Normandy and Honfleur?

[ajpack]

We'll be on Jewel of the Seas in June 2007 and are interested in touring Normandy and then spending some relaxing time touring Honfleur. We'll be in port until 10PM. Does anyone know of a private tour or if it's possible to hire a taxi at the pier? The website for taxilehavre isn't available anymore.

[Foxhill]

Hi: We are on the Millenium in April, 2007 and will be in LeHavre as a port stop also. I, too, am trying to find independent tours or guides to see some of the Alabaster coast line and get down to Honfluer. I received a brochure from the LeHavre tourist office and it indicated that web site for LeHavre Taxi is: www.taxis-le-havre.com I was able to bring it up and then e-mail then for additional information on the services they offer. Got a prompt reply back. You might give that a try.

 

We are also considering just renting a car in LeHavre and driving ourselves. Good luck with your search.

[ajpack]

Thank you so much!

[Judith02]

We will be on the Crystal Serenity in September 2006 and have booked the Landing Beaches tour from Honfleur through their shore excursion department. I believe most cruise lines use approximately the same vendors in ports so your ship will probably have the same tour we will be on. It is 9 hours including lunch at Omaha Beach.

[GramaFran]

We will be in Le Havre in Sept and have a reservation with Hertz. Their office does not seem too far from the port. They are open 9am to 7pm of course you need to be able to drive a stick shift, no automatics available.

We plan on driving to Honflur and into the Calvados area to try the apple brandy and maybe a farm for cheese. found most of my info on line.

We have been to Paris a couple of times and sad to say that Giverny is closed on Mondays so it was out. So we decided to just see the country side.

Francine

[jdrblue]

We used Hertz in Le Havre. It is a short cab ride from the dock. The Hertz folks called a cab for us when we returned the car and that was about a 20 minute wait. We had the no automatic transmission experience too. We drove to Rouen and Honfluer. I don't know if this is the norm but I wished I had brought my own map. The map provided by Hertz wasn't much. I had failed to get my car insurance for France approved before our trip so I took the Hertz insurance package. I think that more than doubled the cost. Some credit cards provide rental car insurance but I wasn't sure about mine so I paid the price.

[Foxhill]

If your port stop in Le Havre will be on a Sunday you will find all the auto rental agencies closed. Seems that most of the buses will also be closed or on very limited schedules. Apparently, taxies are still available on Sunday. Makes options very limited. :(

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Was in Honflur last summer, very nice place got a bit full of tourests in the afternoon, went into the Calvadoes area, watch out for the apple Brandy powerful stuff.

 

You must try the local apple pie with cream.

 

Loads of stuff to buy and try, took tour of old cider farm etc.

 

yours Shogun

[edinburgher]

We docked in Le Havre last Sept overnight and just last week for one day.

 

In Sept we docked early afternoon and went to Honfleur. The following (longer) day we went to Rouen.

 

last week we had only one day and we went to Etretat (Alabaster coast)then did some sightseeing in Le Havre.

 

In Le Havre the bus and train stations are side by side. Taxis at the dock offering taxi tours or its €8 to either bus or train station.

 

You can go to Honfleur by bus (approx 20 mins) and also to Etretat (1hour)and Fecamp (a further 1/2 hour). No train to Honfleur or Etretat, limited trains to Fecamp. Trains to Rouen, approx 50 mins.

 

Public transport fairly inexpensive. We paid only €7-40 per person return to/from Le Havre and Etretat. I think (but cannot remember exactly) its approx €11 per person to/from Le Havre and Honfleur. The train fares to Rouen can be found on the sncf website, together with timetables.

 

The Honfleur timetable is online, but the Etretat/Fecamp one is not. The LH Tourist Office sent me bus times by email then posted an actual timetable to our home before we left. I still have this.

 

I can recommend all 3 of these places. Normandy is lovely. The more we see of it the more we like it. And LH itself throws up some surprises. We saw a lot of it on the route we took through town towards Etretat and got off in the town centre on our return, instead of at the terminus at the bus station. Some lovely parks and gardens, interesting monuments, shopping and a long beach, complete with rows and rows of beach huts, restaurants, promenade, marina etc. Right now theres an arts festival on so theres lots of arty stuff on display in the streets and parks. On our previous trip last Sept we headed soth to Honfleur and east to Rouen so did not see LH itself. The bus ride to Etretat went off and on the main road as we drove into small villages and towns along the way. By car or taxi its likely you will stay on the main road and go there directly.

 

The LH Tourist Board is right next to the dock in hangar 12. The taxi tours are also there. The Tourist board has a list of agreed fares for taxi tours so its likely all will charge the same price. I have the sheet with current prices and will post some here. Depends whether you are up to 4 persons in a standard 5 seater (plus driver) or in a larger people mover type of vehicle which seats 5 or 6 passengers plus driver.

[edinburgher]

First price is for 1 to 4 persons, second for 5/6 persons.

 

Les charmes de la Normande €310/375 8 hours.

Honfleur €110/130 3 hours.

Route des Abbayes and Rouen €270/320 7 hours.

Giverny €310/375 7 hours.

La Cote d'Albatre and Benedictine Abbey (Etretat/Fecamp) €155/190 4 hours.

La Cote fleurie €210/250 6 hours.

Les plages de debarquement (Normany beaches) €395/465 8 hours

 

There are some others too, including Paris and Le Havre itself, but did not list these. They also say they can do any itinerary anyone would like but you need to get a quote for this.

 

Conditions apply.

No entry fees included in the above prices. Nor lunches or anything else.

Any extra time and cost to be agreed with driver.

 

These are 2006 prices. Hope someone finds them useful.

[Lisa Waverley]

Thanks

This is extremely useful.

I had used a wonderful guide in Normandy last time. I will try to find his info.My sons learned so much about Normandy.

This time I thought we would wing it on our own as we will not be going back to the Beaches and historical sites.

This info is great, thanks Edinburgher.

[edinburgher]

Thanks.

 

Normandy has some places to visit and its going to be a tough choice if you only have one day and much will depend on the weather too.

 

In September we were in Honfleur in drizzly, damp mist and it still looked pretty, misty also the next morning but as we left the coast heading to Rouen the mist cleared and it was a lovely day inland.

 

Last week in Etretat it was a glorious, clear and sunny day. Expecting coastal breezes on the cliff tops we had taken jackets and were too warm.

[ajpack]

Edinburgher...thank you so much for all the info. Now I'd better start getting organized.:rolleyes:

 

Anne

[Cruise Junky]

We'll be on Jewel of the Seas in June 2007 and are interested in touring Normandy and then spending some relaxing time touring Honfleur. We'll be in port until 10PM. Does anyone know of a private tour or if it's possible to hire a taxi at the pier? The website for taxilehavre isn't available anymore.

 

I'm sorry...Normandy is closed the day you'll be visiting. She's protesting that you're not joining your good friends on the Royal Princess :)

[KathyW]

I just wondered how much it would cost to take a taxi from Le Havre to Honfleur as we will be arriving there on a Sunday (Golden Princess cruise in July). Are taxi ranks situated near the docking areas for the ships and any other useful information would be wonderful.

 

Many thanks.

 

KathyW

[edinburgher]

KATHYW

 

Your questions were actually already answered on this thread. See #9.:)

[edinburgher]

And #10.

[ajpack]

I'm sorry...Normandy is closed the day you'll be visiting. She's protesting that you're not joining your good friends on the Royal Princess :)

 

It's so wonderful to be loved!!!:D :rolleyes: