchase in advance. It is about a 10 min taxi ride from the port to the train station, although some taxis are reluctant to take the short haul.

 

As to hotels in Paris, there are nearly 4000 hotels in the city :). You have plenty of time to some homework and decide which neighborhood (Arrondissement) best fits your schedule, preferences and price range. You can book Paris hotels on any major search engine (expedia, orbitz, venere, etc). Keep in mind that the trains to and from Le Havre go to the Paris St Lazare train station. Paris has an excellent public transit system (Metro and buses) which can get you almost anywhere without too much hassle.

 

Hank

[MsB1254]

Thanks for your help. I guess I better start reading the guide books and looking on the internet since I have never been to any of the ports we will be visiting. We have overnights in Le Havre and Amsterdam.

[Hlitner]

Thanks for your help. I guess I better start reading the guide books and looking on the internet since I have never been to any of the ports we will be visiting. We have overnights in Le Havre and Amsterdam.

 

The beauty is that you do not have to read many guide books if you choose the right ones. We have often recommended the Rick Steves series (and no, we do not work for them or get any kind of promotional fee...) which has become somewhat of a bible series for the do it your selfers (DIY). Trip Advisor is another good source although we recommend paying more attention to the individual reviews than their rankings. Tripadvisor also has Forums on each of the cities which can make good reading...and you can also post questions. We think that Tripadvisor is related to CC (will not go into detail) so we hope our post passes muster.

 

As to an overnight in LeHavre, if Paris is going to be your destination we do support the idea of spending the night in Paris (always notify your ship of this type of overnight off the ship). As to Amsterdam, if you are actually docked in Amsterdam (as opposed to another more distinct port) then you can easily use your ship as an overnight hotel. In Amsterdam, if you are an adventurous eater, you should Google "Rijsttafel" which is a type of Indonesian cuisine quite excellent in Amsterdam.

 

Hank

[MsB1254]

The beauty is that you do not have to read many guide books if you choose the right ones. We have often recommended the Rick Steves series (and no, we do not work for them or get any kind of promotional fee...) which has become somewhat of a bible series for the do it your selfers (DIY). Trip Advisor is another good source although we recommend paying more attention to the individual reviews than their rankings. Tripadvisor also has Forums on each of the cities which can make good reading...and you can also post questions. We think that Tripadvisor is related to CC (will not go into detail) so we hope our post passes muster.

 

As to an overnight in LeHavre, if Paris is going to be your destination we do support the idea of spending the night in Paris (always notify your ship of this type of overnight off the ship). As to Amsterdam, if you are actually docked in Amsterdam (as opposed to another more distinct port) then you can easily use your ship as an overnight hotel. In Amsterdam, if you are an adventurous eater, you should Google "Rijsttafel" which is a type of Indonesian cuisine quite excellent in Amsterdam.

 

Hank

 

Last week I purchased Rick Steve's guides for Amsterdam, London, & Paris but I haven't started reading them yet. In Amsterdam I believe we are actually docked there and are planning on staying on the ship at night. Thanks for your suggestion about the Indonesian cuisine and I'll look into it.

[mfabz]

MsB1254 -- We have just booked the same trip as you and plan to overnight in Paris. I think there will be others. Was hoping Celebrity would offer transportation, but at this point they are not offering such a trip. Would be happy to share info with you. We can be reached at mfabz at aol. com. Donna & Bill

[prish]

Last week I purchased Rick Steve's guides for Amsterdam, London, & Paris but I haven't started reading them yet. In Amsterdam I believe we are actually docked there and are planning on staying on the ship at night. Thanks for your suggestion about the Indonesian cuisine and I'll look into it.

 

MsB1254 -- We have just booked the same trip as you and plan to overnight in Paris. I think there will be others. Was hoping Celebrity would offer transportation, but at this point they are not offering such a trip. Would be happy to share info with you. We can be reached at mfabz at aol. com. Donna & Bill

 

MsB1254, we have an active RC going for this sailing (link below), you might want to sign up, several people are planning an overnight in Paris and you can share information about tours, transfers, etc. Celebrity is offering a tour to the Men's finals on Sunday, June 11 at a mouth-watering $4400/pp, though there must surely be cheaper options:D

 

Anyway, look forward to seeing you on our RC...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2282818

[Host Bonjour]

We've had a recent thread on here as to favorite areas to stay in Paris - might have been posted in March, I think? It received a lot of great replies that might help OP with preliminary research on Paris neighborhoods or "arronidissments" as they are known in French.

 

If you look on an arronissment map of Paris, some show a sort of sideways oval with the Seine river running through it. In the center you'll see the first - on the Right Bank, #1 arrondissment, to the right, #2 and then #3 then #4 for the fifth, look down across the river on the Left Bank and there is #5 the fifth arronidissment, also known as (aka) the start of the Latin Quarter, then to the left #6, left again #7....cross back over to the right bank again...#8.

 

The arrondissments go clockwise around Paris out from the center of the city.

 

Many of the main attractions, favorite hotels, cafes, restaurants are near the center of the city - in the past, life revolved around the river! Of course there's much to be said about the higher number arrondissments too and Paris being compact, nothing is very far from the river, really - especially with the metro.

 

That said, many people favor staying in hotels nearer the lower number arrondissments when visiting - everyone has their favorites for different reasons, repeat visitors most especially might return to certain areas from past experiences or for conveniences or both. On the Left Bank, the 5th and 6th tend to be very popular, on the Right Bank - a lot has changed with a renaissance in some areas - but Le Marais is popular, 2nd, 3rd, Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe are in the 8th; everyone now knows, sadly, Place de la Republique in the trendy 11th and 10th, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Opera Garnier are in the 9th, La Louvre, Chatelet Les Halles and Place Vendome are in the 1st.

 

My favorite was always the 1st...I have a hotel there I just loved so much, Hotel Mansart on the rue des Capucines just off the Place Vendome within a quick walk to the Opera metro line and thus, convenient to everywhere in the city. Love, love, loved it. Also easy to walk from there to everywhere. Have also stayed in the 5th - probably enjoyed the most aside from the 1st - and the 7th, within a short walk to the Eiffel Tower, and the 12th too - adorable, affordable place convenient to transit. In all truth, I've always been happy just being in Paris - and a cosy, clean room ;)

 

I often use Lonely Planet city guides for Europe (I use Frommers too)

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/hotels (hotels are sorted here by neighborhood)

 

If you have more questions, post again! :)

[mrschiefopd]

MsB1254 -- We have just booked the same trip as you and plan to overnight in Paris. I think there will be others. Was hoping Celebrity would offer transportation, but at this point they are not offering such a trip. Would be happy to share info with you. We can be reached at mfabz at aol. com. Donna & Bill

 

We are booked on the same trip and plan to stay overnight in Paris as well. Celebrity is offering the overnight in Paris on your own as an excursion. It is available to book now at a price of $159 pp. USD. It simply includes bus transportation. I spoke with someone at Celebrity since there was a discrepancy in the description. The total duration of the tour is 33 hours, not 23 as listed. Five hours is the roundtrip transportation. This allows 28 hours in Paris. The bus leaves at 10:00 a.m. on June 10th, with arrival around 12:30 p.m. If my math is correct, the bus would depart at 4:30 p.m. on June 11th and arrive back at the ship around 7:00 p.m. I'm thinking we will book through Celebrity, since I'm sure how reliable the trains will be. I can cancel if I find something better. We'd be interested in booking tours with others once we arrive in Paris if you are interested. Our email is mrschiefopd@msn.com Barb and Steve

[Turtles06]

We are booked on the same trip and plan to stay overnight in Paris as well. Celebrity is offering the overnight in Paris on your own as an excursion. It is available to book now at a price of $159 pp. USD. It simply includes bus transportation. I spoke with someone at Celebrity since there was a discrepancy in the description. The total duration of the tour is 33 hours, not 23 as listed. Five hours is the roundtrip transportation. This allows 28 hours in Paris. The bus leaves at 10:00 a.m. on June 10th, with arrival around 12:30 p.m. If my math is correct, the bus would depart at 4:30 p.m. on June 11th and arrive back at the ship around 7:00 p.m. I'm thinking we will book through Celebrity, since I'm sure how reliable the trains will be. I can cancel if I find something better. We'd be interested in booking tours with others once we arrive in Paris if you are interested. Our email is mrschiefopd@msn.com Barb and Steve

 

Hey folks, as noted above, the BEST way to communicate with others on your cruise, especially to try to arrange tours or transportation with them, is on your Roll Call, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2282818

 

have a great trip!