Auto rental from Le Harve to Normandy- will it work?

[stanjj111]

We will be in La Harve on Sept. 1, (Sat) from 7AM-9PM and would like to go to Normandy. Looking online if one averts Caen it seems like a reasonable trip to do. Is this correct? I need some additional help in deciding whether to do this please.

 

Which rental firm is the best?

Can we rent for one day?

Do we need to take the insurance?

Is the pickup point at the port?

Will there be significant information in English regarding the sites we will see or is it better to take a tour? (museums, landing areas, churches)

[John Bull]

We will be in La Harve on Sept. 1, (Sat) from 7AM-9PM and would like to go to Normandy. Looking online if one averts Caen it seems like a reasonable trip to do. Is this correct? I need some additional help in deciding whether to do this please.

 

Which rental firm is the best?

Can we rent for one day?

Do we need to take the insurance?

Is the pickup point at the port?

Will there be significant information in English regarding the sites we will see or is it better to take a tour? (museums, landing areas, churches)

 

Have driven the area a lot, but never by hire car.

Others can suggest companies/locations.

Several rental companies in Le Havre (spelling, common mistake).

Yes you can hire for the day.

Carefully check out what time you can return the car, it may have to be by 6pm

Rentals always include basic insurance but check out limitations of basic insurance & the cost to upgrade to CDW & even to avoid CDW excess.

Also check out fuel policy - with a short rental, its easy to get ripped-off on fuel used/price per litre if you don't rent "collect full, return full"

 

Yes, there's plenty of info in english (signs, audios, nearly all knowledgeable english-speaking staff, etc).

A car-full of cruisers will be way way way cheaper than a D-Day tour, which are acknowledged to be good but expensive

 

Caen - use the N814, the Caen periferique (ring road). It's effectively part of the fast A13 to Cherbourg. The northern side (which is the route signed Cherbourg) is the shorter and the quicker of the two even though there's the odd brief bottleneck.

The Caen Peace Memorial Museum is just off the periferique, so not a problem. But its a huge museum & needs much longer than you have, plus its theme is "war" & has very little about D-Day & much much more about the holocaust. Do avoid going into the city, there's nothing of interest & it can get clogged.

 

Driving is pretty simple & easy. Fast divided highway & coastal lanes, no big towns, mainly easy parking.

 

Best to head to your furthest point first.

Cross the Pont Normandie on the A29 to the A13, which is fast divided highway to Cherbourg, well past your furthest point:

 

- for a long long & busy day (not really do-able if you have to return the car by 6pm), take the A13 as far west as Sainte Mere-Eglise (airborne museum) then to the coast, drive along Utah beach from Ravenoville-Plage to La Madeleine (museum) then back to the A13 via Sainte-Marie-du-Mont & return east along the A13 to La Cambe & pick up the following route:.

- for a more manageable day, head west along the A13 only as far as La Cambe. Worth taking 15-20 minutes to visit the large German Cemetery at La Cambe, its a massive contrast to the American Cemetery which you'll visit within the next hour.

Then head north, to join the slow coastal lane heading back east, where the first major sight is Pointe Du Hoc. Then continue east to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-mer, overlooking Omaha beach. Here, allow a bare minimum one hour, preferably two.

(at any point, if you're running out of time, you can skip the following places & cut back to the fast A13)

Continue east along the coast (mebbe check out the batteries as Longues-sur-mer) to Arromanches. Remnants of the Mulberry harbour, museum on the seafront, lots of shops, bars, restaurants, ideal lunch/snack/refreshment break. Continuing along the coast, just a mile or so out of town, on the cliff overlooking Arromanches is a 360-degree cinema. Then Juno beach & the Canadian Centre at Courseulles-sur-mer.

Continue to the River Orne (eastern flank of D-Day) & cross it at Pegasus Bridge at Benouville (airborne museum), midway between Caen & the coast (Ouistreham). Return to the fast A13 at the Caen periferque, or stay on the slow coast road thro' Cabourg & attractive Deauville, Trouville & Honfleur.

Caen back to Le Havre is 55 miles, about an hour.

But give yourself two hours in case of delays - if you don't use that "safety window", stop off at charming Honfleur for a lazy coffee or beer around the harbour. Honfleur to Le Havre is about 20 mins, most of the evening rush-hour traffic is going in the opposite direction.

 

You'll not have time to stop at all these places - and I've not even mentioned historic Bayeux. So figure an itinerary that suits you & be prepared to adjust as you go.

Plenty of research on these places, & the time-scales (use googlemap route planner), will be richly-rewarded.

Come back with any planned itinerary, which will allow us all to argue whether it's do-able :D

 

JB :)

[John Bull]

The basic route:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Quai+Guillaume+le+Testu&daddr=49.3424992,-1.0203709+to:49.38734,-0.97373+to:49.34289,-0.52064+to:49.24114,-0.2705+to:49.18565,-0.3102+to:Rue+Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric+Bellanger&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.42884,-0.387268&spn=0.730608,1.551819&sll=49.405612,0.089264&sspn=0.365479,0.775909&geocode=Fdgn8wIdMqQBAA%3BFSPo8AIdLm7w_ylJqTphZ6ALSDFwBd06SBQMEw%3BFUyX8QIdXiTx_ynzdvyIJAoLSDGDsmiVIC6Ung%3BFarp8AIdQA74_yn3UjN0IFgKSDGy7IBNKOslVQ%3BFTRc7wIdXN_7_ymrqQzEYmYKSDEQDEY6SBQMEw%3BFXKD7gIdSET7_ykVIqXCZmgKSDHBBFUySBQMEw%3BFVg-8wIdIHABAA&oq=Honfleur&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4,5&t=m&z=9

 

The extension to Ste Mere-Eglise & Utah beach

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=La+Cambe+German+war+cemetery,+La+Cambe,+France&daddr=49.416246,-1.3060291+to:49.4586421,-1.2632083+to:49.41509,-1.17688+to:49.38874,-1.21715+to:N13&hl=en&ll=49.384161,-1.194763&spn=0.365639,0.775909&sll=49.384161,-1.194763&sspn=0.18282,0.387955&geocode=Ffjl8AIdq1bw_yGRklQ3zYFskA%3BFTYI8gIdUxLs_ymxIRbvPnkLSDHkF69G3mVn5A%3BFdKt8gIdmLns_ylfnohsP3oLSDHhT_s6SBQMEw%3BFbID8gId0Aru_ykzn1Mr6XYLSDGzkIhsKkhj0w%3BFcSc8QIdgm3t_ymt10tbl3cLSDFPlgzCMc2raA%3BFdHp8AIdWTvw_w&oq=Ste+Mere+Eglise&mra=dvme&mrsp=2&sz=11&via=1,2,3,4&t=m&z=10

 

JB :)

[stanjj111]

Have driven the area a lot, but never by hire car.

Others can suggest companies/locations.

Several rental companies in Le Havre (spelling, common mistake).

Yes you can hire for the day.

Carefully check out what time you can return the car, it may have to be by 6pm

Rentals always include basic insurance but check out limitations of basic insurance & the cost to upgrade to CDW & even to avoid CDW excess.

Also check out fuel policy - with a short rental, its easy to get ripped-off on fuel used/price per litre if you don't rent "collect full, return full"

 

Yes, there's plenty of info in english (signs, audios, nearly all knowledgeable english-speaking staff, etc).

A car-full of cruisers will be way way way cheaper than a D-Day tour, which are acknowledged to be good but expensive

 

Caen - use the N814, the Caen periferique (ring road). It's effectively part of the fast A13 to Cherbourg. The northern side (which is the route signed Cherbourg) is the shorter and the quicker of the two even though there's the odd brief bottleneck.

The Caen Peace Memorial Museum is just off the periferique, so not a problem. But its a huge museum & needs much longer than you have, plus its theme is "war" & has very little about D-Day & much much more about the holocaust. Do avoid going into the city, there's nothing of interest & it can get clogged.

 

Driving is pretty simple & easy. Fast divided highway & coastal lanes, no big towns, mainly easy parking.

 

Best to head to your furthest point first.

Cross the Pont Normandie on the A29 to the A13, which is fast divided highway to Cherbourg, well past your furthest point:

 

- for a long long & busy day (not really do-able if you have to return the car by 6pm), take the A13 as far west as Sainte Mere-Eglise (airborne museum) then to the coast, drive along Utah beach from Ravenoville-Plage to La Madeleine (museum) then back to the A13 via Sainte-Marie-du-Mont & return east along the A13 to La Cambe & pick up the following route:.

- for a more manageable day, head west along the A13 only as far as La Cambe. Worth taking 15-20 minutes to visit the large German Cemetery at La Cambe, its a massive contrast to the American Cemetery which you'll visit within the next hour.

Then head north, to join the slow coastal lane heading back east, where the first major sight is Pointe Du Hoc. Then continue east to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-mer, overlooking Omaha beach. Here, allow a bare minimum one hour, preferably two.

(at any point, if you're running out of time, you can skip the following places & cut back to the fast A13)

Continue east along the coast (mebbe check out the batteries as Longues-sur-mer) to Arromanches. Remnants of the Mulberry harbour, museum on the seafront, lots of shops, bars, restaurants, ideal lunch/snack/refreshment break. Continuing along the coast, just a mile or so out of town, on the cliff overlooking Arromanches is a 360-degree cinema. Then Juno beach & the Canadian Centre at Courseulles-sur-mer.

Continue to the River Orne (eastern flank of D-Day) & cross it at Pegasus Bridge at Benouville (airborne museum), midway between Caen & the coast (Ouistreham). Return to the fast A13 at the Caen periferque, or stay on the slow coast road thro' Cabourg & attractive Deauville, Trouville & Honfleur.

Caen back to Le Havre is 55 miles, about an hour.

But give yourself two hours in case of delays - if you don't use that "safety window", stop off at charming Honfleur for a lazy coffee or beer around the harbour. Honfleur to Le Havre is about 20 mins, most of the evening rush-hour traffic is going in the opposite direction.

 

You'll not have time to stop at all these places - and I've not even mentioned historic Bayeux. So figure an itinerary that suits you & be prepared to adjust as you go.

Plenty of research on these places, & the time-scales (use googlemap route planner), will be richly-rewarded.

Come back with any planned itinerary, which will allow us all to argue whether it's do-able :D

 

JB :)

 

Really great info. Thanks,

[beach bunnie]

There is a rental car company right at the port. We rented there a few years go and have a reservation for next month. The first time we drove to Mont St Michele and to Utah beach. This time we're going to William the Conqueror's castle and back to Utah beach. It's easy driving -- have money for tolls.

 

Just email the car agency from the link below to reserve.

 

http://www.lehavretourisme.com/Rent_A_Car_Croisiere_2008.pdf

 

http://www.cruiselehavre.com/croisieres-le-havre/havre-cruise-terminal.asp

[agabbymama]

I had planned to drive to Normandy from Paris at the end of our cruise in 2008. Be prepared with a plan "B". We arrived in Paris to pouring rain, low clouds, fog, totally terrible weather. So bad, the shuttle driver from the airport missed the turn off to the hotel because you couldn't see it. Visibility was about 15 feet.

 

I immediately knew I wasn't driving in a foreign country, in a foreign car to a place I had no idea how to get to, when I couldn't see a darn thing. I called the car rental and cancelled the car. Normandy will have to wait for another trip, if I ever get over to Europe again.

 

Good luck and have a great trip!

[stanjj111]

Just rented car to be picked up at the pier. Was 125 euros for an automatic with a gps. My friends did not want to go because they said it was too long of a drive. Can anyone give me a good idea of the driving time from le havre to normandy?

[Hlitner]

Just rented car to be picked up at the pier. Was 125 euros for an automatic with a gps. My friends did not want to go because they said it was too long of a drive. Can anyone give me a good idea of the driving time from le havre to normandy?

 

Keep in mind that if you rent a typical smaller European car with manual transmission the rental cost will be substantially less then an automatic. We generally get rental cars for 70 -80 Euros per day. You should always carry Euros for tolls since US credit cards may not work in the toll booths since the cards do not have a chip/Pin. As to driving times, if you went direct from Le Havre to Omaha Beach it would take close to 2 hours (each way). Keep in mind that when you say "Normandy" you are talking about a huge region of France so you need to think in terms of where in Normandy :)

 

Hank

[John Bull]

Just rented car to be picked up at the pier. Was 125 euros for an automatic with a gps. My friends did not want to go because they said it was too long of a drive. Can anyone give me a good idea of the driving time from le havre to normandy?

 

 

 

Le Havre itself is in Normandy, which is a large departement (county) of France. To avoid confusion, you need to talk about travelling to the "D-Day beaches".

 

Cuessing you're American & not Canadian, and interested in the US sites, the main sight is the American cemetery, overlooking Omaha at Colleville-sur-mer.

This is about 90 miles from your ship, 1hr 45 using mainly the fast N13 freeway.

 

Head for the American cemetery/Omaha (worth a 90 min stop). Then a further 6 miles to the shell-cratered fortifications of Pointe du Hoc, (worth 30-45 mins) then return along the coastal lanes to the gun battery at Longues sur mer (20 mins), the town of Arromanches & Gold beach (museums, shops, etc - and mebbe a bite to eat, 60 - 90 mins) , past Juno & Sword beaches to Pegasus bridge & museum just north of Caen (worth 60 mins) before returning to the N13 & back to Le Havre.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Le+Havre,+France&daddr=49.27672,-0.25644+to:49.32444,-0.42568+to:49.33534,-0.70149+to:49.3719,-0.89961+to:49.3824692,-0.9228857+to:49.38903,-0.99102+to:Rue+%C3%89douard+Lang&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.332282,-0.390015&spn=1.224278,2.334595&sll=49.386675,-0.975895&sspn=0.038216,0.072956&geocode=FWI58wIdmaUBACl9iyGVIy_gRzESrzOveobBWw%3BFTDn7wIdSBb8_ynFxZ2ZA2QKSDFQ3Hw4SBQMEw%3BFZih8AIdMIH5_ylrF_Ht114KSDHxIvY6SBQMEw%3BFSzM8AIdzkv1_yl1TebWzKoLSDFhy3hmZbwcKw%3BFfxa8QId5kXy_ykDcb5bGQgLSDGPaQVmkRRuyA%3BFUWE8QId--rx_ynPdTlbtQkLSDFepIxvK5pqyw%3BFead8QId1ODw_ykHVY51RwoLSDH2hsXSod0Iag%3BFTwe8wIdmpYBAA&oq=Colleville+sur+Mer&doflg=ptm&mra=dpe&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&t=m&z=9

 

Total travelling time 4hrs 30, total time at those sights about 5 hrs.

Of course, you can vary this to suit your time available.

 

There's various alternatives

- you can start at Utah beach, which is about 30 mins further, but the travelling & time at the beach (museum) and the airborne museum in Ste Mere Eglise means adding about 3 hours, so you'd need to drop most of the other sights.

- you can return all the way to Le Havre along the pretty coast road instead of the freeway, but this would cost you at least 30 mins more.

- at any point, you can abandon further sight-seeing & head to the N13

 

From Caen, allow an extra hour to return to the ship in case of delays. If you're not delayed you can use that time to check out the pretty little fishing port of Honfleur, abou 30 mins from Le Havre.

 

Yes, you can get in a very good day at the D-Day sights but you do need to research those places, plan carefully, & be prepared to vary according to the time.

 

Before planning your day, check the latest time you can return the car.

 

JB :)

[stanjj111]

Le Havre itself is in Normandy, which is a large departement (county) of France. To avoid confusion, you need to talk about travelling to the "D-Day beaches".

 

Cuessing you're American & not Canadian, and interested in the US sites, the main sight is the American cemetery, overlooking Omaha at Colleville-sur-mer.

This is about 90 miles from your ship, 1hr 45 using mainly the fast N13 freeway.

 

Head for the American cemetery/Omaha (worth a 90 min stop). Then a further 6 miles to the shell-cratered fortifications of Pointe du Hoc, (worth 30-45 mins) then return along the coastal lanes to the gun battery at Longues sur mer (20 mins), the town of Arromanches & Gold beach (museums, shops, etc - and mebbe a bite to eat, 60 - 90 mins) , past Juno & Sword beaches to Pegasus bridge & museum just north of Caen (worth 60 mins) before returning to the N13 & back to Le Havre.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Le+Havre,+France&daddr=49.27672,-0.25644+to:49.32444,-0.42568+to:49.33534,-0.70149+to:49.3719,-0.89961+to:49.3824692,-0.9228857+to:49.38903,-0.99102+to:Rue+%C3%89douard+Lang&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.332282,-0.390015&spn=1.224278,2.334595&sll=49.386675,-0.975895&sspn=0.038216,0.072956&geocode=FWI58wIdmaUBACl9iyGVIy_gRzESrzOveobBWw%3BFTDn7wIdSBb8_ynFxZ2ZA2QKSDFQ3Hw4SBQMEw%3BFZih8AIdMIH5_ylrF_Ht114KSDHxIvY6SBQMEw%3BFSzM8AIdzkv1_yl1TebWzKoLSDFhy3hmZbwcKw%3BFfxa8QId5kXy_ykDcb5bGQgLSDGPaQVmkRRuyA%3BFUWE8QId--rx_ynPdTlbtQkLSDFepIxvK5pqyw%3BFead8QId1ODw_ykHVY51RwoLSDH2hsXSod0Iag%3BFTwe8wIdmpYBAA&oq=Colleville+sur+Mer&doflg=ptm&mra=dpe&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&t=m&z=9

 

Total travelling time 4hrs 30, total time at those sights about 5 hrs.

Of course, you can vary this to suit your time available.

 

There's various alternatives

- you can start at Utah beach, which is about 30 mins further, but the travelling & time at the beach (museum) and the airborne museum in Ste Mere Eglise means adding about 3 hours, so you'd need to drop most of the other sights.

- you can return all the way to Le Havre along the pretty coast road instead of the freeway, but this would cost you at least 30 mins more.

- at any point, you can abandon further sight-seeing & head to the N13

 

From Caen, allow an extra hour to return to the ship in case of delays. If you're not delayed you can use that time to check out the pretty little fishing port of Honfleur, abou 30 mins from Le Havre.

 

Yes, you can get in a very good day at the D-Day sights but you do need to research those places, plan carefully, & be prepared to vary according to the time.

 

Before planning your day, check the latest time you can return the car.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks. Yes I mean the Normandy WWII sights. We are renting a an automatic at the pier. The rental agency closes at 8PM with the ship leaving at 9PM but I don't expect to cut it that close.

[John Bull]

Thanks. Yes I mean the Normandy WWII sights. We are renting a an automatic at the pier. The rental agency closes at 8PM with the ship leaving at 9PM but I don't expect to cut it that close.

 

Then I suggest you plan your day (and adjust it as neccessary on the day) to be heading back from Pegasus Bridge (the green A on this map), or passing along the nearby N13 Caen ring road, by about 5.15pm. This should comfortably get you back to Le Havre by 7.30pm.

 

If your last stop is Pegasus bridge, from there it will be almost as quick to go back to Le Havre along the attractive coast road through Cabourg, Deauville/Trouville & Honfleur, and you should have time for a half-hour break at Honfleur if you've not been delayed.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Av.+du+Commandant+Kieffer%2FD514&daddr=49.28696,-0.12802+to:49.31592,-0.00952+to:49.38785,0.11061+to:Quai+Roger+Meunier&hl=en&ll=49.385055,-0.00824&spn=0.704453,1.200256&sll=49.480589,0.124798&sspn=0.021971,0.037508&geocode=FfRf7wIdOtT7_w%3BFTAP8AId7Av-_ykz4flRfnwKSDGYxd0-3Z1OnQ%3BFVCA8AId0Nr__ym1792ven8KSDGBkcU2SBQMEw%3BFUqZ8QIdErABAClNA4ne6izgRzFwPg47SBQMEw%3BFQYK8wIdca8BAA&oq=Le+Havre&doflg=ptm&mra=dme&mrsp=4&sz=15&via=1,2,3&t=m&z=10

 

 

If time constraints have meant you've had to skip Pegasus Bridge and have returned to the N13 before Caen, its simplest to stay on the N13 & continue back to Le Havre by the same fast route that you took in the morning. At that time of day, the Caen ring road will be stop-start but will clear once you've crossed the high bridge over the Orne River. In theory this will give you about a 45 min break in Honfleur, which is just a couple of miles off your route.

 

Whichever route you take to get back as far as Honfleur, aim to leave there by 7pm.

 

JB :)

[Hlitner]

Regarding JB's post (above) we think it's a crime to be in this part of France with a car and not stop in Honfleur for at least a drink at the small harbor. This little harbor (surrounded by several indoor/outdoor cafes is one of our favorite lunch places in this region of France.

 

Hank

[naples queen]

:confused:MY HUSBAND AND I ALONG WITH SOME FRIENDS WOULD RATHER TAKE A TOUR TO THE DD DAY BEACHES ETC RATHER THEN RENT A CAR. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME THE NAMES OF ANY TOUR COMPANIES. I REALIZE THAT THEY ARE RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE BUT THERE MAY BE SOME THAT ARE GOOD AND REASONABLY PRICED. COULD WE TAKE A TAXI FROM THE PIER TO THOSE AREAS WITH AN ENGLISH SPEAKING KNOWLEDGEABLE DRIVER?? WE ARE GOING IN MAY AND WOULD LIKE TO FIRM UP THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS TRIP. WE DO NOT WANT TO RENT A CAR AND DRIVE OURSELVES.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP US.

[John Bull]

:confused:MY HUSBAND AND I ALONG WITH SOME FRIENDS WOULD RATHER TAKE A TOUR TO THE DD DAY BEACHES ETC RATHER THEN RENT A CAR. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME THE NAMES OF ANY TOUR COMPANIES. I REALIZE THAT THEY ARE RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE BUT THERE MAY BE SOME THAT ARE GOOD AND REASONABLY PRICED. COULD WE TAKE A TAXI FROM THE PIER TO THOSE AREAS WITH AN ENGLISH SPEAKING KNOWLEDGEABLE DRIVER?? WE ARE GOING IN MAY AND WOULD LIKE TO FIRM UP THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS TRIP. WE DO NOT WANT TO RENT A CAR AND DRIVE OURSELVES.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ANYONE WHO CAN HELP US.

 

 

 

Yes, its an expensive way of doing it, but not so desperately expensive if you share a van tour with others, and the tour operators do get excellent reviews. They all book-out early, so it makes a deal of sense to get something fixed up now.

Most often quoted on CC is

http://www.overlordtour.com/

You should have no difficulty in finding sharers on your RollCall, or there may be someone on your RollCall already looking for sharers.

 

Its also worth posting on the Britain/Western Europe forum - the "France" forum is theoretically for french Mediterranean ports, though there are plenty of Le Havre & Cherbourg threads on both forums.

 

JB :)

[Bert Le Vack]

John,

I have been reading you comments about car hire etc. from Le Havre, very helpful as there has been some discussion about D-day visits and the like over on the Roll Call for our cruise (we are going to be there in November). I'm not sure if pasting comments from one board to another is allowed so I will just direct people here instead if that's OK with you. By the way I got a quote for a mini-bus for around 100 Euro per day (8 passengers) so that would seem the way to go. As many of the people on this trip seem to come from North America I guess they would want to go to the American sector, me, I would like to go to Pegasus Bridge as it was my local regiment that landed there.

[Ontario Cruiser]

We want to do Juno Beach and the Juno Beach Museum (being Canadian) Is it closer to Le Havre?

Thanks Ontario Cruiser

 

P.S Do they just rent cars that hold 4 people or are minvans available?

[Hlitner]

We want to do Juno Beach and the Juno Beach Museum (being Canadian) Is it closer to Le Havre?

Thanks Ontario Cruiser

 

P.S Do they just rent cars that hold 4 people or are minvans available?

 

Sword, Juno and Gold are actually closer then the US beaches. Some of the rental car companies do rent minivans (at a higher price) but you should reserve in advance.

 

Hank