Le Havre- should we just stay on board? What to do with kids?

[SquishTheWhale]

Unfortunately our Oct cruise has swapped out La Rochelle for the dreaded Le Havre. I've been wracking my brains and the internet trying to think of something to do in port but coming up with nothing. We will have a 4yr old with us, so things like tours of Normandy don't appeal. Definitely not Paris, it would be easier to get there from home! Usually in port we explore on foot or take the train somewhere, provided there's parks, play areas, nice shops etc to see. My son also enjoys the beach, zoos, aquariums etc. There's no point choosing to do something he won't enjoy, as most parents know if the kids aren't happy then you won't be either.

Does anyone have any ideas at all of what to do in Le Havre or close by with kids please? I'm about to just give in and stay on board as we have done previously when stopping here, but it would be good to try and do something!

Edited May 31 by SquishTheWhale

[edinburgher]

4 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said:

Usually in port we explore on foot or take the train somewhere, provided there's parks, play areas, nice shops etc to see. My son also enjoys the beach, zoos, aquariums etc.

You say you already tried the internet but appear to have had no results which I think is odd, so maybe you didn't search with relevant words?  Have you tried googling something like "le Havre for kids" or "Honfleur for kids"? there will surely be something either indoors or outdoors in one or both towns.

 I included Honfleur as it is very easy to get there from le Havre, approx 30 mins in a taxi, and so pretty the adults will love it too.

 

And just so you know, le Havre has  a few quite attractive beaches should the weather gods smile on you, and they are actually in the town itself..

[SquishTheWhale]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

You say you already tried the internet but appear to have had no results which I think is odd, so maybe you didn't search with relevant words?  Have you tried googling something like "le Havre for kids" or "Honfleur for kids"? there will surely be something either indoors or outdoors in one or both towns.

 I included Honfleur as it is very easy to get there from le Havre, approx 30 mins in a taxi, and so pretty the adults will love it too.

 

And just so you know, le Havre has  a few quite attractive beaches should the weather gods smile on you, and they are actually in the town itself..

Yes, I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing! Hence why I'm asking if anyone knows of anything. Beaches could be an option but the cruise is end of Oct so weather may not be good enough.

Edited May 31 by SquishTheWhale

[D&N]

4 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said:

Yes, I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing! Hence why I'm asking if anyone knows of anything. Beaches could be an option but the cruise is end of Oct so weather may not be good enough.

Perhaps not the ideal port activity, but there is a shopping centre fairly near the cruise terminal;

The "Docks".  https://docksvauban.com/

They appear to have a Lego store, restaurants etc. Their Lidl may have some passable cheap French wine and cheap spirits.

It's about 2.6km walk from the terminal on port roads, so you'd be best with a taxi each way.

 

They even have a Primark. I thought we had the only one in France at Cagnes-sur-Mer!

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said:

I have tried Le Havre for kids and come up with nothing appealing!

Even the Natural History museum  didn't appeal? Usually little kids love the animal exhibits.

[matamanoa]

In Honfleur there is a carousel that children can ride.  Perhaps if you google Honfleur-things to see and do-you might find a museum or two that would be of interest.

[Harters]

On 5/31/2024 at 9:38 AM, SquishTheWhale said:

I'm about to just give in and stay on board as we have done previously when stopping here

We have Le Havre on our 2025 cruise and I think that's the conclusion we've also come to. It's a very port intensive cruise and this will be the last day, so chilling out will be no bad thing. 

 

The Normandy beaches don't appeal. My interest is in the Great War and I'd hoped to find things of interest (my local territorial battalion landed there in September 1914 and several members are buried in the town cemetery ). But it seems WW2 bombing pretty much obliterated the town. I'm going to do some more research and see if any of the places mentioned in the battalion's war diary still stand but I'm not hopeful. 

[SquishTheWhale]

Sorry I forgot to reply to people on here!

 

Unfortunately the natural history museum is indefinitely closed. I've found a couple of playparks by the port so think we'll play it by ear depending on the weather. I did look at the Bee bus to Honfleur but as pretty as it is there isn't much for kids, especially if it's raining

[mskaufman]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:23 AM, matamanoa said:

In Honfleur there is a carousel that children can ride.  Perhaps if you google Honfleur-things to see and do-you might find a museum or two that would be of interest.

I was thinking that Honfleur should be a nice day and place to walk around.

[SquishTheWhale]

It does look pretty- however the cruise is last week in October so maybe limited if its raining.

[marazul]

3 hours ago, SquishTheWhale said:

It does look pretty- however the cruise is last week in October so maybe limited if its raining.

Fortunately, you don't have to decide now.  Get your info on how to get to Honfleur and what to do there.  Just go if it is a decent day.  Stay as long as your son is entertained.  He could also get bored on a long day on the ship.  

[SquishTheWhale]

13 minutes ago, marazul said:

Fortunately, you don't have to decide now.  Get your info on how to get to Honfleur and what to do there.  Just go if it is a decent day.  Stay as long as your son is entertained.  He could also get bored on a long day on the ship.  

 

Yes I think that's the plan!

[Simon-t]

Honfleur is certainly worth a trip.
 

Have you thought about hiring a car? Last time we were in Le Havre we hired a car for the day and drove to Etretat, with its famous cliffs. The seaside town of Deauville is also less than an hours drive and could be combined with Honfleur.