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Etretat & Fecamp

graciallen

By graciallen,
in France Ports

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Grannycb

Grannycb

Posted
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I'm not sure there is good transportation to the towns from Le Havre. We went with the cruise tour. Both towns were excellent. I know others who went to Paris and raved about it. We went to Etretat & Fecamp and raved about our day too. The Benedictine Palace was wonderful as was the seaside village of Etretat. One passenger was left behind at the Benedictine Palace so the rest of us got extra time at Etretat. We used ours to have an ice cream at a little cafe. Some climbed to the hill top church. What a wonderful place!

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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The last time we were in Le Havre (about 18 months ago) we decided to do something a bit different since we had already explored much of the area on previous cruises and driving vacations. So we rented a car in LeHavre and first drove over to Deauville and then came back to Honfleur to have some nice Moules et Frites (for lunch). We than decided to drive over to Etretat and Fecamp for a couple of hours and it was nice to walk along the coast, look at the cliffs, etc. The cost of a car for the entire day probably cost us about $100 and we really appreciated the romance of being by ourselves. We will be back in LeHavre next month (another cruise) and are still debating what we want to do and renting a car is a possiblity. We are also giving consideration to taking the train to Rouen. For first time visitors we really recommend going to Normandy (another good trip with a rental car). Giverny is also possible with a rental car (we enjoyed Monet's home).

 

Hank

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Grannycb

Grannycb

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Hank - Wish we would have rented a car. It would have been more enjoyable to go at our own pace. We actually did what you did, go to Honfleur in the morning and then on to Fecamp and Etretat in the afternoon. Those two tours were a lot more than your rental car. I kept wishing we could pull over to take pictures. Can't do that on a bus.

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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Hank, did you bother getting an International Drivers Lic? And what rental company did you use? Any tips on driving?

 

We are not even sure (senior moment) who we used on our last visit but have previously used both Avis and Budget in Le Havre. As to the International Drivers Permit sometimes we have one and other times we do not! In over thirty years of driving in Europe nobody has every asked to see the document, but we do know that technically it is required in Italy. We normally would not worry about it in France, but if you have any hesitation then its easy to get one at any AAA office. You do need to pay for a passport photo (AAA does this in a minute) and I believe the permit costs $15 and is valid for one year. You will not need that permit to rent a car (they only want your regular drivers license) but some will tell you that if you get stopped by the police it is good to have. We find driving in France to be quite easy but it is real helpful to have a GPS unit (we have our own) which you can usually rent for the dealer. Driving in Italy is a real adventure and we love the challenge (thought I would mention this in case you are going to Italy).

 

Hank

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edinburgher

edinburgher

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Our last time in Le Havre we hit a beautiful, clear, sunny day, and having been to many of the places in the area on previous trips we decided to go to Etretat. We went to the Le Havre bus station and caught a local bus. No 24.

 

The route is quite attractive as the bus serves local villages along the way so it does not only run on the main highway. Once there, we explored the town, the waterfront, and walked some of the cliffs. Because it was so sunny the cliffs really were "alabaster" in colour and we had a really enjoyable relaxing time there. I would recommend this trip only if the weather is good.

 

We took the same number bus back to Le Havre, this time getting off in the centre rather than the bus station, and explored the city centre as we walked back to the ship.

 

The Etretat tourist office website has the bus timetable on it.

 

If you do not want to drive/rent a car this is a nice (and inexpensive) alternative.

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  • 8 months later...
Lythalia

Lythalia

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We will be in August in Le Havre on a cruise and we are quite not sure would to do...

Semms like we got 2 options:

1. Rental car (which at the moment would be about 100€)

2. Bus to Fecamp and Etretat

 

Any recommendations?;)

 

At first we thought about visiting the landing beaches but those tours are too expensive for only 2 people and on our german board we find no cruisers to join...

Do you think it's worth the time to drive there on our own with a rental car and then see Fecamp and Etretat and maybe something more? Or will it consume too much time?

I really appreciate any suggestions:)

 

@ edinburgher: Thx for the link to the bus timetable!!!

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
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We will be in August in Le Havre on a cruise and we are quite not sure would to do...

Semms like we got 2 options:

1. Rental car (which at the moment would be about 100€)

2. Bus to Fecamp and Etretat

 

Any recommendations?;)

 

At first we thought about visiting the landing beaches but those tours are too expensive for only 2 people and on our german board we find no cruisers to join...

Do you think it's worth the time to drive there on our own with a rental car and then see Fecamp and Etretat and maybe something more? Or will it consume too much time?

I really appreciate any suggestions:)

 

@ edinburgher: Thx for the link to the bus timetable!!!

 

We really like renting a car (as opposed to the regional buses) because you can go where you want when you want. Driving in this region is quite easy but it is very helpful to have a GPS. Normandy is an interesting area place but driving to Normandy and also FeCamp and Entretat is not a good idea since they are in opposite directions from LeHavre. Instead, we would suggest exploring Normandy and perhaps stopping in Honfleur on your return (since this is pretty close to LeHavre). There is a wonderful museum in the city of Caen (right off the main road) called the Peace Museum which you might find worth a stop. Normandy also has some charming villages worth a visit (we particularly like Bayeux). This museum gives a very interesting historical perspective of the period between WWI and WWII and explains a lot about what led up to WWII. We thought the musuem did a very good job in honestly explaining many of the issues and its also a beautfiul building.

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Lythalia

Lythalia

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Thx for your recommendation, Hlitner!

I think you're right and it will suit us best to go only into one direction from LeHavre and from what you wrote it will be Normandy.:)

I hope we'll have enough time then to explore the places you mentioned!

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