rental cars or tours from Honfluer

[elaineagogo]

We are on Oceania docking in Honfluer until 11pm want to either rent a car or find a tour guide to go to Roen and Giverney....anyone who can help with information?Thanks, Elaine

[Hlitner]

We are on Oceania docking in Honfluer until 11pm want to either rent a car or find a tour guide to go to Roen and Giverney....anyone who can help with information?Thanks, Elaine

 

This is really one of those weird situations. Most ships dock in LeHavre where its relatively easy to grab a train to Rouen (Giverney is a different issue) but Oceania is one of the few cruise ships to really go into the small port at Honfleur. We happen to love Honfleur (had the best Moules et Frites there ) but if you want to go elsewhere you face the opposite problem of folks that go into LeHavre. We are not even aware of any rental car dealers in Honfleur. You will probably need to get to LeHavre (about 7 miles away) in order to get a train or rent a car. In other words, your best bet is going to be to hire a private car/driver which will cost you big bucks (probably at least 400 Euros). We think Oceania deserves praise for trying to use some less popular ports (such as Honfleur) but it does create problems for the "do it yourself" traveler such as me.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

Confident that Hank is wrong, & that there will be a car hire depot in Honfleur, I've checked the 'net.

........ and sadly it looks like Hank is right :(.

Plus no trains & a poor local bus service.

 

Rouen is easy enough by train from Le Havre, on the Paris line. As is Giverney (same train, get off at Vernon, short bus or taxi ride to Giverney). But Le Havre is actually about 15 miles from Honfleur & the only practical transport to Le H station is by taxi.

 

If you've not been to Honfleur before, it's a super little laid-back place. And an 11pm sailing will give you a chance to sample the bars & restaurants after the crowds have gone.

Or 20 mins to the west by taxi, the twins of Trouville (fishing village, moules & frites even better than Honfleur) & Deauville (resort town).

You can fit in Trouville/Deauville/Honfleur very comfortably.

John Bull

[moyaroo]

For those who are fans of the movie A Man and a Woman, the beach scenes and the hotel were filmed in Deauville.

[Hlitner]

Confident that Hank is wrong, & that there will be a car hire depot in Honfleur, I've checked the 'net.

........ and sadly it looks like Hank is right :(.

Plus no trains & a poor local bus service.

 

.......

John Bull

 

Not sure whether to smile or frown!

 

Hank

 

P.S. Perhaps its the fact that Honfleur has no train station, no major highways, lousy bus service, no rental car "depots," etc. is what makes it such a perfect little village. We love this little town, but using it as a cruise port is really a dirty joke on passengers who want to do anything on their own (other then stay in little Honfleur).

[elaineagogo]

I thought it was just me when I couldn't find car rentals,trains etc. Thanks for the replies really want to go to Rouen from Honfleur but maybe there will be taxi services? Last time we stopped in LeHavre and there were plenty of cars and taxi drivers wanting to take people on tours we did our own thing that day....

[Isklaar]

This thread may help

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187182-i1016-k3910680-Caen_to_Honfleur-Caen_Calvados_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html

 

post #4 mentions the car hire company, its at the Peugeot dealership rented from them maybe 10 (more ??) years ago.

 

If not do a web search IN FRENCH for location voitures..

[John Bull]

Not sure whether to smile or frown!

 

Hank

 

 

You're meant to smile, Hank :)

It's the OP who's meant to frown :D

 

Honfleur is a fair-sized town if you include the outskirts & nearby villages, so I'd have thought it big enough for a car hire place, even just for the locals.

But apparently not.

 

I love the little out-of-the-way places that little cruise ships visit.

Problem with Honfleur is that so many folk have already visited from Le Havre as a laid-back alternative to Rouen or Paris.

Regards

JB

[nikel]

But Le Havre is actually about 15 miles from Honfleur & the only practical transport to Le H station is by taxi.

 

John Bull

 

We dock in Le Havre and thought we would be able to go to Honfleur by train/bus. So am I correct in reading that the only way is by taxi? We have an approx. 12 hour port stop. Do you have any other suggestions?

[Hlitner]

There is bus service between LeHavre and Honfleur, but it has a very irregular schedule and never seems to be a good option for cruisers (we are not sure of the current schedule). We also think that Honfleur is a great place for lunch and some walking, but most folks would not want to spend an entire cruise day in that city. Hence, this is why we often prefer to rent a car for a port day when we want to stay along the coastal region. With a car you can easily drive to both Honfleur and Deauville, and if you want to drive some distance you can run over towards the east to Fecamp and even Etretat. Another alternative is to take the train to Rouen which is actually a very nice city for a day trip.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

We dock in Le Havre and thought we would be able to go to Honfleur by train/bus. So am I correct in reading that the only way is by taxi? We have an approx. 12 hour port stop. Do you have any other suggestions?

 

Confirming other posts/threads, there is no rail service to Honfleur.

 

Here's the bus options http://www.busverts.fr/281-Votre-deplacement.html

How's your french? :D

Votre commune is Le Havre, this will bring up your options to Honfleur.

Weekdays, your only sensible bus to Honfleur is route (ligne) 20 at 9.09 from the Gare Routiere (bus station, next to the rail station). Miss that & you'll not get away til gone noon. Sunday your only sensible bus out is 10.45am route 39 but your bus back would be route 20 or 50.

You'll need a taxi from ship to station, according to other threads (not personal experience) ships' shuttles into Le H don't go near it.

The drop point in Honfleur is on the quayside, 2 mins from the centre.

Various route/time options for the return bus, this will depend very much on your ship's back-on-board time. You do have the option of bus one way, taxi the other way.

That's a long-winded way of saying "most folk go by taxi" :D

 

Hank's suggestion of going beyond, to Deauville/Trouville, and calling at Honfleur on the way back would fill out your day better. It could be replicated by taxi or bus or a combination, but a car would give you a great deal more freedom.

 

With a car, you could alternatively visit the D-Day beaches. There's some interesting D-Day sights around Caen / Ouistreham (60 miles/just over an hour from Le H), but the American beaches, starting at Omaha/American Cemetery are a further 25 miles / 35 minutes west.

Certainly do-able, many folk have done it.

 

Train to Rouen could include Giverney (hop off the train at Vernon & a short bus or taxi ride before continuing by train to Rouen)

 

Sorry, I don't know the Fecamp/Etretat area, which is to the north-east, but I suspect that would also need a car.

 

JB

[John Bull]

We are on Oceania docking in Honfluer until 11pm want to either rent a car or find a tour guide to go to Roen and Giverney....anyone who can help with information?Thanks, Elaine

 

From the link posted by Isklaar, Honfleur car hire at http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.location-voiture-vehicule.com/location-voiture-mary-location-honfleur_6911.htm&ei=RHl_TcKqF8qAhQebjomwBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmary%2Blocation%2BHonfleur%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_en-GBGB302GB305%26prmd%3Divns

 

It's a car dealership, rental is only a part of their business so they may not be competetive. But then I guess they don't need to be. ;)

 

Click on "reservation" to e-mail them for car hire details.

I doubt they have much to do with international visitors, so fingers-crossed someone there speaks english.

 

And a late return out-of-business-hours might be a problem.

 

But "nothing ventured etc........."

JB

[elaineagogo]

I sent an email to Mary rentals we shall see if I get a reply in english or at all I will post.... thanks for sending me the info...Elaine

[Hlitner]

From the link posted by Isklaar, Honfleur car hire at http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.location-voiture-vehicule.com/location-voiture-mary-location-honfleur_6911.htm&ei=RHl_TcKqF8qAhQebjomwBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCUQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmary%2Blocation%2BHonfleur%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_en-GBGB302GB305%26prmd%3Divns

 

It's a car dealership, rental is only a part of their business so they may not be competetive. But then I guess they don't need to be. ;)

 

Click on "reservation" to e-mail them for car hire details.

I doubt they have much to do with international visitors, so fingers-crossed someone there speaks english.

 

And a late return out-of-business-hours might be a problem.

 

But "nothing ventured etc........."

JB

 

JB,

 

We bow down to your skills in finding this rental car link. :)

 

Hank

[John Bull]

JB,

 

We bow down to your skills in finding this rental car link. :)

 

Hank

 

 

If it's good, I found it :)

If it's duff, Isklaar found it :D:D:D

JB ;)

[elaineagogo]

I will let you know if I get a reply and if it is in english!!:D:D

[Hlitner]

I will let you know if I get a reply and if it is in english!!:D:D

 

We have done a lot of travel in France and our French is pretty much high school French. When we need to make reservations or telephone places that do not have an English speaking person, we take advantage of a good friend who is fluent in French (we have even had her call restaurants to get us reservations). As to reading French (or any other language) on the web, we recommend installing Google Toolbar (it's free) which has a language translator option. Their software does a pretty good job.

 

Hank

[Isklaar]

If it's good, I found it :)

If it's duff, Isklaar found it :D:D:D

JB ;)

 

LOL! :D

I can't take credit for 'finding' it even if they are good or bad - we had an incident with our own car just outside Deauville several years ago and Mary was the only place that had a car available till ours was sorted...I seem to think it was at least 10 years ago so they may be a dud now. And I do agree that they may be expensive because they're a dealership and have no local competition as such.

 

 

OP - I hope they respond, I have a feeling we (I) dealt with them in (poor) French. Good luck with it

[cruisingallover]

Do not book with Rent A Car agency in Le Havre. :(

 

They expect you to take a taxi, one way 20 minutes, to get your rental car. Does that make any sense :confused:

 

Otherwise they will charge you double at the pier. :mad:

 

Funny, how they do not say this on their website. :rolleyes:

[Hlitner]

Do not book with Rent A Car agency in Le Havre. :(

 

They expect you to take a taxi, one way 20 minutes, to get your rental car. Does that make any sense :confused:

 

Otherwise they will charge you double at the pier. :mad:

 

Funny, how they do not say this on their website. :rolleyes:

 

It is true that most of the rental car dealers in LeHavre expect you to show-up at their office (sounds pretty normal to me). There is a local rental car company located right in the port terminal building, but I do not recall their name at the moment. Of course the fact that they have cars at the port means you will probably pay more for the car. To be blunt, we rent cars at many cruise ports and taking a taxi to a rental car dealer is really not that unusual. It has become more common because many ports will no longer allow the rental car companies to bring cars to the port (security issues).

 

Hank

[elaineagogo]

so far no reply from Mary rentals why do I think this is not going to happen and my dh will not take a taxi to LaHavre to get a car there so. We may just wait until we get off the ship and see what our options are I got an email today from Honfleur tourist office with several phone #s of taxis but I don't speak but a few words in french will ask friends if they can help... keep you all posted

[cruisingallover]

It is true that most of the rental car dealers in LeHavre expect you to show-up at their office (sounds pretty normal to me). There is a local rental car company located right in the port terminal building, but I do not recall their name at the moment. Of course the fact that they have cars at the port means you will probably pay more for the car. To be blunt, we rent cars at many cruise ports and taking a taxi to a rental car dealer is really not that unusual. It has become more common because many ports will no longer allow the rental car companies to bring cars to the port (security issues).

 

Hank

 

Hank I have always valued your advise but to be blunt their website should of been clearer. If I had not asked I would of been surprised at the pier and would of had to take a 20 minute or more taxi ride to pick up the rental car. :mad:

 

We have rented cars in the past and many times the rental car agency provides a shuttle or is a short walk from the pier.

 

The reason I wanted to rent a car is to have the convenince of picking it at the pier......but not for double the price. Who wants to spend another 20-30 Euros on top of the daily rate :confused: just to get it. Let alone the wasted 40 minutes.

 

I have cancelled the car rental and will take the train to Rouen.

[John Bull]

Hank I have always valued your advise but to be blunt their website should of been clearer. If I had not asked I would of been surprised at the pier and would of had to take a 20 minute or more taxi ride to pick up the rental car. :mad:

 

Sorry, but I have to agree with Hank.

And that's not always the case :p

 

I expect to collect from the rental company's address.

If that address is the port or airport, that's where I expect to collect.

But if it's a city address, then having a car delivered to the port is no different to having it delivered to my home - I expect an extra charge (can't comment on how much) to cover the 2 guys needed to deliver it. And to collect it.

 

Which car rental location is most convenient, and how to get there, are frequent questions on ports-of-call boards.

 

JB

[Hlitner]

Hank I have always valued your advise but to be blunt their website should of been clearer. If I had not asked I would of been surprised at the pier and would of had to take a 20 minute or more taxi ride to pick up the rental car. :mad:

 

We have rented cars in the past and many times the rental car agency provides a shuttle or is a short walk from the pier.

 

The reason I wanted to rent a car is to have the convenince of picking it at the pier......but not for double the price. Who wants to spend another 20-30 Euros on top of the daily rate :confused: just to get it. Let alone the wasted 40 minutes.

 

I have cancelled the car rental and will take the train to Rouen.

 

We feel your pain (and I am being serious). It's why we always try to give detailed info here on these boards about things such as car rentals. When we go to a strange port and rent a car we will carefully check the location of the available rental cars. In fact, we will often use Google Earth to located the exact site and measure the distance to the port (they have a "ruler" that lets you accuarately measure distance). This is what some of us are talking about on CC when we tell independent travelers to do their pre-trip "homework." As to LeHavre, we have long been frustrated at the lack of rental car dealers at the port,,,,but this is all too typical in France where the rental car dealers seem to have no interest in cruise ships. And by the way, we ourselves took the train to Rouen from LeHavre last spring. The train station is quite a hike from the cruise port (we walked it in about 40 min) so, in the end, you may want to get a taxi to the train station. If you are age 60 or older make sure you ask about senior rates at the train station (it saved us about 25%).

 

Hank

P.S. Most of the rental car dealers are about a 10 min taxi ride from the port.

[cruisingallover]

Hank....The fellow said it was a 20 minute taxi ride. He said he would refund me the 59 Euros the day we arrive. I will bring all our email correspondence just in case.

 

We went to Honfleur last year by bus. We took a cab to the train station and then went to the back to catch it. It was easy but this year thought we would go to Rouen and wanted to rent a car for more flexibility. We are not 60 and it is a hike.

 

This is the first time I got "burned" and it does sting. The car rental agency did not even list the port as an option. The only way I found out about it was from a past passenger from our sailing last year. When I contacted them they said we could make the switch but now the price of the rental would be 115 Euros :eek: Guess they want walk offs only.

 

Lesson learned...thanks for all your help!