Paris vs (Etrerat and Honfleur)

[stickyshocker]

We have 12 hrs at Le Havre, Plan A is Paris

Plan B is Etrerat and Honfleur, public transportation(bus)is an x factor for us, and we also have kids in tow.. Please advise. Thanks

 

 

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[Hlitner]

All things being equal (and they are not) we would say that if one has never been to Paris that is where to go...even if you must crawl to get there :). Having traveled in over 100 countries, DW would quickly tell you that Paris is her favorite city in the world.

 

But, there are some things to consider. Getting to and from Paris (from Le Havre) involves 2 1/2 - 3 hours each way! That is a lot of time sitting on a bus or train. Honfleur is only about a 20 minute drive. As to Etretat, it is a small seaside resort town and would not normally be on my bucket list for a first time visitor to the region.

 

You do not say the age of your kids, but if they can handle the long transfers....they would likely find something to enjoy in Paris. Just consider the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (they can climb to the roof), etc. I am not sure that kids would be overjoyed in Honfleur....which is charming small town with some decent shops and cute cafes (arrayed around the small harbor).

 

And there is another option...especially for older kids. The D-Day beach area offers an interesting opportunity for education.

 

Hank

[stickyshocker]

Logistics:

Paris

1. Can we walk from the cruise terminal to Le Havre train station?

2. Where do we get off? Is 6 hrs enough in Paris?

 

Etretat/Honfleur/Normandy

1. Is there a public bus stop nearby to take us there? How’s the frequency?

2. Is there a town near the Etretat beach?Can we walk?

3. Most importantly, Any HoHo bus we can get on to take us to all these places.

 

.. kids ages are 7,8&10.

 

Etretat&Honfleur

 

 

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[Hlitner]

Logistics:

Paris

1. Can we walk from the cruise terminal to Le Havre train station?

 

Not easily. It takes a fast walker about 45 min.

 

2. Where do we get off? Is 6 hrs enough in Paris?

 

You get off at Paris St-Lazare (normally the last stop). From there you can access public transit (i.e. Metro) to go just about anywhere in Paris. You would want to look at maps before your trip. We also suggest getting the Rick Steve's Paris book which has some good info on walking tours and using the Metro. 6 hours is not enough nor is 6 days. But when you take a cruise you have to make the most of the limited port times.

 

 

 

Etretat/Honfleur/Normandy

1. Is there a public bus stop nearby to take us there? How’s the frequency?

 

There is a bus from Le Havre (you must walk out of the port to the bus) to Honfleur...but it does not run very often. You can Google the bus info...schedule.

 

2. Is there a town near the Etretat beach?Can we walk?

 

Etretat is actually the town and beach. Once in town you can walk anywhere (its not a very large place). Since you are on the northern coast of France, the water is generally pretty chilly.

 

3. Most importantly, Any HoHo bus we can get on to take us to all these places.

 

The only place you mention that has a HoHo is Paris. And I would not normally recommend the HoHo for a short port day because you can spend too much time just waiting at bus stops. Its best to map our your priorities and use the Metro (its faster because its underground) for the longer distances.

 

.. kids ages are 7,8&10.

 

Great ages :). We first took our DD to Paris when she was 8 and she loved it. She is now in her late 30s and still remembers that trip (any buying a pair of shoes).

 

 

I should mention that its probably worthwhile for you to try and get a taxi from the port (Le Havre) to the train station. But this is not always so easy as many taxis do not want to do the short haul. Be politely assertive if they say No...and ask if they can help get you another taxi. It usually (but not always) works.

 

Unfortunately the French taxi drivers have been mostly successful in keeping Uber out! If they did have Uber the taxis might have to actually spend less time taking long coffee breaks...and actually work.

 

Hank

[stickyshocker]

Thanks for taking your time..

I’ve underestimated this port,

your advice about Paris opens a new door for me..

and that is to take a partial cruise, it being the last day of our cruise before heading back to S’hampton.

 

 

 

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[John Bull]

Thanks for taking your time..

I’ve underestimated this port,

your advice about Paris opens a new door for me..

and that is to take a partial cruise, it being the last day of our cruise before heading back to S’hampton.

 

 

 

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Are you thinking what I'm thinking? :confused:

Rather than return to Southampton that night for disembarkation next morning, jump-ship in Le Havre, head to Paris for a day or two or three, & fly home from there?

 

It's been done many times. :)

 

And can be done by you, as long as you haven't booked your flights yet, or they're amendable without a massive penalty.

Book "open -jaw" return flights, because two one-way tickets might be excessively expensive. Needs to be from your North American airport to London & from Paris back to the same North American airport, and using the same airline or members of the same Airline Alliance (eg I think, Virgin & Delta). The fare will be the mid-price of the respective ordinary return fares.

You also need cruise line's permission to disembark in Le Havre - usually given. :)

(But you'll get no discount on your cruise fare - in fact some cruise lines now charge for the privilege).

 

BTW Etretat and Honfleur are in opposite directions from Le Havre, without private transport (car+driver or rental car) visiting both is not really achievable. And not worthwhile even if you have private transport.

But they don't compare to Paris - especially a few post-cruise days in Paris.

 

JB :)

[stickyshocker]

You got it JB..

But.. I might have to go thru the ordeal of finding a hotel for 5 people again ..in Paris.(Yep, i’m that cheapo dad poster at the UK forum).

 

I haven’t booked my flights yet, and at a quick glance, an open jaw from Iceland air is quite cheaper than a round trip to LHR.

But it also requires a layover of almost a day.

..in Reykjavik.

 

Btw, i’m also thinking of taking the bus from Le Havre to Paris (non stop).

 

 

 

 

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[Hlitner]

My friend (he really is) JB raises a great issue. If your stop at Le Havre is the last port of your cruise which ends the following day in Southampton..."jumping the ship" is a great option for the more adventurous. I should add (in the interest of full disclosure) that we most recently did this on a recent Princess cruise. To do this you want to seek cruise line approval (far in advance). You can then disembark in Le Havre, get a taxi to the train station, take the train to Paris, and spend as many days/nights as you can spare in Paris. DW and I have recently gotten into renting apartments (there are many online options including Homeaway, AirBnB, etc) and staying at least one week.

 

DW and I have spent a lot of time in Paris...and never get tired of the city and its surrounding region. To be really honest, we feel sorry for fellow cruisers who only get a port day to experience this amazing city. While a port day is better then nothing if its your only option, a few days or week will just start to allow one to truly see and experience the city. If I were to surprise my DW and tell her we were flying to Paris tomorrow (for a long weekend) she would be absolutely delighted. /One of the biggest negatives about European cruises is that you do not get enough time in most places.

 

Or course you do have to consider your children...and this adds a lot of cost to any land trip. When we first took our DD to Paris (at age 8) she did her pre-trip homework and wanted to go see the Mona Lisa. We managed to take her through the Louvre in about an hour (this museum would take most mortals many hours or even days to see only a part of the huge place). One must make allowances for children. In the case of our DD, it was frequent cafe breaks for "Orangia" or gelato breaks (Paris has some of the best gelato in the world). And we had so much fun taking her to some fine restaurants (for dinner) and watching her try new things (not all kids are so cooperative). Of course none of this comes cheap...which is a big consideration for most folks.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

You got it JB..

 

I haven’t booked my flights yet, and at a quick glance, an open jaw from Iceland air is quite cheaper than a round trip to LHR.

But it also requires a layover of almost a day.

..in Reykjavik.

 

 

Icelandair.

Yes, they serve Toronto & London & Paris.

And one of the cheapest trans-Atlantic carriers.

 

We considered them for our last trip to the US, mainly to stop-over in Reykjavik one way cos we've never been there. There's no extra charge for a stop-over, even tho that same aircraft from London carried on to our intended destination, Denver.

We decided against cos we came to the conclusion that Iceland was boring.

I made the mistake of mentioning that on CC (or was it TripAdvisor), and I was inundated with responses that I'd got it all wrong & Iceland was well worth visiting.

 

I guess a lay-over of a few hours doesn't allow the opportunity to explore more than the airport, and of course splitting the flight over two days means hotel bills & such.

 

But it sounds like an option worth considering.

 

JB :)

[stickyshocker]

There are so many chances that we could’ve done Paris before which i squandered for lack of planning( maybe intentionally, because i’ve been to Quebec many times).

I got 3 options:

 

1. Fly to Paris, train to London before heading down S’hampton.

2. Jump ship from Le Havre

3. Worst case, visit it on a Port day.

 

... If i have to utilize our port day in Cherbourg, then i will toss that in too.

 

Paris it is then...

 

 

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[John Bull]

IMHO Option 2 is best.

Train Le Havre to Paris is only a little longer (2 hrs) than London to Southampton (90 mins), but does avoid the time & cost of the Eurostar train.

Unless, of course, Eurostar is on your to-do list.

Option 3 is the worst, but better than not seeing Paris at all.

 

Cherbourg for the D-Day beaches - which you can't do from Le Havre if you're jumping-ship there (what would you do with your luggage?)

Cherbourg is equally convenient for the Canadian sector (Juno Beach, Courseulles-sur-mer, etc) and more convenient for the American sector, but do check times in both ports - Le Havre usually involves a mid-evening sailing (due to the distance to Paris) and some ships stop at Cherbourg only for a pretty pointless half-day. D-Day van tours are quite expensive but excellent and not too pricy if you share with like-mindeds via your RollCall. Worth checking it to see if anyone is looking for sharers?

Or rent a car - very easy navigation, no city driving, mainly easy parking, sights are well-signed, staff at museums etc are knowledgeable & have good English.

 

The other main option from Cherbourg is Mont St Michel. It's a long & boring but easy drive and you have just the one destination whereas D-Day is more varied & with no long drives. Again by rented car or shared rented van, no need for a guide. Or ship's excursion

 

If you need any further help to spend your money, you only have to ask. ;)

 

JB :)

[stickyshocker]

I had a mix up, our call at Le Havre is actually 14 hrs and Cherbourg 12.

 

I already sent an email to RCCL, and fellow cruisers at my fb group implied that wait times for a response takes about a month.

 

Maybe its just me, but my initial scan gives me an impression that Paris is cheaper than London.

I found a base in the Latin Quarter, and i’m not sure if thats a prime spot at all, also found a unicorn in London at last -Cherry court near Victoria.

 

I’m a “ splurge when its cheap, scrimp when expensive” type of traveller, and i am grateful for all the advices from you: JB and Hank... This cruise is starting to shape up better than i thought.

Thank you [emoji4]

 

 

 

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[prish]

I had a mix up, our call at Le Havre is actually 14 hrs and Cherbourg 12.

 

I already sent an email to RCCL, and fellow cruisers at my fb group implied that wait times for a response takes about a month.

 

Maybe its just me, but my initial scan gives me an impression that Paris is cheaper than London.

I found a base in the Latin Quarter, and i’m not sure if thats a prime spot at all, also found a unicorn in London at last -Cherry court near Victoria.

 

I’m a “ splurge when its cheap, scrimp when expensive” type of traveller, and i am grateful for all the advices from you: JB and Hank... This cruise is starting to shape up better than i thought.

Thank you [emoji4]

 

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Am so excited for you, the Latin Quarter would be perfect, one of my fav parts of Paris. Is this a hotel or an apartment? I just booked an apartment in the same area near the Luxembourg Gardens for this June through booking.com, with the option to cancel till end May. But please know that the city council is cracking down on illegal rentals and now all apartments are required to have a registration number, this will appear on the listing.

[stickyshocker]

Am so excited for you, the Latin Quarter would be perfect, one of my fav parts of Paris. Is this a hotel or an apartment? I just booked an apartment in the same area near the Luxembourg Gardens for this June through booking.com, with the option to cancel till end May. But please know that the city council is cracking down on illegal rentals and now all apartments are required to have a registration number, this will appear on the listing.

 

 

 

Its a hotel supposedly, that and another one i spotted right by Gare du Nord..

 

 

 

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