Le Havre - Normandy Beach DIY Excursions?

[batoryfirst]

We'll be on the Independence in late Nov. and have stops at LeHavre 7a - 9p and Cherbourg 9a - 6p. I'm just not sure which port to do what. We are eager for a Normandy Beaches tour and a Mont St. Michel tour. Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

Nancy

[charleees]

let s try with westcapades.com , they ve got a minivan + english sp driver from 500€ they can transport you to all original ddaybeaches. their email is contact@westcapades.com

 

 

We'll be arriving at Le Havre on the Crown Princess on September 4 at 7 AM, with a sailaway time of 8 PM. The two of us usually do our own DIY tours in most ports, but still haven't figured out what to do in Le Havre. We've never been there before, and our main goal is to see as much as possible of the landing beaches and other sites related to D-Day.

 

We're looking for ideas for a DIY itinerary. We would prefer to take public transportation, but wouldn't mind renting a car if public transporation isn't available or doesn't go to the right places. Does anybody have any suggestions?

[JandBR_PHX]

We toured the beaches from Cherbourg. Its maybe a bit closer than Le Havre. I don't think you will find any public transportation that will be suitable. We rented a car. It was quite easy driving and we had a great day.

 

How long did you have in port? We'll be in Cherbourg on 9 May 2010 and want to try the drive, but we have less than 8 hours :eek:. Currently, the schedule says arrive at 0700 and depart at 1500. Think I'll make it?

[JandBR_PHX]

RATS!!! No rental car agencies are open on May 9th... it's Sunday! Grrrrr...

[John Bull]

Oceania just announced several itineraries going to Rouen.

 

Yep, a number of smaller cruise ships sail up to Rouen, including Fred Olsen's.

JB

[HeinBloed]

RATS!!! No rental car agencies are open on May 9th... it's Sunday! Grrrrr...

 

Have you contacted the rental car company yourself or just browsing internet...???

 

We got our car at the pier at a public holiday in France...

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[John Bull]

Cherbourg would be slightly closer to the beaches of Normandy, but we are talking relatively small time difference (perhaps 1:20 vs 1:45) which could vary by traffic.

 

Hank

 

Hi Hank, sorry, gotta disagree with you on the difference between the ports.

 

From Cherbourg to the first point of American interest, St Mere Eglise, it's just 24 miles/30 minutes.

From Le Havre to the first point of American interest, Arromanches, its 82 miles/1hr 40 mins - slower roads to reach the N13, & possible delays around Caen

So an extra hour or more travelling each way from Le Havre.

Thus the only difference seems to be the Le Havre trip using that extra hour or less to nip into Bayeux

 

IMHO a cruiser with the luxury of choosing between 11hrs from Le Havre or 8 hrs from Cherbourg would best look at what else they'd like to do from either port.

If Mont St Michel is high on the list, then that's from Cherbourg so choose to visit D-Day beaches from Le Havre. But if Paris, Rouen or Honfleur figure higher, they're from Le Havre so visit D-Day beaches from Cherbourg.

 

British & Commonwealth beaches, starting at Caen/Ouistreham/Pegasus Bridge/Merville Battery, are marginally easier from Le Havre.

 

One bugbear running through all Normany threads is the lazy french car-rental firms' reluctance to open on a sunday, which makes finding a rental car difficult on a sunday esp from Cherbourg.

So if one port-of-call is a sunday, that just might tip the balance

 

JB

[Hlitner]

Hi Hank, sorry, gotta disagree with you on the difference between the ports.

 

From Cherbourg to the first point of American interest, St Mere Eglise, it's just 24 miles/30 minutes.

From Le Havre to the first point of American interest, Arromanches, its 82 miles/1hr 40 mins - slower roads to reach the N13, & possible delays around Caen

So an extra hour or more travelling each way from Le Havre.

Thus the only difference seems to be the Le Havre trip using that extra hour or less to nip into Bayeux

 

IMHO a cruiser with the luxury of choosing between 11hrs from Le Havre or 8 hrs from Cherbourg would best look at what else they'd like to do from either port.

If Mont St Michel is high on the list, then that's from Cherbourg so choose to visit D-Day beaches from Le Havre. But if Paris, Rouen or Honfleur figure higher, they're from Le Havre so visit D-Day beaches from Cherbourg.

 

British & Commonwealth beaches, starting at Caen/Ouistreham/Pegasus Bridge/Merville Battery, are marginally easier from Le Havre.

 

One bugbear running through all Normany threads is the lazy french car-rental firms' reluctance to open on a sunday, which makes finding a rental car difficult on a sunday esp from Cherbourg.

So if one port-of-call is a sunday, that just might tip the balance

 

JB

 

Ok, I will prove my wife wrong by admitting that I made a mistake (she says I never admit mistakes). The beaches are closer to Cherbourg then LeHavre.... Bayeux would be about the mid-point. As to Sunday rentals, that is even a problem in LeHavre where most of the rental car companies are closed. Europcar used to be open on Sundays but we are not sure if that is still the case.

 

Hank